How to use the System Preparation tool to prepare computers for shipping (251241)

RESOLUTION

1. Before you run Sysprep.exe in audit mode, you must close all windows, which includes Windows Explorer, instances or delete any other shortcuts that might be on the desktop. Otherwise, those windows appear maximized and the shortcuts are present after the end user first boot.
2. For a clean removal of the Sysprep folder, the Sysprep folder must be placed under the %systemdrive%. This means that for a CD-ROM installation, the folder either needs to be on a floppy or a hard disk drive. If the folder is copied onto a hard disk drive, make sure that you copy it under the drive to which the global variable %systemdrive% is assigned.
   
   You can use the following steps to identify your systemdrive disk drive:
   1. On the Taskbar, click Start, and then click Run.
   2. In the Run dialog box, type %systemdrive%, and then press ENTER.
   For a network installation that uses a distribution tree, the Sysprep folder must be placed under the \\$OEM$\$1 subfolder and not under the \\$OEM$\C folder or any other \\$OEM$\%driveletter% folder. This ensures that even if you place your Winnt folder to a drive that is not your first active partition, by using the /tempdrive:x: switch with your installation command (where x: is the target drive for the master image), the Sysprep folder is copied onto the target drive x: or the systemdrive, and is removed entirely before the computer goes into the end user first boot.