How to disable Mini-Setup Wizard on a computer running Windows Server 2003 on which you used Sysprep or Riprep (814588)

This step-by-step article describes how to return the computer to the state that it was in before you ran Sysprep.exe or Riprep.exe. Returning the computer to this state prevents the Mini-Setup Wizard from running when you restart a computer.

This procedure is useful if the Mini-Setup Wizard causes the original computer to stop responding (hang), therefore preventing Setup from finishing. This allows you to troubleshoot the reason that Sysprep.exe did not successfully complete. When you have completed this procedure, you can rerun Sysprep.exe or Riprep.exe.

You may also want to use this procedure if you accidentally run Sysprep.exe or Riprep.exe on a production system and you did not want to change the Security IDs (SIDs) or any of the configurable options that the Mini-Setup Wizard prompts you for when you next restart the original computer.

When you run Sysprep.exe or Riprep.exe on a source computer, the following entries are modified:

• Registry Key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\Setup

  Entry                     Type            Modified to:
  ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  Cmdline                   REG_SZ          setup -newsetup -Mini (Adds the "-Mini" entry) 
  MiniSetupInProgress       REG_DWORD       0x1 
  SetupType                 REG_DWORD       0x1 
  SystemSetupInProgress     REG_DWORD       0x1
  

• Registry Key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager

  Entry                     Type            Modified to:
  -------------------------------------------------------
  SetupExecute              REG_MULTI_SZ    setupcl.exe
  
  

When you restart the computer, Setupcl.exe automatically assigns new SIDs to the computer and then starts the Mini-Setup Wizard to complete Setup.

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Modify Registry Entries

WARNING : If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.
To prevent new SIDs from being assigned and to prevent the Mini-Setup Wizard from running, modify the Windows Server 2003 registry to reset the values to the original values, and then replace the %SystemRoot%\System32\Config\System file with the System file in the %SystemRoot%\Repair folder or the %SystemRoot%\Regback folder. To do so, follow these steps:

1. Start the computer in Recovery Console. To do so:
   1. Insert the Windows Server 2003 CD in the CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive, and then restart the computer from the CD.
      
      Note Some computers may require that you modify BIOS settings before you can start the computer from a bootable CD. For information about how to modify BIOS, see your computer documentation.
   2. In the Welcome to Setup screen, press R (to start the Recovery Console).
   3. Press the number key that corresponds to the installation that you want to repair, and then press ENTER.
   4. Type the Administrator password, and then press ENTER.
2. In Recovery Console, locate and open the %SystemRoot%\System32\Config folder, and then rename the System file to System.mini.
3. Copy the %SystemRoot%\Repair\System file to the %SystemRoot%\System32\Config folder.
4. Quit Recovery Console, and then restart the computer in Windows Server 2003.
   
   Note The computer uses the previous System hive that you copied from the Repair folder. This is a temporary System hive that does not have any installed programs or services; you will only use it to make the computer bootable so that you can make the following changes.
5. Start Registry Editor, and then click HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE.
6. On the Registry menu, click Load Hive, open the %SystemRoot%\System32\Config\System.mini registry file, and then type a name other than System. For example, type Test.
7. Locate and click the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Test\Select subkey, and then note the value of the Current (REG_DWORD) entry.
   
   This value determines which ControlSet00value to load when you start the computer, and this is the ControlSet subkey that you must modify.
8. Locate and then click the following subkey

   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Test\ControlSet00<X>\Control\Session Manager

   where <X> is the value in Current:REG_DWORD: value.
9. Double-click the following entry

   SetupExecute:REG_MULTI_SZ:Setupcl.exe

   Remove the Setupcl.exe entry, and then click OK.
10. Locate and click the HEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Test\Setup subkey, and then change the following registry entries from 0x1 to 0 (zero):

    
    Entry                     Type            Modify to:
    -------------------------------------------------------
    MiniSetupInProgress       REG_DWORD       0 
    SetupType                 REG_DWORD       0 
    SystemSetupInProgress     REG_DWORD       0 
    

11. Double-click the Cmdline:REG_SZ:setup -newsetup -Mini entry, and then remove only the -Mini string.
12. After you make the changes, click the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Test subkey, and then on the Registry menu, click Unload Hive.
13. Quit Registry Editor, and then restart Recovery Console.
14. Locate and open the %SystemRoot%\System32\Config folder, rename the System file to System.erd, and then rename the System.mini file to System.
15. Quit Recovery Console, and then restart the computer in Windows Server 2003.

The computer should now be back to its original state, as it was before running the Sysprep or Riprep utility, with the following exceptions:

• Sysprep adds approximately 4 megabytes (MB) to the registry quota each time it runs without completing successfully. Verify that the Maximum Registry Size value meets the requirements of your computer; you may want to reduce it. To check this value, in Control Panel, double-click System, click the Advanced tab, click Performance Options, and then click Change.
• You may have to adjust two device path registry entries. If either OemPnPDriversPath= or InstallFilesPath= were specified in the Sysprep.inf file, remove the entries that Sysprep added from the registry entries:
  • If OemPnPDriversPath= was used in Sysprep.inf, remove the entries that were added to the following default entry:

    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\DevicePath:REG_EXPAND_SZ:%SystemRoot%\inf

  • If InstallFilesPath= was used in Sysprep.inf, remove entries that were added to the following default entry:

    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Setup\SourcePath:REG_SZ:<CD_ROM>:

    where <CD_ROM> is the local CD-ROM drive letter.

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REFERENCES

For more information about using Sysprep, see the Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Corporate Deployment Tools User's Guide (Deploy.chm). Deploy.chm is included in the Support\Tools\Deploy.cab file on the Windows Server 2003 CD.

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