Ancillary Installation Tools

Microsoft provides ancillary tools, including SysPrep, Setup Manager, and the Windows Pre-installation Environment, that administrators can use to facilitate automated and manual deployments.

SysPrep. SysPrep helps the administrator prepare a master computer’s disk for imaging by removing the master computer’s Security Identifier (SID) and causing a unique SID to be generated for each cloned computer on first boot. In addition, SysPrep allows the administrator to call a portion of the normal Windows setup, called a mini-setup, which will run the first time a clone is booted to finalize the personalization by performing such configuration tasks as assigning a computer name. The mini-setup can use an answer file to run without user intervention. Improvements to SysPrep in Windows Server 2003 include better documentation and better handling of Plug and Play hardware.

Setup Manager. Windows Server 2003 includes an improved Setup Manager, a wizard that helps the administrator create answer files for use with both automated deployments and the normal Windows setup. Administrators can select the type of answer file they need (Unattended, SysPrep, or RIS), the targeted version of Windows (XP or Server 2003), and the degree of automation (user-controlled or fully automated). The wizard will then guide the administrator to supply the necessary responses to the setup prompts and create the answer file. Finally, the wizard will help the administrator create a distribution share on a file server for the installation files and the unattended answer file. Setup Manager includes an improved user interface and documentation, and any passwords stored in the answer file can be encrypted so that unauthorized individuals cannot learn a highly privileged password from an installation file share.