Sysprep

SYSPREP 

What is Sysprep ?

Sysprep is the name of Microsoft's System Preparation Utility for Microsoft Windows operating system deployment. It has been used for years, but this tool has changed significantly for Windows Vista. In previous versions of Windows (Windows XP and 2000), Sysprep was made available in the Windows OPK, Windows CD Deploy.cab file, or, in the latest service pack. With Windows 7 and Vista there is no longer a Deploy.cab file on the CD and no longer Setup Manager for creating answers files because Vista uses a new set of deployment tools (It’s all available in the OS itself). Sysprep can be used to prepare an operating system for disk cloning and restoration via a disk image. If you don’t use sysprep before you clone an OS you shall have problems with the unique SID (Security Identifier).

For rapid LAB creation and configuration, sysprep utility is really helped every time.