Sysprep window appears after each reboot

Look in the startup folder or use msconfig to locate "sysprep.exe" and delete the entry.

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows - Shell/User

---------------------------------------------------------------------------­-----

"Rob" wrote:

I received a new desktop from <insert name of whitebox manufacturer here>
with Vista Home Premium pre-installed. Unfortunately every time I reboot the
machine, the System Preparation Tool window pops up. I grow weary of
canceling the window after every reboot. If I hit 'OK' and try to let it run,
it fails with a fatal error.

I went into the registry to see if I could find the culprit in the Run or
RunOnce entries but to no avail. I am obviously new to sysprep and from what
I can tell I do not need to run it right now. Any hints on how to remove
this PITA?

Thanks in advance!
-Rob
 >> Stay informed about: Sysprep window appears after each reboot 

Thanks for the quick reply. Unfortunately the two startup folders I found
are empty and I cannot find sysprep anywhere using msconfig. The only
suspect entry in the startup tab in msconfig is "auditadmin.cmd" (which does
not appear to be in its location in c:\windows\temp\auditadmin.cmd).

Any other ideas? Globally searching for sysprep found a file sysprep.bat in
c:\windows\system32\sysprep
"@echo off
pushd c:\windows\system32\sysprep
sysprep /oobe /quiet /quit "

Although I am unsure what would be kicking this off this bat file if it is
indeed the culprit (do they still use autoexec.bat in Vista...painful
flashbacks....)

-Rob


"Carey Frisch [MVP]" wrote:

> Look in the startup folder or use msconfig to locate "sysprep.exe" and delete the entry.
>
> --
> Carey Frisch
> Microsoft MVP
> Windows - Shell/User
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------­-----
>
> "Rob" wrote:
>
> I received a new desktop from <insert name of whitebox manufacturer here>
> with Vista Home Premium pre-installed. Unfortunately every time I reboot the
> machine, the System Preparation Tool window pops up. I grow weary of
> canceling the window after every reboot. If I hit 'OK' and try to let it run,
> it fails with a fatal error.
>
> I went into the registry to see if I could find the culprit in the Run or
> RunOnce entries but to no avail. I am obviously new to sysprep and from what
> I can tell I do not need to run it right now. Any hints on how to remove
> this PITA?
>
> Thanks in advance!
> -Rob
>
 >> Stay informed about: Sysprep window appears after each reboot 

I hear you but to return the computer is more of a hassle than anything
else. I am hoping to find a solution...


"Don" wrote:

> Rob wrote:
> > I received a new desktop from <insert name of whitebox manufacturer here>
> > with Vista Home Premium pre-installed. Unfortunately every time I reboot the
> > machine, the System Preparation Tool window pops up. I grow weary of
> > canceling the window after every reboot...
>
> I don't blame you! I can't even begin to answer your question except to
> say: send the machine back to <whitebox manufacturer> ASAP! There is
> no excuse for this kind of nonsense.
>
> (Yes, I know, the price was right...)
>
>
 >> Stay informed about: Sysprep window appears after each reboot 

Rob,

Sysprep.exe is a tool used to prepare an operating system for distribution.
It is not intended to remain behind for an end user. In fact, if it is run
again, it can essentially disrupt an otherwise working system.

Over the years, the sysprep.exe tool has been revised, it sounds as if the
OEM who built the computer did not (perhaps) fully understand the changes in
Vista with sysprep.

Without actually seeing the computer, it is difficult to say precisely what
the complete configuration is. Since you already indicated that you have
used regedit to view the contents of the registry, I feel comfortable saying
this much. There are many more places in Windows beyond "run" and "runonce"
in the registry, and the startup folders, which cause code to be executed at
startup. It could potentially be any combination (considering sysprep is
misbehaving).

Certainly, since you paid good money for a new PC, the vendor has a
responsibility. Perhaps a phone call, or email outlining the problem, will
get you an answer.

If that does not work, then, if the PC is otherwise working, sysprep is no
longer required. Essentially what sysprep does is to allow a manufacturer to
build a new PC, test it, then prepare it for shipment to the customer. The
sysprep.bat file can certainly be deleted. If sysprep is running on each
boot, then it certainly is still there. For performing a search, be certain
that it is capable of seeing system and hidden files.

There is a utility available on the Microsoft web site called "autoruns"
which can show what to set to run at startup. NOTE: While it shows
everything, that is also the potential danger... it shows everything. It can
be used to disable code from running at startup, in such a way that it can
be reenabled later. Please... the vast majority of what is set to run is
required, if an important program is disabled, or deleted, then Windows may
not work correctly, or even start at all. Extreme care is required.

