Help Sudden Sysprep Skip Rearm Confusion
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This is an easy one. Fully explained at [url]http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff716063.aspx[/url].
Keep your SkipRearm off in your image, so that any normal deployment is successful. Whenever you need to change your image, be prepared to change the setting in the sysprep file after deployment to your lab computer. In other words, deploy it, but don’t let it boot. Boot to WinPE from your preferred boot device and change the setting in your unattend xml file, now found in [SIZE=12px][FONT=Segoe UI][COLOR=#2a2a2a]%WINDIR%\Panther[/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][I][SIZE=12px][FONT=Segoe UI][COLOR=#2a2a2a].[/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/I]
More info at [url]http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc766514(v=ws.10).aspx[/url]
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OK that seems like a good idea in deed…so to surmise
- Prepare (audit) system / VM to be imaged and then finally Sysprep using [B][COLOR=#000000]<SkipRearm>[/COLOR][COLOR=#ff0000]1[/COLOR][/B][COLOR=#000000][B]</SkipRearm>[/B] so deploying to machines within 30 days will go smoothly. Called [B]IMAGE [COLOR=#ff0000]1[/COLOR][/B][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#000000]2. To Update patches/software or avoid 30 day time out and horrible “this copy isn’t genuine” problems; Load [/COLOR][B][COLOR=#000000]IMAGE [COLOR=#ff0000]1 [/COLOR][/COLOR][/B][COLOR=#000000]again[/COLOR][COLOR=#000000] but DO NOT boot it. Load a PE from USB/CD etc and change [/COLOR][B][I][SIZE=12px][FONT=Segoe UI][COLOR=#2a2a2a]%WINDIR%\Panther[/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/I][/B][I][SIZE=12px][FONT=Segoe UI][COLOR=#2a2a2a][B][I]\unattended.xml[/I][/B] to show [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/I][B][COLOR=#000000]<SkipRearm>[/COLOR][COLOR=#ff0000]0[/COLOR][/B][COLOR=#000000][B]</SkipRearm>.[/B][/COLOR]
[B][SIZE=2][COLOR=#000000]Hmm I still don’t understand though, surely this will still eat away at the 3 rearm allowances. Sorry I’ve been thinking about this too long and losing the plot with it. Can you just explain how this will make me be able to [/COLOR][/SIZE][COLOR=#000000]indefinitely[/COLOR][SIZE=2][COLOR=#000000] update an image without having to rebuild it? Thanks![/COLOR][/SIZE][/B]
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Indefinitely is a very long time… Why not use your favourite virtualization software for building your image. Take a snapshot before you sysprep and upload your image. Then restore your snapshot to keep editiing your image.
If you are unable to use virtualization, then upload a special image to your fog server before you sysprep, and redeploy to your lab computer after uploading your sysprepped image.
Messing with the SkipRearm setting will not give you more than 3 rearms. Oh, and do not follow the advice to skip rearming in your image for deployment. It will only give you problems.
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Hi thanks for the responses.
I am using virtual Box to do this but as I found out today if you load a non activated VM of windows after 30 days it goes into reduced functionality mode.To get past this you have to rearm the system. Losing one of the 3. So again it seems no matter which I look I’m always going to have to rebuild every image. Unless I got keys to activate them all but I cant afford that. Even reverting to a snapshot the same thing will happen. I think?
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I don’t see any problem with working with an activated Windows installation while preparing your image, are there any special reasons you don’t do this? After rearming, it needs to be reactivated, but this is usually not a problem.
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I have an image for every 64/32 bit instance of windows 7, starter, home basic etc ultimate…would cost me alot of money to get licence for all these things
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I see, after you have deployed your images, the licensing is not your problem, your users provide their own license and you cannot use it to build your image?
Sounds like you either have to bite some sour apple, or join the MS OEM program…
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yeah or just make it a yearly thing that I update 3 times then re do them staggered ??? not so bad I suppose