Script or .bat for control userpasswords2 after sysprep

Question

I am new to windows 7 and sysprep. I have my image built and everyhing works well but after i run sysprep it resets the autoadmin logon to windows. After testing all i have to do is redo the control userpassords2 utility and windows auto logon works again. is there a way to automate this so i don't have to touch the machines after imaging? I have tried numerous ways to try to get this to work but after hours on the internet and trial and error this seems to be the easiest way. I'm not good with scripts or .bat so any help would be appreciated. Thanks, chris

Answer 1

Originally Posted by whitee27
I am new to windows 7 and sysprep. I have my image built and everyhing works well but after i run sysprep it resets the autoadmin logon to windows. After testing all i have to do is redo the control userpassords2 utility and windows auto logon works again. is there a way to automate this so i don't have to touch the machines after imaging?
Chris,
Can I ask why you do not have Sysprep creating your local accounts and setting the password as part of the process? I do that now as I set the Administrator password and create 3 other accounts (in my case) and set the passwords for them. I think that is in pass 4 Specialize. In my case I am building a Windows 7 (64bit) image so I use the amd64_Microsoft_Windows_Shell-Setup_neutral option and then Autologin option and then set the Administrator password. The computer name also either gets set here or in my case brings up a window early on to name the computer since image safe data does not seem to work for us anymore.
In pass 5 Audit System again with option:
amd64_Microsoft_Windows_Shell-Setup_neutral
UserAccounts
LocalAccounts
LocalAccounts[Name=
and then its password.
That was a second account that also happens to be my main network account for setting up workstations and I use it for autologin below.
In pass 7 OOBE System
again with the amd64_Microsoft_Windows_Shell-Setup_neutral
Autologin
Password (for Administrator)
then with the OOBE option (still in pass 7) I create and set 3 other local accounts of which 2 are administators (including the same network account I set up above that is use to get content from the network) and the third account is a local "student" restricted account.
Then still in pass 7 I have a "x86_Microsoft_Windows-Shel-Setup_neutral
option I have a long list of tasks that I perform. Just keep in mind that these multiple steps can not have a reboot in them as Sysprep will not continue the list if all items were not done before the reboot. In this list I install the Novell client, set autologin for the network/local account that I use. The task that sets that is a batch file that calls a Autologin reg key:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Novell\Login]
"ProfilesUsingDHCP"=dword:00000007
"Enable Login Profile Display"=dword:00000000
"AutoAdminLogon"="1"
"DefaultUserName"="Student"
"DefaultLocationProfile"="Student"
"DefaultPassword"="Passw0rd"
Then I install the Novell client by calling a batch file that puts a command in run once registry key.
Then I call another batch file that calls a "turn off autologin" reg key:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Novell\Login]
"Enable Login Profile Display"=dword:00000000
I then install iprint.
Call a batch file that places a batch file call in run once key to run a reg key to place a legal notice message on the screen prior to login.
The last thing is the agent install.
I was also trying to install Sophos in this process but I had to use the run once key to call both the agent and Sophos installs but Sophos would always run first which did something to the agent install or blocked part of it so now I do that using zenworks application delivery after the machine comes on the network and is successfully registered by the client in the folder that I want it in.
The use of batch files to place a batch file in a run once key is not very elegant but I could not get it to work by other means and this does work for me.
Since you want the system to autologin you could leave it turned on where I disable it as one of the last steps in sysprep.
I hope this was useful.
Jim