10-11-17 8:53 AMWindows could not finish configuring the system...restart

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Windows Client TechCenter > Windows 7 IT Pro Forums > Windows 7 Installation, Setup, and Deployment >Windows could not finish configuring the system...restart

Windows could not finish configuring thesystem...restart

Not sure what happened, but I keep getting the error:Windows could not finish configuring the system. To attempt to resume configuration, restart thecomputer.

I tried to boot in safe mode and it gave me the same error.

Any thoughts on what to try or is this a lost cause?I can't remember all the stats of the computer since it is a backup one, but it does surpass all therequirements.

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After formatting the hard drive and re-installing everything I was able to get past my issue. Myguess is that some file was left from the random files previously on the HD and win7 wasn't ableto format it correctly.

In case anyone else needs...I used GParted to format the drive.

Marked As Answer by flicknstock Tuesday, January 13, 2009 4:13 AM

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Where in the setup process does this occur? Is it during the initial phase where you choose thehard drive? or is it during the installation phase where you have the checklist?

Daniel Nerenberg MCT MCSE MCITP MCTS MVP

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It is after the initial phase right after the first restart.Windows says "Starting" (with the fuzzy icon)

Then in the blue sunlit backgroundsetup is updating registry settingssetup is starting servicesthen error

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Windows could not finish configuring thesystem... restartfailure

Vista is stuck on the "configuring updates"screen...

Started: 1/11/2009Last Reply: 4:25 PMHelpful Votes: 17Replies: 108Views: 27,108

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10-11-17 8:53 AMWindows could not finish configuring the system...restart

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I'm past the checklist.I'm looking at the setupact.log file and it says it has completed phase 2...but not sure exactlywhats after phase 2 or where to find phase 3.

I've tried re-installing everything but the same issue happens.

The part I'm at does allow me to do the Shift+F10 to bring up the cmd window.I've tried booting with every available option and they all fail at this point. I was looking for the boot log to see if that had any insight, but I can't even find the file (so eitherI'm looking in the wrong spot or it isn't being created....i'm leaning toward the first option)

The hard drive that I'm using did contain an older OS (2K, I think), but I did pick the option to doa clean install so I didn't expect that to cause an issue.

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After formatting the hard drive and re-installing everything I was able to get past my issue. Myguess is that some file was left from the random files previously on the HD and win7 wasn't ableto format it correctly.

In case anyone else needs...I used GParted to format the drive.

Marked As Answer by flicknstock Tuesday, January 13, 2009 4:13 AM

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I'm getting the same error on a new RC upgrade install. It says "Windows could not finishconfiguring the system. To attempt to resume configuration, restart the computer." and, uponrestart, returns this same message over and over. I've installed W7B on a lesser powered laptopand everything is running great and fast. This install is on a faster desktop and is W7RC1. Compatibility checker ran perfectly. Not willing to do a clean install - don't have that kind oftime to donate to MS.

If anyone has any ideas on how they got past this, I'd appreciate it.

Note to MS: This is a pretty poor way to handle an error condition, assuming that is the issue.

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My experience has been similar to as TJude's. Installation would proceed to the finalconfiguration when I'd get stuck in an endless reboot cycle of a crash and reboot during serviceconfiguration followed by the "Windows did not start properly" option screen. If I attempt to startin Safe Mode I'm given a screen informing my that setup cannot continue in Safe Mode and Imust reboot (which of course puts me back into the reboot loop).

This happens with both x86 and x64 version of W7RC1. I've tried the installation as a cleaninstall, both on a partition on my primary drive and on a separate dedicated drive. Also tried itas an in-place upgrade to Vista Ultimate, same issues. The system passes the Windows 7 systemcompatibility test with flying colours. It's not exactly confidence inspiring if the "latest andgreatest" is unable to install on 1 year old hardware that MS's own compatibilty test says is morethan sufficient .........

Hardware:

Asus P5N-EM HMDI moboIntel E8400 Core2 Duo 3.0ghz proc4gb DDR2 Corsair PC-6400 ram500gb 7200.11 Seagate SATA (primary drive, installing onto 100gb partition)80gb Seagate PATA (tried as dedicated drive for Win7)2x Samsung SH-223F dvd-burner

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Tuesday, January 13, 2009 4:12 AMflicknstock

Thursday, May 14, 2009 1:59 PM

TJude

Friday, May 15, 2009 3:37 PM

mithrilG60

BlackHawk9

10-11-17 8:53 AMWindows could not finish configuring the system...restart

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I'm having the same problem.. Completely fresh install on new Sata Hdd. Formatted drive and didcustom install. Gets to the same error noted in previous posts. Wiped drive and did anothecompletely fresh install.. Stopped again at the same place. Until I see a workaround or fix forthis, I won't be doing another install.. Not a very good start when you can't get past first base....:(

ASUS P5WD2-EINTEL Pentium D 3.2Ghz cpu2GB PC2-4300 Ram500Gb Hitachi Deskstar 7200rpm drive (install to complete drive) ATI Radeon X1800 512MB VideoLG SuperMulti DVD Burner

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Yep that's where I'm at now. Went through the pain of building up a system, syspreped, imagex-ed it, copied it to my deployment and start a new install.I get the same error you are getting.

Did the same on a Virtual PC and had no problems...

I have not tried completely wiping the drive, partitions and all just yet on target system.

The target system is the same hardware model as the syspreped system.

Proposed As Answer by hankinnc Saturday, May 16, 2009 12:12 AM

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Try this that worked for me. Put install disk in CD drive and reboot. Do not tell the bios to bootfrom the CD. After I did this (accidentally) the windows opening screen came up with the 2choices: Run Windows or repair your computer. I chose run and it has been working fine eversince. I have no idea why.

Hank

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Try this that worked for me. Put install disk in CD drive and reboot. Do not tell thebios to boot from the CD. After I did this (accidentally) the windows opening screencame up with the 2 choices: Run Windows or repair your computer. I chose run andit has been working fine ever since. I have no idea why.

Hank

Thanks for that thought, but I am not asking it to boot from the CD anyway - I simply put theinstall DVD in the drive and it auto-launches. I will try booting from that DVD, a variant of yourpost, and will post back with results.

... As I suspected - that didn't work! Microsoft needs to fix this.

I was pretty excited about the beta, but this RC1 has blown my confidence. Alas!

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Finally got RC1 to install.. I formatted my drive Fat32 using PartitionMagic 8 . During installWindows won't install on a FAT partition, so I used the install to format to NTFS. AFter that,everything installed fine.. There are times when it appears like there's nothing happening, butthere it.. Need to give it time I gess.

Friday, May 15, 2009 11:15 PM

Friday, May 15, 2009 11:48 PM

netjim66

Saturday, May 16, 2009 12:16 AM

hankinnc

Saturday, May 16, 2009 4:58 PM

TJude

Sunday, May 17, 2009 9:35 PM

BlackHawk9

10-11-17 8:53 AMWindows could not finish configuring the system...restart

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I had the same problem. Looking through the posts there seems to be a common factor: pre-formatted drives. Since there's not much on a newly formatted disk, I'm guessing the problem issomething to do with ownership/permissions on either System Volume Information or theRecycle Bin.

