Technical Support > Hints & Tips
In the days of Windows XP, SYSPrep worked a treat. The latest offerings from Microsoft have proven not so friendly to use and configure. My guess is that I am not alone in having spent many hours creating a Windows 7 clean build only to have the modern sysprep process completely trash it!
The following process, if followed TO THE LETTER (Very important!), has worked every time. This will update the default profile to your reflect your exact requirements.
Create a new standard local user account (name it Genesis), add this account to the local Administrators group on the PC.
Reboot, then log onto the PC using the local user account from Step 2.
Set up profile settings as desired; desktop icons, IE home page, wallpaper, etc… Also, start up programs that ask initial questions like MS Word so that the questions get answered.
Reboot when finished, log back onto PC with the local “Administrator” account
Double-click “Computer”, then Click Organize, Folder and Search Options. On the View tab, make sure “Show Hidden files, folders and drives” is selected; also uncheck “Hide protected Operating System Files”. Click OK.
Under C:\Users, rename the hidden “Default” user folder (NOT “Default User”) to "Default.old"
Make a copy of the profile (Genesis) customized in Step 2 by right click, 'Copy' then right click, Paste. Now, rename "Gensis - Copy" to “Default”.
Right-click the folder – under Properties, then Security tab - Add “Everyone” permissions with Full Control (include all folders and subfolders).
Run regedit.exe
Click on HKEY-LOCAL-MACHINE. Under File, select “Load Hive”
Browse to the “C:\Users\Default” folder, click on ntuser.dat (make sure hidden and system files are displayed). Name the key TEMPLATE_ACCOUNT.
Right-click on the TEMPLATE_ACCOUNT key, select Export, save the .reg file to the desktop. Open the .reg file with Notepad, and under “Edit – Replace…”, put the user name Genesis in the “Find what:” field, to be replaced with the string %USERNAME% - choose “Replace All” then save the .reg file. Double-click it to re-import the changes.
Re-open regedit.exe (or switch over to it if it’s still open)
Under TEMPLATE_ACCOUNT - Control Panel - Desktop, change “Wallpaper” path to the wallpaper of your choice (a local OR network path will work here). Check other settings and modify any other keys.
If RealPlayer is installed to the image – click on TEMPLATE_ACCOUNT – SOFTWARE – RealNetworks. Delete the entire RealNetworks Key. This key will re-created for each user as they open Realplayer. If the RealNetworks Key is left in, RealPlayer will crash for each user with the message “EXITING APPLICATION”.
When done, click on TEMPLATE_ACCOUNT. Then click File, select “Unload Hive”. This will save the changes you made.