Customising Metro screen (Windows 8.1 SL)

Question

I am at my wits end trying to get a default start tiles to work. I am not sure because I am trying this on Windows 8.1 SL
Whatever I do during post the OOBE on First logon the User set up runs and I get the default start tiles
I have to use Windows 8.1 SL since I am shipping thousands of tablets for a project, requirement is similar to an OEM setup.Windows 8.1 SL was decided as this would used by independent clients without any domain logon requirements. I require to enter different
product keys as each system comes up and then the user (Just one admin and a standard user) to have a default start tiles. The users should be limited to the apps which I allow
I have followed CopyProfile instructions to the letter (I believe) as in  the following TechNet articles
Customize the Default User Profile by Using CopyProfile
Customize the Start Screen
Numerous other sources in the net
Here is what I am doing
Install Windows (Windows is not activated)
Boot in Audit mode by typing sysprep/audit /reboot (no generalize)
Remove all Provisioned apps except reader which is required
Add a Custom appx as a Provisioned app (I have installed and tested this on test PC's it works for all users)
Add all applications, drivers etc. for devices which will be connected to the tablet as part of project
Customised the Start tiles exactly as required
Changed default browser to the browser provided by Customer (Chrome)
Copy out the appFolderLayout.bin to a USB drive
Sysprep the image with sysprep /oobe /generalize /shutdown /uanttend:MyCustom.xml
Capture the Image to a WIM File (DISM /Capture-Image)
Mount the captured wim file and copy the appsFolderLayout.bin file to Default User profile
During the trouble shooting I had also applied the Provisioned App to the mounted image too for good measure to see if that would help keep the application after sysprep. I also used FirstLogonCommand to apply the Provisioned app on first logon of admin
during the multiple iterations I did
The issue I am having and the observations are as below
Once the user logs on the user setup runs and I get the Default start tiles (IE, File Explorer, Desktop, Skydrive, store). I had removed all other apps before creating the image
The Custom Shortcuts on the desktop are there
Default Browser has switched to IE
Product key is prompted only if I have set SkipMachineOOBE to true. This would mean a lot of other settings too.
The Custom App is missing. But appears if I Install it again as provisioned app and then its available to all users. (FirstLogonCommand helps here. one issue worked around)
If I copy the appFolderLayout.bin manually from Default profile to the user profile, log out and log in the start tile appears back as required. So this looks as if the Default profile is being overridden by the user setup as the user logs on for the first
time
If I check the registry for default browser setting it is set to Chrome (HKCR/http, HKCU/.../http etc.) But I still have to set it again for each user
I might be missing something or this just wont work with SL!
My Answer file setting is listed below. I have removed links from here
************* ANSWER FILE *******************************************************************************
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<unattendxmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:unattend">
    <settings pass="oobeSystem">
        <component name="Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup" processorArchitecture="x86" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS">
            <AutoLogon>
                <Password>
                    <Value>Chnaged</Value>
                    <PlainText>false</PlainText>
                </Password>
                <Username>Admin</Username>
                <LogonCount>1</LogonCount>
                <Enabled>true</Enabled>
                <Domain></Domain>
            </AutoLogon>
            <OEMInformation>
                <Manufacturer>XXXXX</Manufacturer>
                <Model>HP Elitepad900</Model>
                <SupportPhone>800-XXXXX</SupportPhone>
                <HelpCustomized>false</HelpCustomized>
            </OEMInformation>
            <UserAccounts>
                <AdministratorPassword>
                    <Value>Chnaged</Value>
                    <PlainText>false</PlainText>
                </AdministratorPassword>
                <LocalAccounts>
                    <LocalAccountwcm:action="add">
                        <Password>
                            <Value>Changed<Value>
                            <PlainText>false</PlainText>
                        </Password>
                        <Description>Administrator</Description>