I was setting up a dual boot system and wanted to maintain drive letter consistency. The solutionwas to create the partition, assign a drive letter but NOT to format the partition. Windows Sevenwas quite happy to accept this unformatted partition and kept the assigned drive letter.

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Good old partition issues. Didn't Vista have this issue and there was an MDT Task Sequence fixto do with partitioning and formating the hard drive? Could this cause issues where in 7 youwant USMT to not format the disk I wonder?

Seems to be a lack of any official answer to the issue.

IronPaw

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I, too, experienced this problem while attempting to apply a WIM image that I prepared withSysprep and captured with IMAGEX. The source and target hardware were considerably different,but I don't believe that to be a factor here. Others have noted that this problem occurs with"clean" installations that are performed directly from a Windows 7 RC1 DVD.

It is worth noting that there is another thread that describes the problem (in more detail, butwithout resolution) at the following URL:

http://windows7forums.com/windows-7-installation-upgrade/1468-install-fails-windows-could-not-finish-configuring-system-attempt.html

I am a seasoned system-builder and an enterprise deployment professional. As such, I haveextensive experience with Microsoft OS deployments and the related tools, e.g., Sysprep, imagex,diskpart, MDT, etc. That said, I still cannot determine why setup is failing in this manner.

As has been noted in this thread and others, the problem seems to occur when the target harddisk (on which Windows is to be installed) is formatted using a third-party tool (i.e., a tool otherthan the facility provided during Windows 7 setup). As I shall demonstrate, this is not necessarilythe case. Nonetheless, users have been able to work around this problem by reformatting thetarget disk (using the Advanced -> Format option) during Windows Setup.

This is not an acceptable workaround/solution, for several reasons, not least of which are thefollowing:

1.) This solution requires customers to avoid the use of third-party disk management tools, suchas Paragon Partition Manager, Partition Magic, etc. I am hesitant to suggest that Microsoft isintentionally preventing the use of third-party tools, but such a suggestion is evidenced by a) thecomplete lack of meaningful diagnostic information in the setup logs, and b) the complete lackof an official response to this issue. One might postulate that this "feature" was deliberatelyincluded with the pre-RTM versions of Windows 7, and if that is true, Microsoft has done a majordisservice to its enterprise customers who are scrambling to prepare for Windows 7deployments.

2.) This problem prevents the restoration of backups that are created using third-party tools.Products such as Acronis TrueImage, Norton Ghost, etc., cannot be used to create and restorebackups of system disks. In other words, the only way to perform a full system backup inWindows 7 may be to use the Microsoft-provided tool (Control Panel -> System and Security ->Backup and Restore -> Create a System Image).

In order to determine whether or not this problem occurs as a result of using third-party diskformatting tools, I decided to try it "the Microsoft way". I prepared the hard disk using DISKPART(which is the very utility that Setup uses), as follows:

> select disk 0> clean> create partition primary> format fs=ntfs quick> active

Tuesday, May 26, 2009 2:08 PM

BlueMeanie

Monday, June 15, 2009 3:12 AM

Bruce Taylor2

Friday, August 07, 2009 2:46 PM

GeraldCough

10-11-17 8:53 AMWindows could not finish configuring the system...restart

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I then booted the computer into Windows PE 3.0 with the Sysprepped volume mounted to D: andcopied all of the files on D: to the freshly-formatted C: drive:

> xcopy D:\ C:\ /e/c/i/f/h/r/y/k/o/x

After rebooting, Setup begins and... THE SAME ERROR occurs!

So, this issue (assuming it only has one root cause) is not directly related to the hard diskpartitioning strategy. Rather, this issue is related to SIDs, ACLs, or some other file-level checkthat is being performed during Setup.

Microsoft, you owe us a response on this issue. Don't make us go through our Enterprise Supportchannels, lest I be forced to tell our organization's CIO that Windows 7 is not ready for enterprisedeployment and to forgo a massive volume license purchase come October.

Edited by GeraldCough Friday, August 07, 2009 2:49 PM Hyperlinks.

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Has anyone found a solution to this issue yet? I have the same issue when install wim filesfrom/to many different types of laptops. I have done some testing and found that thefollowing configs restore without issue when adding the software in piece by piece, butwhen building the whole image and then capturing it, the 1st boot will fail. I ran sysprepwith OOBE and Generalize between each step until I ran into the activation issue at the 3rdtry.

Clean Windows 7 Enterprise - Restore SuccessfulWindows 7 with all drivers and patches - Restore SuccessfulWindows 7 with Office 2007 Pro Plus - Restore SuccessfulWindows 7 with Office 2007 Pro Plus, Adobe Acrobat Read, Flash Player, Shockwave Playerand all Office 2007 patches - Restore Successful

My  last  successful  image  size  was  11,221MB.

08.17.2009 Update - I did resolve this issue, by determining that the problem was from aparticular piece of software installed like some other posts here. The issue in my case wasa printer driver for the OCE im4510 and 4511. After removing the drivers from my imagebefore sysprep, my restore is now working.

Edited by Derek Hussey Monday, August 17, 2009 6:25 PM

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I was successful but I had to leave Norton Antivirus and Cisco Clean Access agent out of thebuild.

I'M NOT SURE IF THAT FIXED IT. But eventually I was able to apply an image.I also had to eliminate Crystal Reports Run time software...

I installed these applications AFTER the OS was installed.

Cisco Clean Access will not work on my Windows 7 RC build. Keeps prompting for credentials.

Just try to eliminate pieces of software and build, capture, and apply.It's painful but it might lead to a good build...

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We've run into the same problem in building Win 7 images for our agency. An updated vanillaimage will unpack just fine. However, when we start to add in the software for our images we hitthis problem. I've gone through each of the software packages one by one, and it appears that

Tuesday, August 11, 2009 6:53 PMDerek Hussey

Wednesday, August 12, 2009 2:35 AMnetjim66

Wednesday, August 12, 2009 4:31 PMJared ESD

10-11-17 8:53 AMWindows could not finish configuring the system...restart

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for us the unpacking phase gets hung up only after the Citrix XenApp web client (either versions10.2 or 11.0) gets installed.

Of course there is nothing in the sysprep error logs to indicate any problem - if there are, theerrors are far too vague to do any sort of troubleshooting with. It would be nice to have morespecific information included to help pinpoint these things.

Judging by this, I would assume that this is error is being caused by various software packages -I doubt everyone else is installing the Citrix XenApp web client, however it appears to be onepiece of software that does not make Sysprep happy. Why Sysprep is getting caught up on thesesoftware packages is beyond me, though.

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I can confirm I am running into the exact same problem as result of sysprep with the oobe andgeneralize option, and I do have Citrix XenApp Web Plugin 11.000 installed on the master image.However, I have no indication that Citrix would be the cause of the issue nor do I have to thecontrary, but I just wanted to input this confirmation. I may not have the opportunity to retry thesysprep process after systematically uninstalling applications, so I may not be able to furtherconfirm.

