Lynna Jackson

My steps to prepare a Windows 10 system for cloning/imaging with COPYPROFILE:
Note: I make no claim that this is the recommended Microsoft way, I can only say this process worked for me!

• I used a clean install on a formatted hard drive (custom install)
• I choose the LTSB “servicing branch” for my highly controlled/managed computer lab environment. See the different servicing branches of windows 10 at: https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/itpro/windows/manage/introduction-to-windows-10-servicing
• I created a new windows 10 sysprep file from scratch that included the “COPYPROFILE” setting. (Specifically, I did’t have success using an upgraded windows 7 answer file. To create the sysprep answer file I used the windows 10 ADK and my windows 10 install media from step 1)
• After I did the clean windows install, I installed the drivers for my hardware and then set the computer “sleep” value to never sleep, finally I let the computer sit for a week collecting windows updates. (I found the default “sleep” value is very low and in my experience that sleep state was preventing windows updates from completing! )
• I created three administrative accounts. One for post-deployment automated scripts and management control. Another account for manual “admin” access when needed. The third admin account I used to create the default user profile so this was my “profile” account.
• I logged into the “profile” admin account and set it up how I wanted the default user account to be. Config the start menu settings, pinned apps on the start menu and task bar, add icons to the desktop, change application settings like Chrome settings, etc.
• I created a non-syspreped backup of my system on a device that I can use to quickly restore from. (i.e external usb 3 drive) It always takes a few tries before I get my sysprep answer file quite right and a bad sysprep file almost always causes an un-bootable system.
• BEFORE syspreping the computer I do a complete shutdown. Not just log off or restart. I shut it all the way down. This was somewhat important in previous versions of windows, however, I now believe it might be a critical step for windows 10 to avoid a corrupted user profiles for any account you had logged into since the last full shutdown. I believe windows 10 has changed the way user profiles stay resident in memory after logouts and even during reboots.
• After a complete shutdown, I restart and ONLY log into the “profile” administrative account. I opened an administrative command prompt, change directory to the sysprep directory and run sysprep. To do these two steps I use the commands in the admin command prompt:
  

  cd sysprep
  sysprep /generalize /oobe /shutdown /unattend:c:\windows\system32\sysprep\unattend.xml

  (You’ll need to change the sysprep command to point to your answer file. I’m not sure if it can live in any other directory. Also, remember the sysprep answer file is a vector for hacking, so you should do something to remove the sysprep answer file from your systems after you deploy your image …)

• Sysprep completes by shutting down the system and I am now ready to capture an syspreped image.