Relationship of SysPrep to Remote OS Installation

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The System Preparation (SysPrep) tool works in conjunction with a third-party disk imaging process to prepare a source computer's hard disk for duplication to other computers. SysPrep is used to remove configurations unique to the computer, such as its computer name and security identifier (SID), so that the resulting computer image can be safely reused for installation on other computers.

SysPrep cannot be used with Remote OS Installation. However, the Remote OS Installation RIPrep wizard performs similar functions as SysPrep, which are combined with the other Remote OS Installation features to provide a full desktop imaging solution.

A comparison of using Remote OS Installation and SysPrep for creating system images follows.

TheBenefits of Using Remote OS Installation with RIPrep

  • Supports use of different hardware between the source and destination computers (both computers must have the same hardware abstraction layer).

  • Does not require additional imaging software.

  • Provides full support for replicating the source image to a server and restoring it onto destination computers.

Limitations of Using Remote OS Installation with RIPrep

  • Does not support replication of RIPrep images to sources other than RIS servers, such as removable media.

  • Does not support creating Windows 2000 Server images.

Benefits of Using SysPrep

  • Supports creating both Windows 2000 Professional and Windows 2000 Server images.

  • Supports use of third-party disk imaging and replication products.

Limitations of Using SysPrep

  • Requires the same hardware abstraction layer and mass storage controller on both the source and destination computers.

  • Does not provide support for drive imaging, additional third-party tools are required for the imaging and replication processes.