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Hey Microsoft

Did you find any solution to this uberbug?

I lost two days trying to make this work. Sysprep /generalize /oobe throws me the same error:"Windows could not finish configuring the system. To attempt resume configuration, restart thecomputer"Something interferes with the generalize process. Logs seem not to help anyone.

Someone said to stop ALL Microsoft services listed by running msconfig. This is the next thing I'lltry. It's 4:32 am, bed time. Aaaaggghhhh

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Hi all

It seems that killing the “wmpnetwk.exe” before sysprepping lets the sysprep process runsmoothly.:)

It worked. I got to the mini setup oobe window. Everything is just fine.

One problem is that the Administrator account created during MDT deployment is not removedas it should by sysprep. I had to disable it. Weird, the log says it remved the account.

I hope it helps someone.

hardkorn

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"It seems that killing the “wmpnetwk.exe” before sysprepping lets the sysprep process runsmoothly.:)"

Yes, but wmpnetwk.exe is not running on Enterprise by default. All Media Player services inWindows 7 Enterprise are set to "Manual", and in the processes list, thye never show up.

I have a FULLY configurated Windows 7 Enterprise installation, which gives me the same error as

Thursday, August 13, 2009 9:08 PMgPAQ

Friday, August 14, 2009 1:36 AM

HardKorn

Friday, August 14, 2009 12:44 PM

HardKorn

Friday, August 14, 2009 3:27 PM

MpDay

10-11-17 8:53 AMWindows could not finish configuring the system...restart

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in the first post: "...could not finish configuring..." during boot.

However, I have created a new installation, simply based on a clean Windows 7 Enterpriseinstallatation with NO changes en NO updates nothing, and this one works with sysprep! Duringboot it says "Starting services" and then the GUI appears. Everything works fine.

Please keep in mind that we are testing on ONE system, same hardware. We use /shutdown, sothe system shuts down, and then we simply turn it on again. :)

Conslusion: is seems that somewhere along the way installing our system, the sysprep methoddoesn't work anymore. This could be Updates, installed software, installed services etc.I'm currently removing all the software components and services, just until the sysprep works. ->this is what keeps me going, because with a clean installation, sysprep works!

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Isn't the Administrator account supposed to be disabled by running sysprep /generalize? I ranSysprep and the MDT log says the Administrator account is disabled, but it still exists and I canselect it at welcome page.

What the heck? I also ran "net user administrator /active:no" after the sysprep step in MDT task,but to no avail. It won't delete the Administrator account.

Aaaagghhhh

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MpDay:Yes that is what we are saying. Something along the way is causing sysprep to fail AFTER areboot (or after shut down and imaging).I had to eliminate a few pieces of software to get it to work.

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MpDay:Yes that is what we are saying. Something along the way is causing sysprep to failAFTER a reboot (or after shut down and imaging).I had to eliminate a few pieces of software to get it to work.

Do you know which software? I think that should have been the most important part of youanswer...

NOTE: are we all on x86 here? It seems that the x64 versions of Windows 7 don't have theseproblems.

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I'm running x64 Enterprise with this problem. Like I mentioned earlier, one piece of software(Citrix XenApp web plugin) was what killed Sysprep's unpacking phase.

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Friday, August 14, 2009 5:06 PM

HardKorn

Saturday, August 15, 2009 1:42 AMnetjim66

Monday, August 17, 2009 8:15 AMMpDay

Monday, August 17, 2009 8:02 PM

Jared ESD

10-11-17 8:53 AMWindows could not finish configuring the system...restart

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Have any of you tried sysprep on a bare install first, then build with 3rd party apps to rule out 3rdparty software being the actual problem, as it seems only speculation at the moment and notactually resolving the issue.

This error has also happen with OEM builds of Windows Vista that we have shipped and that wasfound to be a failed imageX and not the sysprep. Personally i think its a driver initialising on setup thats the problem, hense why x64 bit worksand x86 has problems.

As a side note, isnt the Admin account enbedded in the OS and set to Disabled by default, so itcannot be removed!

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Our Test case:

Windows 7 Enterprise x86, out of the box installatation: sysprep works.Windows 7 Enterprise x86, fully installed (includes Office 2007 etc, but NO Citrix stuff): sysprepcould not finish configuring.. error.Windows 7 Enterprise x86, fully installed -> removed ALL software and extra services: sysprepcould not finish configuring.. error.

So, if we uninstall ALL software, it still doesn't work. Something in Windows changed along theway, but the error remains after uninstalling everything.

When the error appeard, you can use Shift+F10 to open cmd. I used services.msc to see what'sstarted etc.Some services were stared, but the "Remote Desktop Services UserMode Port Redirector" washanging at "Stating..."I could simply start all the other services without any problems, so the system was fullyfunctional and I was able to open eventvwr.msc. There was nothing noticeable in the logs.

With our saved image disk, I disabled the "Remote Desktop Services UserMode Port Redirector"service and tried again. This time, it failed again, but services.msc didn't show any hangingservices. Some were started, some were not.

I tried to use the MSDTC uninstall and reinstall trick that I saw on this forum, but that doesn'tchange anything.

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Heres my findings not sure if it helps anyone

I have tried on a Windows 7 Ent X86 on a Dell Laptop intially installed all the pieces of software, Itook a ghost image of the machine before sysprepping, I then ran sysprep the machine for deployment and get the error "Windows could not finishconfiguring the system. To attempt to resume configuration, restart the computer" upon thesysprep (mini-setup stage) or whatever it is now called.

I have reimaged the machine and removed the software and still the problem occurs aftersysprep.

After rebuilding the machine from scratch again and wiping all partitions and then installing thesoftware one by one and then trying sysprep it seems it works after Windows updates and after Iinstalled the majority of pieces of software and done further (painful process of install app, thensysprep and see) I found that my issue was due to the "Alcohol 120% 1.9.8.7612" programcausing the problem - maybe because it installs virtual drives or something - or the drivers itinstalls.

The other issue I sometimes got is a known issue which when running the sysprep on themachine you get a fatal error and the solutiion to that is the WMPNetworkSVc Service needs to bestopped otherwise sysprep doesnt run (just stopped not disabled) then when you run sysprep/oobe /Generalize it will either shutdown or reboot dependent on what option you choose.

This Media player service issue I think microsoft should fix they should either incorporate it sothat sysprep automatically stops that service when sysprep is run or Microsoft should fix the

Monday, August 17, 2009 10:06 PMgspot

Thursday, August 20, 2009 2:38 PMMpDay

Thursday, August 20, 2009 10:33 PMcecil 2009

10-11-17 8:53 AMWindows could not finish configuring the system...restart

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issue what is causing it.

Hope this helps anyone as it was a pain to try and work out that the alcohol software was theproblem in this case.

