Reboot before sysprep when I want to add an installation task with Office 2013

Question

Hi all,
I want to buid a reference computer with a genuine Win7 wim file, correct drivers, uptodate patches, and usefull applications. So I use a “Build and Capture Task Sequence”. The new reference image captured, I can use it with WDS or a media
to any computers, using a second and different “Build and Capture Task Sequence.”
All things were right, I could add Acrobat Reader, Java and some others application, but it failed when I tried to add “Add Application Task” with Office 2013. I could import the software, I discovered the new panel to configure config.xml
and mychoice.msp, but when I run the Tasq sequence, when it begin to sysprep the OS, a few time before the capture, the computer reboots. Sysprep does not run, and the image is not captured.
I can add any software installation in the Tasq sequence but not one with Office 2013.
What do you think about this issue?

Answer 1

Hi,
Some pieces of advice, since I have managed to create a Windows 7 WIM file with Office 2013 embedded without any problems:
Build your reference image in a virtual machine, not on physical hardware, to prevent a gigantic driverstore with drivers for one or more models, and having to rebuild your image every single time you use a new model. This is not how MDT works, MDT works
hardware agnostic, since it inject's drivers of hardware for each model before the WIM file is applied to your target computer.
Do you really want to embed applications like Adobe Reader and Java in the image? They have a release every month. Do you want to (or is there room for) updating your image every single month? Put them in the deployment phase of your task sequence. This
way these applications are left out the WIM file, but are installed after the WIM file is applied to your system. Yes this takes a little bit more time when deploying a machine, but that's time you'll save on not managing your WIM file every single month
Check your
log files, make sure your machine is not Domain Joined, since that is the biggest mistake people make when sysprepping a machine. And check
Setuperr.log for any sysprep errors. Guaranteed it has noting to do with Office 2013
Good luck!
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