@sudburr First off thanks for the reply.

I’m assuming that order of operations is pretty important for this to work. Unfortunately this process didn’t work for me. I followed what you posted, but wasn’t clear on the steps of

‘build … build… build…’ ( i don’t know what that means)
I also have to assume that uninstalling appx packages is done right after disconnecting the network adapter but BEFORE reverting the GPO back to ‘not configured’ and ‘InstallService start= AUTO’

Here is what I did:

• I disabled the local GPO for auto-download, and ran sc config to disable the installservice. then I rebooted (booting back into audit mode)
• while the computer is off, I disabled the network adapter
• upon rebooting, I removed apps one at a time, but sysprep continued to cause a failure until I removed all of the following:

#REMOVE FOR CURRENT USER

Get-AppxPackage *HiddenCity* | Remove-AppxPackage
Get-AppxPackage *Disney* | Remove-AppxPackage
Get-AppxPackage *SketchBook* | Remove-AppxPackage
Get-AppxPackage *MarchofEmpires* | Remove-AppxPackage
Get-AppxPackage *HiddenCity* | Remove-AppxPackage
Get-AppxPackage *Saga* | Remove-AppxPackage
Get-AppxPackage *Minecraft* | Remove-AppxPackage
Get-AppxPackage *zunemusic* | Remove-AppxPackage
Get-AppxPackage *bingnews* | Remove-AppxPackage
Get-AppxPackage *bingweather* | Remove-AppxPackage
Get-AppxPackage *mspaint* | Remove-AppxPackage
Get-AppxPackage *spotify* | Remove-AppxPackage

#REMOVE FOR ALL FUTURE USERS

Get-AppxProvisionedPackage -Online | where-object { $_.packagename -like "*HiddenCity*" } | Remove-AppxProvisionedPackage -Online
Get-AppxProvisionedPackage -Online | where-object { $_.packagename -like "*Disney*" } | Remove-AppxProvisionedPackage -Online
Get-AppxProvisionedPackage -Online | where-object { $_.packagename -like "*Sketchbook*" } | Remove-AppxProvisionedPackage -Online
Get-AppxProvisionedPackage -Online | where-object { $_.packagename -like "*MarchofEmpires*" } | Remove-AppxProvisionedPackage -Online
Get-AppxProvisionedPackage -Online | where-object { $_.packagename -like "*Saga*" } | Remove-AppxProvisionedPackage -Online
Get-AppxProvisionedPackage -Online | where-object { $_.packagename -like "*Minecraft*" } | Remove-AppxProvisionedPackage -Online
Get-AppxProvisionedPackage -Online | where-object { $_.packagename -like "*zunemusic*" } | Remove-AppxProvisionedPackage -Online
Get-AppxProvisionedPackage -Online | where-object { $_.packagename -like "*bingnews*" } | Remove-AppxProvisionedPackage -Online
Get-AppxProvisionedPackage -Online | where-object { $_.packagename -like "*bingweather*" } | Remove-AppxProvisionedPackage -Online
Get-AppxProvisionedPackage -Online | where-object { $_.packagename -like "*mspaint*" } | Remove-AppxProvisionedPackage -Online
Get-AppxProvisionedPackage -Online | where-object { $_.packagename -like "*spotify*" } | Remove-AppxProvisionedPackage -Online

• After uninstalling the above, I reset both GPOs to ‘not-configured’ as you described.

• your command:
  sc config InstallService start= Manual
  gives an error that ‘Manual’ isn’t a command that ‘start’ accepts so I set it to ‘AUTO’ instead.

• with apps uninstalled, I ran sysprep, let it shutdown

• while powered off, I then turned on the network adapter

• turned the vm back on and captured the image in FOG.

• I then deployed that image to test it on 2 different machines and both gave me back the same error I was getting before where any attempt to connect to the windows store errors with:
  ‘You’ll need a new app to open this: ms-windows-store’
  which is the same result as before.

• Did I miss something?

@avaryan it is and it isn’t. You still need the libraries for Autodesk Products (and some Adobe stuff) to support certain operations.