Other software I have installed and tried which works and doesnt cause a problem:-AVG antivirus 8.5.409CDburnerXP 4.2.5.1490spybotAdawareWinzip 12.1ImgBurn IrfanView 4.25 and pluginsItunes QuicktimeAcrobat Reader 9.1Flash 10, Shockwave 11 playersCcleaner 2.2.2defraggler 1.1.2VLC 1.01 CutePDFPGP 9.91Windows7 Firewall ControlJava Runtine Environment 6 u16Windows Live MessengerNvidia DriversConextant HDA V92 modemUpdate for Microsoft Windows (KB972636)Office 2007 and all windows updates patches for Office 2007 to date 20 August 2009

The problem I had was caused by:-Alcohol 120% 1.9.8.7612Just removing it didnt resolve it I had to make sure I didnt install it before sysprep. Install afterthe machine has been built and up and running it is ok :D

In order to try and help MpDay and anyone else who has this issue I would suggest trying thelong painful process of install software bit by bit sysprep and see, obviously if any softwareinstalls drivers this could be the issue but just removing the software might not fix it as I hadthat issue with the Alcohol software and removing it didnt fix it

The issue with this error is such a nightmare to resolve as it seems all sorts of apps or driversmight cause this problem and the only way to find out is from either trying it yourself andworking out or from finding what others have posted on the internet.

I hope my findings help anyone else with this issue and maybe save them time in diagnosingwhat is causing their issue with sysprep

GOOD LUCK!

Cecil :D

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I also missed off I had installed the DirectX 9 Mar 2009 redist and that worked ok too

Cecil :)

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Now working with Win7 enterprise. Bare install and sysprep works fine (have to killWMPNetworkSVc).As soon as I add any unattend.xml the boot up fails in specialize pass.

I built one up with Office 2007 and it will sysprep OK (no unattend, just sysprep by itself).

I did NOT install Crystal reports runtime, or any antivirus, or any cisco network access controlsoftware.

The unattend failure is driving me crazy though.

I suggest building up a virtual, install each piece of software, take a snapshot, then try sysprep.That is how I found that Business Objects with crystal reports was causing the post sysprep,

Thursday, August 20, 2009 10:45 PMcecil 2009

Friday, August 21, 2009 2:37 AM

netjim66

10-11-17 8:53 AMWindows could not finish configuring the system...restart

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reboot loop.

Proposed As Answer by GeraldCough Friday, August 21, 2009 6:42 PM

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Whoops, I didn't mean to click "Propose Answer" on the above post. Unfortunately, there appearsto be no way to undo that.

Is anyone else installing Daemon Tools before capturing the image? Cecil 2009 mentions that hisproblem was Alcohol 120%. I'm wondering if my problem was Daemon Tools.

Maybe certain types of filter drivers (such as those that Alcohol 120%, Daemon Tools, and mostvirus scanners install) are causing this problem.

Jared ESD, does the Citrix XenApp Web Plugin install a filter driver? (If so, it should be listed inthe device manager, under "Non-Plug and Play Drivers"; you may need to select View -> ShowHidden Devices to see this category of devices.)

I will say this again: Microsoft, your silence on this matter is quite telling. I suppose that sendinga severely flawed product to manufacture is not something of which Microsoft is particularlyproud, but this issue needs to be addressed. Windows 7 is not enterprise-ready as long as thisbug exists.

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Interesting,

Indeed, Daemon-Tools is one of the installed apps on our system. Especially Daemon-tools wasthe one that made me thinking in the beginning, because it has special SPTD drivers etc, but aquick uninstall didn't solve the issue. As mentioned, uninstalling software had no effect. Once it'sinstalled, your sysprep will always fail.

We have no anti-virus software pre-installed, no web-plugins (except adobe flash etc).

I think a complete re-install is the only option, like netjim66 did, using a virtual machine withsnapshots.

Sysprep in Windows 7 has become a very time consuming thing, and a huge waste of time. Weare testing every sysprep with fingers and toes crossed, while it's giving us a high bloodpressure, an increased heart rate and a sweaty forehead...

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I'm running into the same issue now.. all kinds of stuff in our image, if I have to start fromscratch I think I might lose my mind.

Going to try a run without our AV (Kaspersky) and see how it goes. I have a feeling this mightturn a wonderful deployment (so far) into a nightmare.

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GeraldCough, I do not see a filter driver listed in device manager for the Citrix XenApp plugin.

Friday, August 21, 2009 6:56 PM

GeraldCough

Monday, August 24, 2009 12:21 PMMpDay

Monday, August 24, 2009 6:52 PM

jeff.field

Tuesday, August 25, 2009 4:57 PMJared ESD

10-11-17 8:53 AMWindows could not finish configuring the system...restart

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Jeff, It's not Kaspersky. We have no anti-virus software in our image, and it doesn't work. We onlyuse Microsoft Office, Dynamics NAV + CRM client and Adobe Reader + Flash plug-in, silverlightetc.

We have done some extra research, focussing on the Services in the registry(CurrentControlSet\services).After uninstalling ALL the software (while sysprep still fails), we have made a comparison againstan original CLEAN installation of Win 7 Enterprise.

These are the differences. The services in the list below are present in our "Installed, fullyconfigured" version of windows 7, where ALL software had already been uninstalled. However,this is the version where sysprep always fails.NOTE: remarkable is, that there are services in the original CLEAN installation, that were NOTpresent in our "Installed, fully configured" version!

Extra services in our "Installed, fully configured" Windows 7 image:Bonjour ServiceCRM ClientDefragFS only present in the clean installation: DXGKrnldrmkaudDUMeterSvcFLEXnet Licensing ServiceHdAudAddServiceialmigfxMSKSSRVMSPCLOCKMSPQMMSTEEMTsensor only present in the clean installation: netvscodservoseOutlookPDAgentPDEnginesptd only present in the clean installation: SynthVidTeamViewer4 only present in the clean installation: vmicheartbeat only present in the clean installation: vmickvpexchange only present in the clean installation: vmicshutdown only present in the clean installation: vmictimesync only present in the clean installation: vmicvssWUDFRdyukonw7

Well, most of them are Microsoft based (office, CRM etc), but sptd is a leftover from daemon-tools, and PDAgent from PerfectDisk. The MSTEE, MTsensor (and so on) are unknown to me.

Does anyone have an idea, IF one of these services could stop sysprep from finishing it'sinstallation?

Thanks

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why do you have Deamon-tools listed??? and possibly Deamon tools might be like the Alcohol120% software whereby once installed sysprep always screws up even after removing it (I can sayfor Alcohol 120% if it is installed sysprep fails, even if you have removed it before runningsysprep - the only way is to make sure it is not installed before running sysprep).

Have you tried your machine built without Daemon tools installed??? removing the software onceinstalled is not the fix. or are you trying to fix it as it is?

Edited by cecil 2009 Wednesday, August 26, 2009 8:13 PM

Wednesday, August 26, 2009 3:11 PMMpDay

Wednesday, August 26, 2009 8:11 PMcecil 2009

10-11-17 8:53 AMWindows could not finish configuring the system...restart

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or are you trying to fix it as it is?

Exactly. We are not looking forward in making a complete new image. We still want to know HOWwe can fix sysprep installations that fail.

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When the error msg comes up i pressed shif+f10 to bring up cmd prompt, typed explorer.exeand it logged on. dont think this has fixed the problem but at least it gets u in.