For what it is worth, I have used sysprep.exe for the last decade in my
business, and not had any problems. It is one tool used in a much larger
process. I have never used the files auditadmin.cmd or sysprep.bat, so can
only guess that they were created by the vendor for some internal purpose.
Certainly from what you posted, sysprep.bat is just a wrapper around the
tool.

Best of luck,
John Baker
 >> Stay informed about: Sysprep window appears after each reboot 

Wow. Autoruns is a heck of a program. I had no idea how much stuff was run
at each boot time.

After hunting around I uncovered a bit more about the botched installation
and decided to reinstall Vista. It was much easier than I thought it was
going to be.

Thanks for the help!!

-Rob


"JRB Associates" wrote:

> Rob,
>
> Sysprep.exe is a tool used to prepare an operating system for distribution.
> It is not intended to remain behind for an end user. In fact, if it is run
> again, it can essentially disrupt an otherwise working system.
>
> Over the years, the sysprep.exe tool has been revised, it sounds as if the
> OEM who built the computer did not (perhaps) fully understand the changes in
> Vista with sysprep.
>
> Without actually seeing the computer, it is difficult to say precisely what
> the complete configuration is. Since you already indicated that you have
> used regedit to view the contents of the registry, I feel comfortable saying
> this much. There are many more places in Windows beyond "run" and "runonce"
> in the registry, and the startup folders, which cause code to be executed at
> startup. It could potentially be any combination (considering sysprep is
> misbehaving).
>
> Certainly, since you paid good money for a new PC, the vendor has a
> responsibility. Perhaps a phone call, or email outlining the problem, will
> get you an answer.
>
> If that does not work, then, if the PC is otherwise working, sysprep is no
> longer required. Essentially what sysprep does is to allow a manufacturer to
> build a new PC, test it, then prepare it for shipment to the customer. The
> sysprep.bat file can certainly be deleted. If sysprep is running on each
> boot, then it certainly is still there. For performing a search, be certain
> that it is capable of seeing system and hidden files.
>
> There is a utility available on the Microsoft web site called "autoruns"
> which can show what to set to run at startup. NOTE: While it shows
> everything, that is also the potential danger... it shows everything. It can
> be used to disable code from running at startup, in such a way that it can
> be reenabled later. Please... the vast majority of what is set to run is
> required, if an important program is disabled, or deleted, then Windows may
> not work correctly, or even start at all. Extreme care is required.
>
> For what it is worth, I have used sysprep.exe for the last decade in my
> business, and not had any problems. It is one tool used in a much larger
> process. I have never used the files auditadmin.cmd or sysprep.bat, so can
> only guess that they were created by the vendor for some internal purpose.
> Certainly from what you posted, sysprep.bat is just a wrapper around the
> tool.
>
> Best of luck,
> John Baker
>
>
>
 >> Stay informed about: Sysprep window appears after each reboot 

"Rob" wrote:

>I received a new desktop from <insert name of whitebox manufacturer here>
> with Vista Home Premium pre-installed. Unfortunately every time I reboot
> the
> machine, the System Preparation Tool window pops up. I grow weary of
> canceling the window after every reboot. If I hit 'OK' and try to let it
> run,
> it fails with a fatal error.
>
> I went into the registry to see if I could find the culprit in the Run or
> RunOnce entries but to no avail. I am obviously new to sysprep and from
> what
> I can tell I do not need to run it right now. Any hints on how to remove
> this PITA?

Is this "sysprep window" appearing before or after the login prompt? Where
do you see the word "SYSPREP"?

If the reference appears prior to the login prompt, I would suspect that the
original (in your case, OEM-configured) installation never completed, and
you're getting an unwanted repeat performance of the "mini-setup" process
that should run the first time you boot the system and never again.

I've not done a thorough investigation of the implementation of the new,
allegedly improved (hah!) BCD process (the replacement for BOOT.INI) but
presumably a system sealed with SYSPREP has a one-time boot sequence
recorded in the BCD file. Either the one-time logic is being re-created at
each boot, or perhaps whoever created the image on your system accidentally
used the /default (permanent change) instead of /bootsequence (single-use
change) in editing the BCD.

Arguing against this, I wouldn't expect the name "SYSPREP" to appear during
the mini-setup displays.

