Windows 2012 Server - Best practices for creating Template

[COS]

On Windows 2012, has anyone created templates for this OS (VM)?

If so, what services did you remove, disable or install or what tweaks did you do to create a "Base" template?

Any ideas or suggestions?

Thanks

[Troy_Clavell · Accepted solution]

We are not running 2012, just yet, but I have bookmarked the below blog post... looks pretty good

http://www.boche.net/blog/index.php/2012/08/16/microsoft-windows-server-2012-tips/

[elgreco81]

Thanks Troy! This page is also going to my bookmarks

Regards,

elgreco81

[COS]

I read through that article. I saved it in bookmarks.

Once you get everything (The GUI) looking the way you want and everything working the way you want it, does anyone know how to set the Default profile to behave like this so all new logons will be created with the settings we make?

I know this is all still pretty new but I figured it doesn't hurt to ask.

Thanks

[giovannimyles]

I'm late to the party but figured I would chime in. The process is the same as on previous versions of Windows. The profile you are logged into making the changes to the UI is the profile you will need to copy. What you have to do is create another local profile with admin rights. Reboot the computer and login using the new user. Go to Explorer and right-click Computer and select Properties. On the left select Advance System Properties, then the Advance Tab and the User Profiles Settings button. From there it should allow you to copy the profile you made the changes to over to the Default Profile. Make sure you add write access via the Everyone group to the Default Profile so it can write the changes. From there any new profile that gets created will inherit the changes from the Default Profile. Also, if this is going to be a template don't forget Sysprep!

[Anonymous]

Hi,

Actually, the old "Copy Profile" method is depricated and NOT supported since Win2k8 R2 has came out. The supported way to copy the settings to the default profile is by using Sysprep.

What I suggets, from my experience, is the following:

1. Make all necessary changes to the OS (GUI, GPO etc.)

2. Run sysprep: C:\Windows\System32\sysprep\sysprep.exe /generalize /oobe /reboot /unattend:CopyProfile.xml

Where CopyProfile.xml is an XML file that (in this case) should be located under the sysprep directory. In this XML file, you can populate all kinds of XML tags. One of them is the <CopyProfile> tag.  (<CopyProfile> true </CopyProfile>)

This XML is build with the Windows System Image Manager.

3. After sysprep has finished, you get the OS after the Administrator profile has been copied properly. This is the only supported way by Microsoft to copy the Administrator profile to the Default Profile.

Good luck!

[JStanleyTBC]

In 2008 R2 I used an app called "windows enabler" to allow me to copy the modified profile to default users. I haven't tried using it with 2012 yet.

[SebastianGrugel]

If somebody tested "windows enabler" with windows server 2012 R2 ? or have source to working aplication which can copy customized profile to default profile ?

Sebastian

[GeoffBennett]

Try DefProf