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I had the same issue with Alcohol 120% installed. The solution was to uninstall Alcohol 120% andSPTD driver and then sysprep. A complete rebuild was not needed. SPTD driver can beuninstalled using this installer(Choose Uninstall).

http://www.duplexsecure.com/en/downloadsHope this helps.

Deepak

Proposed As Answer by Per Bjurström Friday, September 18, 2009 3:44 PM

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Having the same error after sysprepping Windows 7 and loading the image onto a Raid 0 with 2drives using Imagex. I imaged an IDE drive with Windows 7 and enabled Raid in the bios to loadthe driver into windows. I then used ghost to clone the IDE drive to the 2 drives in Raid 0 and thesystem boots fine. Major difference between Ghost and imagex is ghost is sector-based andimagex is file-based. Some file is getting screwed up somewhere. I need to get this to work withimagex, someone help please....

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I had the same issue with Alcohol 120% installed. The solution was to uninstallAlcohol 120% and SPTD driver and then sysprep. A complete rebuild was not needed.SPTD driver can be uninstalled using this installer(Choose Uninstall).

Thursday, August 27, 2009 2:31 PMMpDay

Sunday, September 06, 2009 11:59 AMParaplegicmonkey

Tuesday, September 08, 2009 10:32 PMDeepak Kumararaj

Tuesday, September 15, 2009 9:17 PMdoit88

Friday, September 18, 2009 3:46 PMPer Bjurström

10-11-17 8:53 AMWindows could not finish configuring the system...restart

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http://www.duplexsecure.com/en/downloads

Hope this helps.

Deepak

This helped me, just launched a command prompt (Shift-F10) and run the uninstaller from thecommand-prompt using a USB-disk.

Per

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I'd just like to add a +1 to the thread. I too am getting this exact same error, and I have no ideawhat's causing it.I first discovered the error when I took an imagex wim of the Win7 OS. When I redeployed theWIM, I got the error during the OOBE.

As a test, I just ran a sysprep /generalize /oobe with a reboot, and I get the same error. Sosomething during the sysprep process seems to trigger it.

Anyway - I hope someone can figure out what the issue is.

Update: I just did a sysprep WITHOUT the /generalize bit, and it worked. No change to OS orapps. Just a change in the sysprep switch.

Edited by DreamensioN Monday, September 28, 2009 11:51 AM Update

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Okay, it's October 22. Windows 7 is now on shelves.

Where's the fix, Microsoft? Heck, I'll settle for acknowledgment of the problem. We can't deployWindows 7 in an enterprise environment until this problem is resolved.

I understand that Microsoft does not "endorse" installing filter drivers in systems that are to beSysprepped, but despite the fact, doing so has never been an issue in Windows 2000 or XP.

If Microsoft is going to remove from Windows 7 functionality that existed in previous OSs, atleast improve Sysprep/Setup's internal processes so as to fail GRACEFULLY during Sysprep. Don'twait until the machine has already been Sysprepped and then put it into an infinite reboot loopduring Setup, absent any meaningful error messages in the GUI or logs.

Until this issue is resolved, the checkbook will not be coming out.

Proposed As Answer by bfang1968 Tuesday, October 27, 2009 10:39 PM

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Okay, it's October 22. Windows 7 is now on shelves.

Where's the fix, Microsoft? Heck, I'll settle for acknowledgment of the problem. Wecan't deploy Windows 7 in an enterprise environment until this problem is resolved.

I understand that Microsoft does not "endorse" installing filter drivers in systemsthat are to be Sysprepped, but despite the fact, doing so has never been an issue inWindows 2000 or XP.

If Microsoft is going to remove from Windows 7 functionality that existed in previousOSs, at least improve Sysprep/Setup's internal processes so as to fail GRACEFULLY

Monday, September 28, 2009 11:47 AMDreamensioN

Thursday, October 22, 2009 2:48 PMGeraldCough

Thursday, October 22, 2009 3:14 PMMarkieNL

10-11-17 8:53 AMWindows could not finish configuring the system...restart

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during Sysprep. Don't wait until the machine has already been Sysprepped and thenput it into an infinite reboot loop during Setup, absent any meaningful errormessages in the GUI or logs.

Until this issue is resolved, the checkbook will not be coming out.

Here same problem.We want to start the deployment. I have spent days/weeks to solve this problem but I can't findthe resolution.

Is it really a service that Windows 7 is failing on? Is it a driver? Is it an application?

Tried almost everything. Nothing helps! Help!

Regards,Mark S.

Proposed As Answer by bfang1968 Tuesday, October 27, 2009 10:38 PM

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There is no problem with sysprep but you have to do this:

delete whatever other OS's partition and create new partition, running FRESH install.

You can leave the manufactory partition there (like the Dell Diagnose Partition) without problem.

I have done it with all my software installed, office2007, adobe, symantec end point protection,etc.

Try it, it will work for you!

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Here same problem.We want to start the deployment. I have spent days/weeks to solve this problem but Ican't find the resolution.

Is it really a service that Windows 7 is failing on? Is it a driver? Is it an application?

Tried almost everything. Nothing helps! Help!

Regards,Mark S.

Mark,

There are two issues with Sysprep in Windows 7:1. Sysprep fails to start because a Windows Media Player service (related to DRM) is running.

(Killing the related process allows Sysprep to start.)2. Sysprep completes successfully, but "Mini Setup" (or whatever Microsoft is calling it

nowadays) fails with the message in the title of this thread.The second problem appears to occur for a number of different reasons. We have established thatSPTD (from DuplexSecure) causes this problem. As such, Daemon Tools, Alcohol 120%, and anyother optical drive emulation product that relies on SPTD will very likely cause this failure.

I think we should all create a list of applications/drivers/etc. that cause this error to occur. Theeasiest way to do this is to create your Windows 7 images in a virtual machine, e.g., using SunVBox. Take a snapshot of the VM before you install each piece of software, and Sysprep theinstallation after each new piece of software is installed. If Mini Setup fails at any point, it will beobvious which piece of software caused the failure. Then, you can simply revert to the previoussnapshot and avoid installing the problematic software.

I will report back with my findings as to what is causing this failure in our particularenvironment.

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Tuesday, October 27, 2009 10:42 PMbfang1968

Friday, October 30, 2009 1:50 PM

GeraldCough

10-11-17 8:53 AMWindows could not finish configuring the system...restart

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I'll start this list of incompatible software:

PASW 17 (statistical analysis software) causes Mini Setup to fail with "Windows could notfinish...". I've tested this several times in a VM.

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Here same problem.We want to start the deployment. I have spent days/weeks to solve thisproblem but I can't find the resolution.

Is it really a service that Windows 7 is failing on? Is it a driver? Is it anapplication?

Tried almost everything. Nothing helps! Help!

Regards,Mark S.

