Cloned guest does not get customized

[mikeco]

Hello,

I have setup Sysprep on VC2.5 as directed in all of the guides that I can find and am able to use the "Customize using the Customization Wizard" option of clone or deploy operations, so I believe that it is configured properly. The only guest that I am trying to customize is Windows Server 2003, so I only have the sysprep1.1 and svr2003 files.

When I clone a VM, I choose to customize it using the Wizard. However, once the cloned VM starts up, no customizations have taken place. There is a directory on the cloned VM called C:\sysprep that contains sysprep.inf (which has all of the customizations that I requested that never took place) and a folder called i386. If I manually copy the contents of DEPLOY.CAB from the Windows Sever 2003 CD to C:\sysprep and run sysprep.exe from there, the customizations in sysprep.inf will be applied.

Can anyone please point me in the right direction for getting customizations to work properly?

Thank you,

-Mike

[donikatz]

I ran into this same problem. If you're deploying Windows Server 2003 with SP2, you'll want to make sure to use sysprep for SP2. The problem was resolved for me when I upgraded my sysprep files from SP1 to SP2.

You can download WindowsServer2003-KB926028-v2-x86-ENU.exe from Microsoft Download Center. Run it with /x to extract the files and copy the sysprep files from within the resulting Deploy.cab to C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\VMware\VMware VirtualCenter\sysprep\svr2003\. Don't forget to restart the VCS service.

[mikeco]

Thanks for the tip with SP2, but I'm doing this on just the base OS (no Service Packs).

I installed Sysprep to the template VM before deploying it, and it's working now. I'm not sure if this is coincidental, or if it's actually a step that VMware has failed to document.

[CWedge]

I'm running into the same issue on a new VI Install...

*banging my head*

[donikatz]

Interesting. I would have to assume that's coincidental, since you should never need to install sysprep on the VM itself. There are a lot of threads here on sysprep problems with VC 2.5, but almost all of them are resolved by having the proper sysprep installed in the proper location in VC. Sorry I can't be more help.

[bolsen]

VC2.5 customization is deleting your C:\Sysprep folder, that's why it's not working. (This is different than VC2.0) You'll have to use one or the other.

[calladd]

Don't feel alone, I am experiencing the exact same behavior since upgrading to VC 2.5. I have followed every requirement documented including:

• Using the Correct version of Sysprep as provided in WindowsServer2003-KB926028-v2-x86-ENU.exe

• I have created a brand new template using the following media: Windows 2003 R2 w/SP2 (This build has not had sysprep ran on it and does not contain a sysprep folder)

• I have ensured the sysprep files are located in C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\VMware\VMware VirtualCenter\sysprep\svr2003

• Created a new Customization Specification specifically for 2003 R2 SP2.

After deploying a Virtual Machine from this template and choosing my customization specification, The VM has not been syspreped at all, but does contain a sysprep folder that contains the sysprep.inf and an i386 directory. It would appear that VC is placing the Sysprep directory on the VM but the sysprep.exe is not actually being ran almost as if VC is getting half og the process right, but somewhere the remaining steps are getting dropped.

[calladd]

My temporary solution to the issue has been to:

• Take a base template that has been built to my specifications.

• Copy the sysprep files to a c:\sysprep directory on the template.

• Run setupmgr.exe and, choose sysprep setup and fully automated

• Following the remaining prompts to create the settings I need.

• Next run sysprep.exe, choose reseal, and shutdown.

• Convert this VM to a template and deploy VM's from it, but making sure to choose "Do not customize"

This is essentially doing the same process VC would be doing but I am doing it manually and telling VC to just deply the template as is.

[mattblack]

I have had a huge issue from this and has taken me several days to resolve. If you have tried all the above and still get the c:\sysprep directory created then for me the problem was that my Vmware tools were out of date! In a previous upgrade of the guest OS I had reverted to a snapshot with an older vmtools. Installing the tools to the template and success! everything appears to be working ok now.

Have a look to see if your tools are out of date: you can do this by looking at the summary screen for the Virtual Machine Guest in the VIC client.

Thanks for the current suggestions, it certainly gave me a push in the right direction!

If your like me then you'll all be kicking yourselves hard now!

[dclark]

Hi Matt

I wish I had seen your reply sooner....after messing about for too long this has finally fixed my problem - thanks!!!!

DC