[Caveat: I've not had the chance to play with any vendor's OEM version of
Vista.]

If the reference to sysprep appears as an execution of the sysprep command
after login, then you are right to be looking for something that's invoking
the SYSPREP utility, which by default (why?) gets automagically installed on
your system when Vista is loaded. You could as suggested elsewhere just
delete the sysprep executable (better yet: rename it to something else, like
"sysprep.exe.foobar"), but assuming this is an OEM distribution of Vista I
would demand that the OEM's customer support people provide you with a
distribution that correctly installs itself and doesn't get hung up on
invoking sysprep when there's no reason to do so.

Getting rid of "sysprep.exe" would fix the immediate symptom, but if the
OEM's image build is botched with respect to the reinvokation of sysprep,
you don't know what else was botched. Elsewhere you indicate that MSCONFIG
reports that the system is automatically running a file "auditadmin". It
could, of course, be almost anything but since sysprep has an "audit" mode
that users should not be seeing, that's another reason to suspect that the
image wasn't correctly built.

Joe Morris
 >> Stay informed about: Sysprep window appears after each reboot 

As you might have seen from my previous post, I decided to reinstall Vista.
I am glad that I did since there appear to be a couple other subtle
differences between what I was left with from the botched Vista install and
my clean version. In particular the admin account had some strange behavior
(like not being activated when trying to share files, etc).

Thanks for your guidance!

-Rob


"Joe Morris" wrote:

> "Rob" wrote:
>
> >I received a new desktop from <insert name of whitebox manufacturer here>
> > with Vista Home Premium pre-installed. Unfortunately every time I reboot
> > the
> > machine, the System Preparation Tool window pops up. I grow weary of
> > canceling the window after every reboot. If I hit 'OK' and try to let it
> > run,
> > it fails with a fatal error.
> >
> > I went into the registry to see if I could find the culprit in the Run or
> > RunOnce entries but to no avail. I am obviously new to sysprep and from
> > what
> > I can tell I do not need to run it right now. Any hints on how to remove
> > this PITA?
>
> Is this "sysprep window" appearing before or after the login prompt? Where
> do you see the word "SYSPREP"?
>
> If the reference appears prior to the login prompt, I would suspect that the
> original (in your case, OEM-configured) installation never completed, and
> you're getting an unwanted repeat performance of the "mini-setup" process
> that should run the first time you boot the system and never again.
>
> I've not done a thorough investigation of the implementation of the new,
> allegedly improved (hah!) BCD process (the replacement for BOOT.INI) but
> presumably a system sealed with SYSPREP has a one-time boot sequence
> recorded in the BCD file. Either the one-time logic is being re-created at
> each boot, or perhaps whoever created the image on your system accidentally
> used the /default (permanent change) instead of /bootsequence (single-use
> change) in editing the BCD.
>
> Arguing against this, I wouldn't expect the name "SYSPREP" to appear during
> the mini-setup displays.
>
> [Caveat: I've not had the chance to play with any vendor's OEM version of
> Vista.]
>
> If the reference to sysprep appears as an execution of the sysprep command
> after login, then you are right to be looking for something that's invoking
> the SYSPREP utility, which by default (why?) gets automagically installed on
> your system when Vista is loaded. You could as suggested elsewhere just
> delete the sysprep executable (better yet: rename it to something else, like
> "sysprep.exe.foobar"), but assuming this is an OEM distribution of Vista I
> would demand that the OEM's customer support people provide you with a
> distribution that correctly installs itself and doesn't get hung up on
> invoking sysprep when there's no reason to do so.
>
> Getting rid of "sysprep.exe" would fix the immediate symptom, but if the
> OEM's image build is botched with respect to the reinvokation of sysprep,
> you don't know what else was botched. Elsewhere you indicate that MSCONFIG
> reports that the system is automatically running a file "auditadmin". It
> could, of course, be almost anything but since sysprep has an "audit" mode
> that users should not be seeing, that's another reason to suspect that the
> image wasn't correctly built.
>
> Joe Morris
>
>
>
>
 >> Stay informed about: Sysprep window appears after each reboot 

"Rob" wrote in message

>
>
> As you might have seen from my previous post, I decided to reinstall
> Vista.
> I am glad that I did since there appear to be a couple other subtle
> differences between what I was left with from the botched Vista install
> and
> my clean version. In particular the admin account had some strange
> behavior
> (like not being activated when trying to share files, etc).
>
> Thanks for your guidance!