Mark,

There are two issues with Sysprep in Windows 7:1. Sysprep fails to start because a Windows Media Player service (related to DRM)

is running. (Killing the related process allows Sysprep to start.)2. Sysprep completes successfully, but "Mini Setup" (or whatever Microsoft is

calling it nowadays) fails with the message in the title of this thread.The second problem appears to occur for a number of different reasons. We haveestablished that SPTD (from DuplexSecure) causes this problem. As such, DaemonTools, Alcohol 120%, and any other optical drive emulation product that relies onSPTD will very likely cause this failure.

I think we should all create a list of applications/drivers/etc. that cause this error tooccur. The easiest way to do this is to create your Windows 7 images in a virtualmachine, e.g., using Sun VBox. Take a snapshot of the VM before you install eachpiece of software, and Sysprep the installation after each new piece of software isinstalled. If Mini Setup fails at any point, it will be obvious which piece of softwarecaused the failure. Then, you can simply revert to the previous snapshot and avoidinstalling the problematic software.

I will report back with my findings as to what is causing this failure in our particularenvironment.

Hello Gerald,

Sysprep does start (because we have the Enterprise version, the WMP service is not running), sothat's ok.We are facing the problem "windows could not finish configuring the system".

We already started re-installing Windows 7 in Hyper-V with snapshots.Because we have a very large list of applications (about 30 to 40) it take's a long time to resolvethis problem.

I think that the following applications could cause the problem:Virtual PC 2007Kaspersky Antivirus Networking Client (so not the real antivirus application, but only the networkclient to push to real antivirus application to)Microsoft SQL Server 2005/2008

Because the sysprep is failing when Windows 7 is going to start services, we thought to resolvethis by removing the failing service.When the sysprep fails (with the error: windows could not finish configuring the system), you canpress SHIFT+F10 to get a Command Prompt.

When quering all services with command "sc query state= all", we have managed to get a list ofall stopped and started services.Our list is: here

We hope to find the solution in the services list, because it takes a very long time to reinstall allapplications in Hyper-V with snapshots.

When we know something more, we will report this a.s.a.p.

Regards,Mark

Friday, October 30, 2009 6:49 PM

JustinCoon

Saturday, October 31, 2009 3:36 PMMarkieNL

10-11-17 8:53 AMWindows could not finish configuring the system...restart

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I've been reading this thread for the last couple of weeks while I workout the kinks in myWindows 7 Enterprise sysprep process. I was encountering the exact same error that started thisthread, and I figured out what was causing it for me after starting over from scratch. In my case,it was caused by pre-installing network printers prior to running sysprep. I'm not sure howmany other people may or may not do that, but I thought I'd put it out there. It definitely didn'tcause problems with XP & sysprep. As with other people's experience on this thread, simplyuninstalling the printers did not remedy my Windows 7 sysprep problems; I had to start overfrom scratch.

Proposed As Answer by kickehy Wednesday, December 02, 2009 9:34 PM

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Little update from here:

The services list does not seem to be the issue.I can not find any service that's causing the problem.

I am almost finished reinstalling the system op a virtual Hyper-V machine.I am now using the "audit mode" to install/configure the image.

After every application I make a snapshot and try a sysprep.Everything seems to work, with the same applications and updates.

Do you all use the "audit mode" to configure your image?(Audit mode can be started by pressing CTRL+SHIFT+F3 on the first boot after an installationwhen it asks for username/password/computername etc and by the command sysprep.exe /audit/reboot command

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I dealt with the "Windows could not finish configuring the system" problem for days but now I'vemade 5 images all of them working without that dreaded error.

Windows 7 deployment is quite a bit too sensitive compared to XP and Vista in my opinion.

Anyway, there's 3 things you have to do to get Windows 7 fully working with MDT 2010

1. Implement the "Multiple users" error script fix.2. Make sure the first vanilla image you ever use is actually "Hand installed" meaning either amounted ISO or a clean DVD install. No Deploying.3. Make sure the image you want to capture is NOT joined to a domain.

Hope this spares someone the hours I put into finding this out.

- Johnsen

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I experienced the same error in Windows 2008 R2 when deploying from a template in VMware

Sunday, November 08, 2009 2:18 AMtopkwark

Sunday, November 08, 2009 3:40 PMMarkieNL

Monday, November 09, 2009 6:26 PMJohnsen

Monday, November 09, 2009 7:23 PMN.Krick

10-11-17 8:53 AMWindows could not finish configuring the system...restart

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Virtual Infrastructure. I had previously deployed from the template without issue, the onlychange being that Kaspersky Antivirus and Network Agent was installed. After reading throughthis forum, I removed Kaspersky Antivirus and Network Agent and then the sysprep processworked fine again. Although I am happy that I can use sysprep again, the workaround is notideal as now Antivirus is going to have to be installed on each server deployed. Hopefullysomeone finds a permanent fix.

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Here's what I'm doing now:Downloaded Windows 7 Enterprise 32-bit ISO.Mounted the iso and imported it into MDT 2010.Installed latest WAIK on the machine with MDT 2010 (no beta versions).

Deploy to my Dell Optiplex with standard task sequence adding machine to WORKGROUP. Justused all defaults.

Add my applications, add shortcuts to desktop and pin items to task bar.

Sysprep with NO unattend in the sysprep folder.

Shutdown and Generalise

Boot with WAIK 7 CD and imagex copy to another location.

Import to MDT 2010 as custom image and use setup files from Windows 7 already in MDT

Set a new task (default) to deploy.

Set "Copy Profile" as TRUE. "Do not clean task bar" to TRUE

Deploy to another Optiplex and all seems well.

I do not have to kill the WMPNetworkSVc service anymore either.

Seems a lot of the other problems I was having like copy profile not working seem to be gone.

If I put an unattend file in the sysprep folder THEN run sysprep, I still have issues with the restartloop.

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Well I have found for those people with daemon tools/alcohol 120%/etc issues with the SPTDdriver,

Change the following key before sysprep

HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\services\sptd\Start to 0x02

and and the end of sysprep (or even with group policy) set it back to 0x00

This has solved our Sysprep failure. (You can even do it while the error is showing, Shift+F10,regedit..., then click ok to reboot).

Source:http://www.mail-archive.com/ntsysadmin@lyris.sunbelt-software.com/msg53334.html

Proposed As Answer by dawpa2000 Saturday, January 23, 2010 9:27 AM

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Wednesday, November 11, 2009 2:53 AMnetjim66

Wednesday, November 11, 2009 4:09 AMMcKinnonSC

Friday, November 27, 2009 2:41 PMdp li

10-11-17 8:53 AMWindows could not finish configuring the system...restart

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I had the same issue with Alcohol 120% installed. The solution was to uninstallAlcohol 120% and SPTD driver and then sysprep. A complete rebuild was not needed.SPTD driver can be uninstalled using this installer(Choose Uninstall).

http://www.duplexsecure.com/en/downloads

Hope this helps.

Deepak

Hi Deepak, thanks for your answer, it solved my problem.

I have Windows 7 Professional x86 installed on Dell Optiplex, I also installed a bunch of otherprograms (Daemon Tools Lite v4.35.5, 7-Zip, Adobe Reader 9.2, Office 2007, Visual Studio 2008Professional Edition with SP1 and SQL Server 2008 Developer Edition with SP1).