There was already a thread started on how sysprep keeps failing out in Windows 10 (1709). But it wasn’t quite asking what I am wondering. So in an effort to not repeat, I’ll try to be detailed. So first of all, I have spun up a VM of Windows 10 1709. It is licensed. In an effort to do things right. I wanted custom profiles and some pre-configured apps. So I did the following:

• Install Windows on VMware
• On the ‘select Region’ splash screen hit ‘CTL+SHFT+F3’ to enter audit mode and begin customization.
• Installed all customized apps (autodesk, quicktime, atom, open office, etc.)
• Download Windows MDT ‘Deployment’ and create an unattend xml setting ‘copy profile’ to True (so that each new user gets all of my customizations)
• Install Fog Client Service, and ‘disable’ it to not effect imaging. (still haven’t worked out how to script its turning on post rebuild automatically, but I digress)
• Snapshot my VM (because this is where I can’t figure out the best way to go)

So from this point, I’m pretty good.

What I can’t seem to work out is dealing with Windows Store AppX packages. Here is what I have tried.

=Attempt 1=

• Without attempting to uninstall any Windows Store AppX packages, if I run sysprep, it will error out, complaining about whatever app is ASCIIbetically first in the list of bloatware crap that windows has decided should live on Windows 10 Pro. Currently they are things like: CandyCrushSaga, AutodeskSketchbook, HiddenCity, and a bunch of other garbage. But it also includes windows tiled apps that I need to keep like mspaint, calculator, photos, etc. Every forum post on technet or here so far has proposed the solution is to just uninstall them all with PS variations like the following:

Get-AppxPackage | Remove-AppxPackage # this uninstalls for current user only
Get-AppxProvisionedPackage -online | Remove-AppxProvisionedPackage -online # this uninstalls for allusers

This will eliminate the sysprep error and allow sysprep to happen. The issue with this approach is it completely breaks all windows Store apps including the store itself for any machines I use this image on. This is expected since you are actually uninstalling every Windows Store package(s) with the above commands.

I want to keep Calculator, photos, and other basic function windows apps, so this didn’t work for me as a solution.

=Attempt 2=

• This was pretty much just running sysprep and checking the log to see what appX package it was complaining about and uninstalling it. then rinse and repeat until it no longer complains and lets me sysprep. the result was a little script like this for each entry:

Get-AppxPackage *HiddenCity* | Remove-AppxPackage 
Get-AppxProvisionedPackage -Online | where-object { $_.packagename -like "*HiddenCity*" } | Remove-AppxProvisionedPackage -Online

But even after I imaged by hand-picking my apps, it seems to have gone and uninstalled others like calculator, photos, bingnews, etc. (which I didn’t ask to be uninstalled) additionally it also breaks the windows Store.

I have seen some suggestions on forums that it is actually Windows Update that is causing sysprep to fail and not the fact that these appX packages exist. I’ve read that somehow disabling internet access and also disabling the Windows Update Service somehow gets sysprep not to fail and you don’t need to uninstall any appX packages, but I haven’t successfully gotten this to work.

My first and most pressing question is if there is a way to sysprep and only remove appx apps that you don’t want without effecting the functionality of apps like Calculator, Photos, and Windows Store itself?

If that isn’t a thing (which is really surprising me that it wouldn’t be), how can I just sysprep it without breaking the Windows Store or uninstalling the appX trash? I seem to have exhausted forums on this topic but can’t find one mentioning how to uninstall CandyCrush, but keep Calculator and Windows Store.

Here are some really useful guides that helped, but didn’t get me there:

https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/4689-uninstall-apps-windows-10-a.html#option3

https://theitbros.com/sysprep-windows-10-machine-guide/

https://forums.fogproject.org/topic/7451/windows-10-sysprep-error

https://forums.fogproject.org/topic/9877/windows-10-pro-oem-sysprep-imaging
(this one mentions removing selected apps, but their script didn’t work for me. You run it and still get an error when trying to even find Calculator: ‘You’ll need a new app to open this: ms-windows-store’

Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers | where-object {$_.name –notlike “*store*” -And $_.packagename –notlike “*culator*”} | Remove-AppxPackage
Get-appxprovisionedpackage –online | where-object {$_.packagename –notlike “*store*” -And $_.packagename –notlike “*culator*”} | Remove-AppxProvisionedPackage -online

At this point I’ve almost given up trying to uninstall the bloatware, but even if I went that route, there doesn’t seem to be a way around sysprep. Thanks for any replies in advance.

Running Fog Server v1.4.4
Windows 10 Pro 1709 Creators Update