I did see the previous posting. John Baker and I were saying much the same
thing about sysprep; it look like John had a better response (try autoruns)
and in any case the reinstall seems to have cleaned things up for you.

As a note: over the years I've established a long-term policy that when I
get a new computer I make a Ghost backup of whatever the OEM vendor
delivered on the disk before I ever allow it to boot, then after figuring
out what the vendor did to customize it, reformat the disk and do a clean
installation from original media -- and repeat the process every 18 months
or so. I do this both for my personal machines and the ones that I use at
the office (eight total real boxes, plus numerous virtual systems); it does
wonders (at the expense of the time required) for performance and stability,
not to mention getting rid of the cruft that the vendor insists that the end
user wade through. (It also ensures that I know where the installation
disks are for the packages I've added to the system, should a box suddenly
drop dead and I have to rebuild it on an emergency schedule.)

Joe Morris
 >> Stay informed about: Sysprep window appears after each reboot 

The system was still running in post-SYSPREP audit mode. MS requires PC makers to complete staging using the /OOBE switch so the end-user gets the EULA, username prompts, etc.
 >> Stay informed about: Sysprep window appears after each reboot 

Evil Genius wrote:

> The system was still running in post-SYSPREP audit mode. MS requires PC
> makers to complete staging using the /OOBE switch so the end-user gets the
> EULA, username prompts, etc.

Thanks for sharing. Seriously, did you have a question about this? To
shorten the question/answer process, if your computer is showing a sysprep
prompt at boot, contact the computer mftr.'s tech support. This happens in
rare cases and they can give you the specific fix for their machine.

Malke
--
MS-MVP
Elephant Boy Computers - Don't Panic!
FAQ - http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/#FAQ
 >> Stay informed about: Sysprep window appears after each reboot 

Hi Everyone,

I read thru the post, but can not find the solution to fix the issue. I
had the same issue for Windows Vista 64-bit on an HP computer. Whenever
i restart the pc, the message of System Preparation Tool appears, and I
could not turn it off. I checked in RegEdit, msconfig, Services to find
the entry for this message, i could not find it.

Is there anyone knows how to solve it issue (e.i. to turn off this
message).
Thanks!
Epi


--
epitope
Posted via http://www.vistaheads.com
 >> Stay informed about: Sysprep window appears after each reboot 

"epitope" wrote :

> I read thru the post, but can not find the solution to fix the issue. I
> had the same issue for Windows Vista 64-bit on an HP computer. Whenever
> i restart the pc, the message of System Preparation Tool appears, and I
> could not turn it off. I checked in RegEdit, msconfig, Services to find
> the entry for this message, i could not find it.
>
> Is there anyone knows how to solve it issue (e.i. to turn off this
> message).

When you post a message that is a followup to another thread, please include
a precis of the earlier message. I have no idea what prior discussion
you're referring to.

What did you do to trigger sysprep?

How did you dismiss the Sysprep boot-time message? If you cancel it (and
I'm assuming that it's announcing that you're in audit mode) the system
continues to run in audit mode, and every boot will display the message
until you let it reboot into OOBE mode.

Joe Morris
 >> Stay informed about: Sysprep window appears after each reboot 

Thank you very much for your reply!
Sorry, i did not summarize the topic. I think i should describe the
situation in details.

I have a HP computer. My x64 Vista did not work property and i have a
separate partition containing Recovery information, so i decided to run
System Recovery to put my Vista back to the original version (as
shipped); as the result, i have a fresh version of Vista; however,
whenever from that moment, the computer takes a long time (~10') to
restart and when i see the desktop, a message of "System Preparation
Tool 3.14" appears. At first i chose OOBE and reboot the computer, the
message is still there, later I also tried Audit Mode, but it could not
help either.

So the problems remains: long time to restart and a message of System
Preparation Tool. I can not re-install a new Vista as i don't have a
separate Windows Vista DVD, i have to depend on System Recovery.

Thanks for any help to dismiss the message and/or stop the Sysprep (as
i think the computer restarts very slowly due to Sysprep running).

Epi

Joe Morris;1229112 Wrote:
> :
> How did you dismiss the Sysprep boot-time message? If you cancel it
> (and I'm assuming that it's announcing that you're in audit mode) the
> system continues to run in audit mode, and every boot will display the
> message until you let it reboot into OOBE mode.
> Joe Morris


--
epitope
Posted via http://www.vistaheads.com
 >> Stay informed about: Sysprep window appears after each reboot