When sysprepping with the above image, I had the same problem as the title of this thread, I didthe following and sysprep worked!1. Disable "Windows Media Player Networking Sharing"2. Uninstall Daemon Tools Lite3. Uninstall SPTD using SPTDinst-v162-x86.exe (downloaded from the link above)4. Restart5. Run sysprep

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Using VMware I installed a fresh Reference VM, to which I gradually add more bits andcustomisations. From the beginning I logged in wiwth CTL-SHIFT-F3 to get into Audit Mode. Thesequence every time is:

1. Power on, this goes into Audit mode because that is the default2. Do custom stuff, add app(s), change settings, etc3. Shutdown and take snapshot4. Power on5. sysprep /reboot /generalize /oobe /unattend:C:\blah.xml (including copyprofile, which works)6. Watch what happens

If it worked, great - go back to snapshot and start from 1 again.If it screwed, go back to previous snapshot.

I managed to get working sysprepped images for a long time, but after a bunch of new installs,my image would give the dreaded

Windows could not finish configuring the system. To attempt to resume configuration,restart the computer.

I went back and forth and isolated it to Kaspersky Antivirus 2010. This software alone wouldcause the error.

After reading some posts here I figured that some Kaspersky service was screwing things up. So Imanually disabled the "avp" service (which, by the way, could only be done from within theapplication - doing it as administrator in the services control panel would give me "access isdenied" errors. But that is probably done to current day AV semantics).

Then I sysprepped again (without any running avps), but I would still get the same error.

I am now installing KAV2010 post-OOBE, but I don't like it as it defeats the idea of an imagebased install.

Since it does not appear to be caused by a misbehaving service, pre-sysprep disabling and post-sysprep enabling would not help either. And even if it did I could not figure out how to changethe avp service startup config with command line...

FYI, the images I am cooking up are Windows 7 64-bit Enterprise.

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I've been reading this thread for the last couple of weeks while I workout the kinks in

Sunday, November 29, 2009 10:56 PMusr-local-dick

Tuesday, December 01, 2009 10:58 PMStuartRMVP

10-11-17 8:53 AMWindows could not finish configuring the system...restart

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my Windows 7 Enterprise sysprep process. I was encountering the exact same errorthat started this thread, and I figured out what was causing it for me after startingover from scratch. In my case, it was caused by pre-installing network printers priorto running sysprep. I'm not sure how many other people may or may not do that,but I thought I'd put it out there. It definitely didn't cause problems with XP &sysprep. As with other people's experience on this thread, simply uninstalling theprinters did not remedy my Windows 7 sysprep problems; I had to start over fromscratch.

I had the same exact issue (pre-installing network printers prior to running Sysprep - all ofwhich worked fine under XP and Vista). So thanks for the tip. As soon as I removed the printerconnections, Sysprep completes (of course now my users don't get pre-populated networkprinters.... grr).

Windows 7 Enterprise RTM

Stuart {MVP}

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Has anyone here actually reported this issue to MS?

Stuart {MVP}

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Not officially. But I had a friend ask internally, and the suggestion was just to redo the image. Which did work in my instance, but isn't a viable solution for a lot of other people here.

http://www.dreamension.net

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I've been reading this thread for the last couple of weeks while I workout the kinks inmy Windows 7 Enterprise sysprep process. I was encountering the exact same errorthat started this thread, and I figured out what was causing it for me after startingover from scratch. In my case, it was caused by pre-installing network printers priorto running sysprep. I'm not sure how many other people may or may not do that,but I thought I'd put it out there. It definitely didn't cause problems with XP &sysprep. As with other people's experience on this thread, simply uninstalling theprinters did not remedy my Windows 7 sysprep problems; I had to start over fromscratch.

I work at a college in Iowa, and I have been fooling around with Windows 7 Enterprise andsysprep for the last month and just figured this same thing out. I echo what topkwark said, pre-installing network printers makes sysprep die. Hope this gets fixed fast.

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Tuesday, December 01, 2009 11:00 PMStuartRMVP

Wednesday, December 02, 2009 3:34 AMDreamensioN

Wednesday, December 02, 2009 9:40 PMkickehy

Thursday, December 03, 2009 9:17 PM

10-11-17 8:53 AMWindows could not finish configuring the system...restart

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I'll add another vote for Crystal Reports as causing this problem. I had this same "could not finishconfiguring" error. Through trial and error using a VM/Snapshots, I uninstalled software until Inarrowed it down to "Crystal11_Redistributables". Uninstalled that and the system booted fineafter Sysprepping.

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Hi everyone, has anyone found a solution to this?The error message in question comes up during "starting up services".Does anyone know how can I find out which service it failed to start up?Or is there any logs that would be able to give me more information?

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I fully agree with Gerald Clough, and note that in January 2010 Microsoft is still silent on thisissue.In my case Windows 7 setup formatted the disk, so third party tools cannot be the issue.

I have spent many hours trawling forums unsuccessfully looking for an answer on this. Mostposts are asking "What have I done wrong"You should be asking Microsoft what have they done wrong, why is this part of the operatingsystem clearly inadequate? why is the logging so inadequate? when are you going to release aresponse?

This is very unsatisfactory.

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Having  encountered  a  myriad  of  sysprep  problems  over  the  past  6  weeks  in  preparing  10Windows  7  images,  here  are  my  thoughts  on  the  “Windows  could  not  finish  configuring  thesystem  issue”.This  forum  has  been  the  best  resource  i  have  seen  on  the  problem.  Despite  the  lack  of  any  inputfrom  Microsoft,  or  even  acknowledgement  of  the  problem  which  has  been  around  since  Vistawas  released.  I  don’t  have  any  definitive  answer  for  anybody,  only  what  did  or  did  not  work  for  me.  Hope  itmight  help  someone.  First  of  all  my  platform  is  Windows  7  Professional  32  bit.I  found  the  error  occurs  if  you  include  copyprofile  TRUE  in  the  answer  file,  Microsofts  onlysupported  method  for  the  default  profile,  which  doesn’t  work.I  also  got  the  error  on  the  last  image  made  which  had  all  the  same  applications  as  on  otherimages  made  without  any  problem.  After  wasting  more  time  trying  to  work  out  the  cause,  and  removing  installed  apps,  I  went  backand  made  the  image  again,  taking  multiple  Ghost  backups  at  various  stages.I  left  network  printer  drivers  off  the  image,  and  there  were  no  issues.However  all  the  previous  images  had  the  printer  drivers  with  no  problems.  I  then  added  theprinter  drivers,  syspreped  again,  and  no  problems.  I  don't  have  Kaspersky,  Alchohol  120%  or  Crystal  Reports,  Citrix  XEN  App  installed  on  any  of  myimages.  For  me  the  Windows  Media  Player  Network  service  is  also  not  the  issue.  It  has  always  beenstopped  when  i  checked  it.  It  is  Manual  startup.  Domain  or  Workgroup  membership  doesn’t  make  any  difference.  I  never  used  any  3^rd  party  tools  to  format  the  drive  -­‐  created  partitions  using  theinstallation  DVD.  Partition  1  100MB  windows  created,  Partition  2  C:  Partition  3  D:It  cannot  be  attributed  to  the  imaging  software  as  the  sysprepped  machine  fails  upon  restarting.  