                        <DisplayName>Admin</DisplayName>
                        <Group>Administrators</Group>
                        <Name>Admin</Name>
                    </LocalAccount>
                    <LocalAccountwcm:action="add">
                        <Password>
                            <Value>Changed</Value>
                            <PlainText>false</PlainText>
                        </Password>
                        <Description>XX Partner Account</Description>
                        <DisplayName>XX Partner</DisplayName>
                        <Group>Users</Group>
                        <Name>Partner</Name>
                    </LocalAccount>
                </LocalAccounts>
            </UserAccounts>
            <FirstLogonCommands>
                <SynchronousCommandwcm:action="add">
                    <CommandLine>cmd/c &quot;d:\DisableAll.bat&quot;</CommandLine>
                    <Description>Install HP Scan</Description>
                    <Order>1</Order>
                    <RequiresUserInput>false</RequiresUserInput>
                </SynchronousCommand>
                <SynchronousCommandwcm:action="add">
                    <CommandLine>Powershell-noninteractiveImport-StartLayout-LayoutPathd:\CustomStartLayout.bin -MountPathc:\</CommandLine>
                    <Description>Get Layout in</Description>
                    <Order>2</Order>
                    <RequiresUserInput>false</RequiresUserInput>
                </SynchronousCommand>
            </FirstLogonCommands>
            <OOBE>
                <HideEULAPage>false</HideEULAPage>
                <HideOEMRegistrationScreen>true</HideOEMRegistrationScreen>
                <SkipUserOOBE>true</SkipUserOOBE>
                <SkipMachineOOBE>false</SkipMachineOOBE>
                <HideLocalAccountScreen>true</HideLocalAccountScreen>
                <HideOnlineAccountScreens>true</HideOnlineAccountScreens>
                <HideWirelessSetupInOOBE>true</HideWirelessSetupInOOBE>
                <NetworkLocation>Work</NetworkLocation>
            </OOBE>
            <RegisteredOwner/>
        </component>
        <component name="Microsoft-Windows-International-Core" processorArchitecture="x86" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" >
            <InputLocale>en-gb</InputLocale>
            <SystemLocale>en-gb</SystemLocale>
            <UILanguage>en-gb</UILanguage>
            <UILanguageFallback>en-us</UILanguageFallback>
            <UserLocale>en-gb</UserLocale>
        </component>
    </settings>
    <settings pass="specialize">
        <component name="Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup" processorArchitecture="x86" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS">
            <ComputerName>*</ComputerName>
            <CopyProfile>true</CopyProfile>
            <TimeZone>Arabian Standard Time</TimeZone>
            <OEMName>XXXXXX</OEMName>
            <RegisteredOrganization>XX</RegisteredOrganization>
            <RegisteredOwner>XX Partner</RegisteredOwner>
            <BluetoothTaskbarIconEnabled>false</BluetoothTaskbarIconEnabled>
            <DisableAutoDaylightTimeSet>true</DisableAutoDaylightTimeSet>
            <DoNotCleanTaskBar>true</DoNotCleanTaskBar>
            <ShowWindowsLive>false</ShowWindowsLive>
        </component>
    </settings>
    <settings pass="generalize">
        <component name="Microsoft-Windows-PnpSysprep" processorArchitecture="x86" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS>
            <DoNotCleanUpNonPresentDevices>true</DoNotCleanUpNonPresentDevices>
            <PersistAllDeviceInstalls>true</PersistAllDeviceInstalls>
        </component>
    </settings>
    <settings pass="windowsPE">
        <component name="Microsoft-Windows-Setup" processorArchitecture="x86" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" >
            <UserData>
                <ProductKey>
                    <WillShowUI>Always</WillShowUI>
                </ProductKey>
                <AcceptEula>true</AcceptEula>
                <FullName>XX</FullName>
                <Organization>XX</Organization>
            </UserData>
        </component>
    </settings>
    <cpi:offlineImagecpi:source="wim://win7-ws-1/users/admin/desktop/windows.wim#Windows" xmlns:cpi="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:cpi" />
</unattend>

Answer 1

Yes,
the SID is is not generated in Audit mode, after audit mode the computer starts, the specialize configuration pass runs. A new security ID (SID) is created, and the clock for Windows activation resets, if the clock has not already been reset three
times.
this also can be seen from this article:
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc721973(v=ws.10).aspx
Regards
Wade Liu
TechNet Community Support