Setup Without User Account

Andrewst1021

Reputable
Feb 22, 2015
155
0
4,710
I need to either install windows 10 without a user account and download the drivers or install drivers on a partition that isn't going to be wiped when I refresh the operating system. This is for a client that knows very little about computing and I offered to build her a computer.
 
Solution
I work for a Microsoft Registered Refurbisher, on the side, and that is one of the final processes of our Windows Deployment Server. WDS automates the partitioning & re-imaging of Microsoft operating systems in a limited or hands off\free environment. PXE boot the PC on the servers LAN and you will have a new OS installed in ~15-20 minutes tops.

Sysprep or system prep with the generalize hook removes user account identifiers and restores the PC's OS to a virgin state. The oobe hook implements the Microsoft "Out of Box Environment\Experience" basically prompts the next user who turns the machine on to do all things as if he just received an off the shelf Windows PC from the store. The shutdown hook just shuts the PC off when it...
I work for a Microsoft Registered Refurbisher, on the side, and that is one of the final processes of our Windows Deployment Server. WDS automates the partitioning & re-imaging of Microsoft operating systems in a limited or hands off\free environment. PXE boot the PC on the servers LAN and you will have a new OS installed in ~15-20 minutes tops.

Sysprep or system prep with the generalize hook removes user account identifiers and restores the PC's OS to a virgin state. The oobe hook implements the Microsoft "Out of Box Environment\Experience" basically prompts the next user who turns the machine on to do all things as if he just received an off the shelf Windows PC from the store. The shutdown hook just shuts the PC off when it finishes sysprep, so you know its done.

You can sysprep an image only 3 times before you have to re-install the OS all over again. So give it a shot, when the PC turns Off, if you want, you can turn it back on and experience this for yourself so you know what they will see when they turn it on. Just sysprep it for a second time when you are satisfied and when it shuts off again, you can ship it.

This is how Microsoft Registered Refurbishers ship used PC's to new people. We also use a multi-pass wipe on the hard drives before running them on WDS. Sysprep does not erase a hard drive. From my understanding it works more like a quick format, in that it gets rid of a partition table making files nearly impossible to get to, and only overwrites those sectors when new data arrives. If you aren't terribly worried about existing data on the hard drive and just want the next user to get the New User Experience, sysprep is what you need. Full disclosure, I haven't tested this on W10 but it should all still be there.
 
Solution