Sysprep unattend file not applying when image is captured with wds (no errors)

Question

So I've been around the block a bit using sysprep and wds.  Recently I've created a reference image with a virtualbox environment using windows 7 x64. I was succesfully able to create a reference image, sysprep it and capture it to the wds server. My
plan there after was to create driver specific images for each model computer we use here after not having much success using the driver store (another story)
Any how So I take my reference image and deploy it to a new computer... In this case an HP Probook 5310m.  Install any missing drivers and Sysprep it with the following command.  sysprep /generalize /oobe /unattend:unattend.xml /shutdown
Below is the sysprep file I have been using
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<unattend xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:unattend">
    <settings pass="generalize">
        <component name="Microsoft-Windows-Security-SPP" processorArchitecture="amd64" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State"
xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
            <SkipRearm>0</SkipRearm>
        </component>
        <component name="Microsoft-Windows-PnpSysprep" processorArchitecture="amd64" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State"
xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
            <DoNotCleanUpNonPresentDevices>true</DoNotCleanUpNonPresentDevices>
            <PersistAllDeviceInstalls>true</PersistAllDeviceInstalls>
        </component>
    </settings>
    <settings pass="specialize">
        <component name="Microsoft-Windows-Security-SPP-UX" processorArchitecture="amd64" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State"
xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
            <SkipAutoActivation>true</SkipAutoActivation>
        </component>
        <component name="Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup" processorArchitecture="amd64" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State"
xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
            <ShowWindowsLive>false</ShowWindowsLive>
            <TimeZone>Eastern Standard Time</TimeZone>
            <CopyProfile>true</CopyProfile>
            <ProductKey>74fdj-7dtw8-q9mp9-ypth8-qb27y</ProductKey>
        </component>
    </settings>
    <settings pass="oobeSystem">
        <component name="Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup" processorArchitecture="amd64" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State"
xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
            <OEMInformation>
                <Logo>c:\windows\system32\oemlogo.bmp</Logo>
                <SupportHours>Regular Business Hrs (Overnight Support Provided)</SupportHours>
                <SupportURL>url</SupportURL>
                <SupportPhone>Phone number</SupportPhone>
            </OEMInformation>
            <OOBE>
                <HideEULAPage>true</HideEULAPage>
                <NetworkLocation>Work</NetworkLocation>
                <ProtectYourPC>1</ProtectYourPC>
                <HideWirelessSetupInOOBE>false</HideWirelessSetupInOOBE>
            </OOBE>
            <UserAccounts>
                <LocalAccounts>
                    <LocalAccount wcm:action="add">
                        <Password>
                            <Value>TAAxAEQAMwBzAHQAcgBpACEAUABhAHMAcwB3AG8AcgBkAA==</Value>
                            <PlainText>false</PlainText>
                        </Password>
                        <Description>Local Administrator</Description>
                        <DisplayName>Root</DisplayName>
                        <Group>Administrators</Group>
                        <Name>Root</Name>
                    </LocalAccount>
                </LocalAccounts>
            </UserAccounts>
            <TimeZone>Eastern Standard Time</TimeZone>
            <ShowWindowsLive>false</ShowWindowsLive>
            <FirstLogonCommands>
                <SynchronousCommand wcm:action="add">
                    <Order>1</Order>
                    <CommandLine>slmgr.vbs /ipk {serial key}</CommandLine>
                </SynchronousCommand>
                <SynchronousCommand wcm:action="add">
                    <Order>2</Order>
                    <CommandLine>slmgr.vbs /ato</CommandLine>
                </SynchronousCommand>
            </FirstLogonCommands>
        </component>
        <component name="Microsoft-Windows-International-Core" processorArchitecture="amd64" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State"
xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
            <InputLocale>en-US</InputLocale>
            <SystemLocale>en-US</SystemLocale>
            <UILanguage>en-US</UILanguage>
            <UILanguageFallback>en-US</UILanguageFallback>
            <UserLocale>en-US</UserLocale>
        </component>
    </settings>
    <cpi:offlineImage cpi:source="catalog:v:/sources/install_windows 7 professional.clg" xmlns:cpi="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:cpi" />
</unattend>
The machine succesfully syspreps and shuts down. I restart the computer pxe boot and capture the image succesfully.
Now here comes my problem...
Upon deploying the above driver specific image.. my sysprep file is not applied.  Nothing from the OOBE wizard answers to the pc logo , or first logon commands are applied ... nothing.. I have gotten no errors during this whole process.  I have
started to try to read the logs within the panther folder but havent gotten far.
What is weird to me is that I have tried recreating this image... deploy the reference image... add drivers ... sysprep ...shutdown.  And if I boot normally (without capturing the image) the computer shows all of the sysprep changes..  Only when
i capture the image does it not apply the changes....
I'm stumped...
Any ides?

Answer 1

Confirm this scenario: You installed Windows, then ran sysprep and used the /unattend switch. Then you captured the image.
In this scenario there are 2 deployment methods.
1. If you deploy the image with DISM, the answer file generated by sysprep is detected on first boot and settings are applied. It is the same function as if you ran sysprep and chose to restart.
2. If you deploy the image using Setup.exe, it does not use the answer file specified by sysprep prior to capturing. I have not looked into *why* this happens, but I suspect that after the image is applied, it replaces the unattend.xml with the generic one.
If you are using Setup.exe, you need to use its /unattend switch and point to the answer file location. This location cannot be inside of the image. If you are not using setup.exe in a manual method (using WDS) you will need to apply the answer file to the
install image in the WDS snap-in.