Question How to setup computers to be software identical to each other?

[Maldini999]

At the part time job I work at we will be getting in 12 new computers. All will have a basic configuration of windows 11 and Microsoft Office.

I want to take the first one and make a master configuration from it where I install some programs, setup profiles and passwords etc.

After testing the first computer and making sure it works like I want, I then want to make an exact copy of it for the remaining 11 computers so that all 12 computers have the same look and feel.

What is the best way to make a copy of the master computer so that it can be installed whole on the remaining 12 computers?

 

[DSzymborski]

Do these PCs all have identical hardware?

 

[Maldini999]

Do these PCs all have identical hardware?

Yes.

 

[bacca400]

Here's what I do:

1. Get a USB drive (flash drive of HDD) put all the install programs on there.
2. Copy all install programs to c:\install\ on each computer.
3. Install all programs from the C: drive.

You can also "ghost" a drive that has all the software on it but this clones the OS as well, so you will run into licensing issues. I don't know much about ghosting though.

 

[Maldini999]

thank you. That sounds like a great idea!

 

[Corwin65]

Not necessarily an endorsement but this might be what you're looking for - https://www.smartdeploy.com/

 

[punkncat]

For 'exact same' systems like Dell Optiplex, I have used ghost/clone to create a duplicate of the first install and then just put storage into the units. In these particular cases the key was on the box, so had none of the above mentioned issues with licensure.

 

[bacca400]

You can also set up a network drive, map each PC to that drive, and store all the install programs on the network drive.

Again I would copy all the install programs to c:\install\ and install them from there, not from the network drive. Then delete c:\install\ if you wish.