Sysprep file locations and versions
M.Pol | May 7, 2010Symptoms
- When attempting to customize the deployment of a virtual machine the radio buttons are disabled (grayed out)
- When a virtual machine is deployed from a template, the SID is always the same, despite the fact that you chose the option to generate a new SID during template deployment and guest operating system customization
- When attempting to create a new virtual machine from a template in ESX 3.5, you receive the following error message:
Warning: Windows customization resources were not found on this server
- You see this error in the guestcust.log file:
deploy doesn't contain known sysprep files
Purpose
This issue may occur if Microsoft’s Sysprep files are not found on the VirtualCenter host, are not the correct version, or are not in the location they are expected.
This article guides you through the process of determining the correct version of Sysprep to use and the correct locations for these files.
Resolution
Microsoft has a different version of Sysprep for each release and service pack of Windows. You must use the version of Sysprep specific to the operating system you are deploying. The differences are not immediately visible in the packaging and documentation of the service packs, so it is necessary to manually investigate.
The contents of the Sysprep deploy.cab file must be extracted to the Sysprep Directory on the VirtualCenter Server host. If the file downloaded from the Microsoft Web Site is a .cab file, the Installing the Microsoft Sysprep Tools appendix of the Basic System Administration guide details how to install the Sysprep Tools.
If the file downloaded from the Microsoft Web Site is a .exe file the following additional steps must be executed to extract the files from the .exe:
- Open a Windows command prompt. For more information, see Opening a command or shell prompt (1003892).
- Change to the directory where the .exe file is saved.
- Enter the name of the .exe file with the /x switch to extract the files. For example: WindowsServer2003-KB926028-v2-x86-ENU.exe /x
- When prompted, choose a directory for the extracted files.
- Browse the directory and copy the extracted files directly to the Sysprep Directory or extract the files from the deploy.cab and copy to the Sysprep Directory.
When the contents of the of the Sysprep deploy.cab file have been extracted to the Sysprep Directory on the VirtualCenter Server:
- Log in to the VirtualCenter Server as Administrator.
- Click Start > Programs > Accessories > Windows Explorer.
- Navigate to the Sysprep Directory as listed in the table below.
- Right-click on the sysprep.exe file and choose Properties.
- Click the Version tab. Record the number at the top next to File Version:.
The table below lists the Sysprep Version for the Windows Versions that are supported for Image Customization. Compare the Sysprep Version number with the Windows Version it is intended for:
| Windows Version | Sysprep Directory | Sysprep Version |
| Windows 2000 Server SP4 with Update Rollup 1 Download at http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=0c4bfb06-2824-4d2b-abc1-0e2223133afb |
<directory_path>\2k | 5.0.2195.2104 |
| Windows XP Pro SP2 Download at http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=3E90DC91-AC56-4665-949B-BEDA3080E0F6 |
<directory_path>\xp | 5.1.2600.2180 |
| Windows 2003 Server SP1 Download at http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=A34EDCF2-EBFD-4F99-BBC4-E93154C332D6 |
<directory_path>\svr2003 | 5.2.3790.1830(srv03_sp1_rtm.050324-1447) |
| Windows 2003 Server SP2 Download at http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=93f20bb1-97aa-4356-8b43-9584b7e72556 |
<directory_path>\svr2003 | 5.2.3790.3959(srv03_sp2_rtm.070216-1710) |
| Windows 2003 Server R2 Download at http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=A34EDCF2-EBFD-4F99-BBC4-E93154C332D6 |
<directory_path>\svr2003 | 5.2.3790.1830(srv03_sp1_rtm.050324-1447) |
| Windows 2003 x64 Download at http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=C2684C95-6864-4091-BC9A-52AEC5491AF7&displaylang=en |
<directory_path>\svr2003-64 | 5.2.3790.3959(srv03_sp2_rtm.070216-1710) |
| Windows XP x64 Download at http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=C2684C95-6864-4091-BC9A-52AEC5491AF7&displaylang=en |
<directory_path>\xp-64 | 5.2.3790.3959(srv03_sp2_rtm.070216-1710) |
| Windows XP Pro SP3 Download at http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=673a1019-8e3e-4be0-ac31-70dd21b5afa7&displaylang=en |
<directory_path>\xp | 5.1.2600.5512 |
| Windows Vista System Preparation tools are built into the Windows Vista operating system and do not have to be downloaded. | Not Applicable | Not Applicable |
| Windows Server 2008 System Preparation tools are built into the Windows Server 2008 operating system and do not have to be downloaded. | Not Applicable | Not Applicable |
| Windows Server 2008 R2 System Preparation tools are built into the Windows Server 2008 R2 operating system and do not have to be downloaded. | Not Applicable | Not Applicable |
| Windows 7 System Preparation tools are built into the Windows 7 operating system and do not have to be downloaded. | Not Applicable | Not Applicable |
Notes:
- If vCenter Server is installed on Windows Server 2008, <directory_path> is %ALLUSERSPROFILE%\VMware\VMware VirtualCenter\sysprep which translates to C:\ProgramData\VMware\VMware VirtualCenter\sysprep by default.
- If vCenter Server is installed on any other Windows operating system, <directory_path> is %ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Application Data\VMware VirtualCenter\sysprep\ which translates to C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\VMware\VMware VirtualCenter\sysprep\ by default.
Additional Information
For additional information, see:
- The Basic System Administration guide, which contains further information regarding the installation of Sysprep tools
- The Operating System Compatibility for vSphere Client, vCenter Server, and VMware vCenter Update Manager table in the vSphere Compatibility Matrixes for a list of supported operating systems for virtual image customization.
- Troubleshooting template deployment or cloning when it fails (1004050), which provides troubleshooting information for template deployment or cloning
Source: VMware knowledge base http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?language=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=1005593
Disclaimer.
The information in this article is provided “AS IS” with no warranties, and confers no rights. This article does not represent the thoughts, intentions, plans or strategies of my employer. It is solely my opinion.
