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I've got 100 PC's to setup. Is it possible to set up 1 of these PC's with software, drivers, settings, configs, licenses etc, then clone/image exactly the same setup onto the other computers where each computer would have a different computer name, different user name for each application etc?

Part 2 - How do I prepare my system for cloning, before using CloneZilla?

Community
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oshirowanen
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4 Answers4

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To install just Windows in an automated way on multiple machines, you might want to check SysPrep from Microsoft.

Silviu
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I have used Clonezilla and sysprep to image and PCs; there are a few requirements. All PCs need to be the same.
You install Windows on the first PC, then run sysprep; this will set the computer up to request a new hostname when it is booted again.
Then use Clonezilla to make an image of the install.
Once you have an image it is just a question of using Clonezilla on the other computers to restore the image on all of them; after each restore, reboot the PC and give it a unique name.

boot13
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Sibster
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And don't forget to change the SID of the computer after cloning:

http://www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=content&id=TECH106823

Definition:

In the context of the Microsoft Windows NT line of operating systems, a Security Identifier (commonly abbreviated SID) is a unique, immutable identifier of a user, user group, or other security principle. A security principle has a single SID for life, and all properties of the principle, including its name, are associated with the SID. This design allows a principal to be renamed (for example, from "John" to "Jane", without affecting the security attributes of objects that refer to the principal.

Problems with the same SID on two or more PCs:

The problem with duplicated SIDs in a Workgroup of computers running Windows NT/2K/XP is only related to different user accounts having the same SID. This could lead to unexpected access to shared files or files stored on a removable storage: If some access control lists are set on a file, the actual permissions can be associated with a user SID. If this user SID is duplicated on another computer (because the computer SID is duplicated and because the user SIDs are built based on the computer SID + a sequential number), a user of a second computer having the same SID could have access to the files that the user of a first computer has protected.

buzznfrog
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yeah, well, you can. There are imaging tools that do just that.

The keyword you're looking for is "Desktop deployment". http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee461266(v=ws.10).aspx

user 99572 is fine
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