Windows 7 Sysprep Blackscreen

[Joe Gill]

Well I’m making good progress in trying to resolve previous issues with our AD. Part of which is setting up a new image using sysprep… I’m in the process of making a Universal Windows 7 Image to deploy. I am doing this setup on a physical machine. I also have taken a “snapshot image” prior to running sysprep.

So I made all of my system wide changes and modifications in audit mode. Installed the unattend file along with a SetupComplete file. In the SetupComplete file I loaded a script to install AV and a script to delete the unattend file post install. After I did that, I ran sysprep /oobe /generalize /unattend:c:\windows\system32\sysprep\unattend.xml /shutdown. After this completes, I take my FOG image for my Universal Image.

What happens when I deploy the Universal Image is the system boots into the “first boot setup”, goes through it’s install process, than hangs on a black screen. The cursor hangs in the top left hand corner of the screen and mouse functionality is no longer existent. I have left this process sit for well over an hour but I still have the same result.

Any ideas?

Thanks in advance!

Cheers,

Joe Gill

[george1421]

Is the fog client installed and the service disabled when you run sysprep? We have found that if the fog client service is running, it starts doing it work too early in the OOBE process. Right now it is best practice to install the fog client and set the service start to disabled and then in the setupcomplete.cmd script use the sc command to set it to auto start.

If this isn’t the situation then we need to look at how you are injecting the drivers and what target system you are using to deploy to.

[Joe Gill]

@george1421

I had no idea I needed to disable the FOG client before sysprepping. So I’m guessing that’s the issue. I’m very green with scripting language in Windows…

Below is my current SetupComplete file.

If this is out of line please let me know. I am using a script from Sophos in the first part of that to install it. Then I am performing a simple delete command to delete my unattend file.

What would I have to add at the end of it in order to disable FOG client?

:Install Sophos
@echo off
SET MCS_ENDPOINT=Sophos\Management Communications System\Endpoint\McsClient.exe
IF "%PROCESSOR_ARCHITECTURE%" == "x86" GOTO X86_PROG
IF NOT EXIST "%ProgramFiles(x86)%\%MCS_ENDPOINT%" GOTO INSTALL
exit /b 0

:X86_PROG
IF NOT EXIST "%ProgramFiles%\%MCS_ENDPOINT%" GOTO INSTALL
exit /b 0

:INSTALL
pushd \\172.16.1.17\share
SophosInstall.exe -q
Popd

:Delete Unattend File

del "C:\Windows\System32\sysprep\unattend.xml"```

Thanks!!

Cheers,

Joe

[george1421]

@Joe-Gill Here is a good reference https://wiki.fogproject.org/wiki/index.php?title=FOG_Client#FOG_Client_with_Sysprep

But you would actually disable the fog service in audit mode and then turn it on in the setupcomplete.cmd file with the following statements. Just add these to the setup complete file to start the fog service.

sc config FOGService start= auto
net start FOGService

So in the audit mode side you install the fog client msi right? So just after that is done, go to the control panel/services and just select the fog client, stop it and then disable the service.

[Joe Gill]

@george1421

Beautiful! Thanks!! I’ll give that a try. I did find a good wiki on sysprepping with fog but it didn’t mention disabling service.

Cheers,

Joe

[Wayne Workman]

@Joe-Gill said in Windows 7 Sysprep Blackscreen:

@george1421

Beautiful! Thanks!! I’ll give that a try. I did find a good wiki on sysprepping with fog but it didn’t mention disabling service.

Cheers,

Joe

Please post that link so I can work on that article.

#wiki

[Joe Gill]

@Wayne-Workman

I couldn’t find the exact thread I found this on. It may have been from another forum. However, here is the PDF I found…

0_1469134035294_FOG Universal Image Setup Win 7.pdf

[Joe Gill]

@george1421

George, I added that script to my SetupComplete file and I’m not having any luck. My service isn’t starting back up.

I ran script commands on their own and that works from the command prompt. But when I run a script file with those commands nothing happens.

Any ideas?

[george1421]

@Joe-Gill That’s very strange since they do work via command line and those exact commands are in my setupcomplete.cmd file. Just as a question, is your av getting installed? Try moving the sc command towards the top of your script.

Question? When your setupcomplete.cmd script executes does your computer reboot or does it go directly to the login screen? The setupcomplete.cmd script is exectued as system user after oobe is done and just before the login window is displayed. One thought is that your av install is rebooting your computer before the batch file gets to the sc command and the net start command.

I know this process works because that is how we use it today in our environment.

[JoeG]

I second the suggestion to remove your AV install from the SetupComplete script. Consider installing AV via FOG Snapin.

How are you installing drivers? In your testing has your test target computer been the same make/model as your source computer?

[gwhitfield]

@george1421 said in Windows 7 Sysprep Blackscreen:

One thought is that your av install is rebooting your computer before the batch file gets to the sc command and the net start command.

I know this process works because that is how we use it today in our environment.

To track this we output each of the setupcomplete.cmd commands to a text file in c:\windows\temp using
“>> c:\windows\temp\setupcomplete.log” appended to each command line. If the output cut off before finishing, we knew we had something interfering with the process. It’s not a perfect answer, but it helped get things organized.

[Joe Gill]

@george1421
I"m betting it’s the order in which the script performs it’s tasks. I have the fog client reactivation set at the very end of the script. I’ll try adjusting the script and re-imaging.

This image is being used on identical hardware for this test.

@JoeG I have debated on just installing AV with a plugin. We’ve installed it with group policy in the past. It does work that way.

We have had a multitude of issues this summer and I’m trying to just get things ironed out on the last part of my installs before the school year starts next month. I’ve been thrown into the role of network admin after many years of being out of the tech world and I"ve been trying to learn the “proper” way of doing things.

Thanks for all of the advice!!! I appreciate the help!

Cheers,

Joe