Thursday, December 03, 2009 9:17 PMSteve.E.Jones

Sunday, December 13, 2009 9:14 PMbalkanman

Wednesday, January 06, 2010 12:33 AMRichard Woz

Friday, January 08, 2010 4:48 AM

Richard Woz

10-11-17 8:53 AMWindows could not finish configuring the system...restart

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 So  it  seems  completely  random  to  me.  The  only  consistent  thread  is  once  you  have  this  problemyou  have  to  go  back  to  square  1  and  start  again.  For  what  it’s  worth  to  anyone,  this  was  my  application  install  process  2^nd  timearound  to  try  and  identify  the  cause;  Adobe  CS3Backup  with  GhostSysprep  –  OKRestore  ghost  imageAdobe  CS3  updatesFlash  playerFlash  plugin  for  IEShockwave  playerAdobe  Reader  9.2  and  updatesOffice  07  EnterpriseOffice  SP2Microsoft  updateAll  available  windows  and  office  updates  but  not  hardware  specific  or  driver  updatesMove  Maker  2.6SilverlightPhotostory  3Backup  againSysprep  –  OKRestore  last  backupClickview  player  (inc  dotnetfx3.5)Joined  domainGoogle  Earth  5Java  6  update  17Paper  Cut  clientBackupSysprep  OKRestore  last  backupAny  video  converterAudacity  2.6Div  XXP  codec  packVLC  media  playerUltra  VNC  1.0.8BackupSysprep  –  OKRestoreSuper  copierSophos  AntivirusBackupSysprep  okRestorePrinter  drivers  HP,  Fuji  Xerox,  ToshibaBackupSysprep  OK  So  I  was  thankfully  unable  to  recreate  the  issue  the  second  time.  The  only  difference  wasMicrosoft  update  was  NOT  installed  on  the  first  image  which  had  the  problem,  and  consequentlyno  Office  updates  were  installed.  It  would  be  nice  if  any  of  this  made  any  sense!

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After spending the better part of a week on this, it seems that having the Windows AutomatedInstallation Kit (WAIK) installed on the machine that you are attempting to sysprep causes thisproblem.

The solution is simply uninstalling WAIK from the machine before running sysprep.

Proposed As Answer by pmclean Wednesday, January 13, 2010 8:12 PM

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I've been following this thread for a while and I would like to hear from anyone who uses MDT2010.

If you are having problems with Windows 7 images and you do NOT use MDT 2010 I highlyrecommend you do so, following what I've outlined in previous posts.

Wednesday, January 13, 2010 8:11 PMpmclean

Friday, January 15, 2010 2:03 AM

netjim66

10-11-17 8:53 AMWindows could not finish configuring the system...restart

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I have been wrestling with this problem for a while as well. When I complete a vanilla install ofWindows 7, customize the Administrator account in Audit mode, sysprep the box withCopyProfile=true, and restart the box, it will go into the OOBE Windows just fine. But if I applythe image created with imageX at any of those points (before sysprep or after), it comes up withthe error. I don't have any programs installed on the image.

The only clue I receive is when I re-apply the image and go back into Audit mode, Windowsinforms me that the Recycle Bin has been corrupted. I'm positive this occurs during the imagexstep, as ImageX removes all recycle bin information. I can only get the machine to boot in Auditmode, as the sysprepped version will not boot, as described by others on this forum.

Does anyone have an idea how to get ImageX to not delete system files?

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The problem seems to be the registy entries made by sysprep, which probably should have, butdidnt, change at the first reboot.

To confirm, after a clean image capture with WDS and install, upon the first reboot the systemwill not go past the message:

"Windows could not finish configuring the system. To attempt to resume configuration, restartthe computer."

THE SOLUTION THAT WORKED

1. When the error message apears, open up a command window with SHIFT + F112. open the REGEDIT3. navigate to hklm\system\setup4. change CmdLine to blank (no value entered) (was oobe\windeploy.exe)5. change CreateNewQueueOnFirstBoot to 0 (was 1)6. change OOBEInProgress to 0 (was 1) (i am guessing that might be AUDITInProgress if thatwas your sysprep choice)7. change SetupPhase to 0 (was 4)8. change SetupShutdownRequired to 0 (was 1)9. change SetupType to 0 (was 2)10. change SystemSetupInProgress to 0 (was1)

11. exit REGEDIT and reboot

The installation now continues on the the login, and in my case it ran the i got my OOBE. (HEHE)

PS. I am just using this to back up a loaded system for quick recovery in case of a failure (which ijust had) so i can live with doing that manually. I am sure there's much brighter bulbs out therethat can figure out how to implement that in an unattended manner for general use.

Have a great day.

And as a side note, if this works for you too, why not post it in a forum you've been to, as i haveseen a hundred different forums with people having the same problems.

Proposed As Answer by AZ Randy Wednesday, April 07, 2010 10:27 PM

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I can confirm that removing Daemon Tools solves this error on Win 7 Enterprise. It is necessaryto not only uninstall DT but also remove the SPDT layer. The best way to do this is to goto http://www.duplexsecure.com/en/downloads and download the installer. Run it and uninstallthe product. A reboot is required.

While it solves the restart problem originally described, a further error is created. The syspreppedsystem now stalled on "Setup is starting services" and fails to boot. I am attempting to disable allnon-Microsoft services and work backwards through those to try and find the culprit.

Friday, January 15, 2010 10:11 PM

jetsetvet

Sunday, January 17, 2010 8:53 AMHoHumDiddleDee

Wednesday, January 20, 2010 11:50 PMChrist Church

10-11-17 8:53 AMWindows could not finish configuring the system...restart

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It's worth noting that the logs created are of no use what-so-ever in solving these problems.

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The problem seems to be the registy entries made by sysprep, which probablyshould have, but didnt, change at the first reboot.

To confirm, after a clean image capture with WDS and install, upon the first rebootthe system will not go past the message:

"Windows could not finish configuring the system. To attempt to resumeconfiguration, restart the computer."

THE SOLUTION THAT WORKED

1. When the error message apears, open up a command window with SHIFT + F112. open the REGEDIT3. navigate to hklm\system\setup4. change CmdLine to blank (no value entered) (was oobe\windeploy.exe)5. change CreateNewQueueOnFirstBoot to 0 (was 1)6. change OOBEInProgress to 0 (was 1) (i am guessing that might beAUDITInProgress if that was your sysprep choice)7. change SetupPhase to 0 (was 4)8. change SetupShutdownRequired to 0 (was 1)9. change SetupType to 0 (was 2)10. change SystemSetupInProgress to 0 (was1)

11. exit REGEDIT and reboot

The installation now continues on the the login, and in my case it ran the i got myOOBE. (HEHE)

PS. I am just using this to back up a loaded system for quick recovery in case of afailure (which i just had) so i can live with doing that manually. I am sure there'smuch brighter bulbs out there that can figure out how to implement that in anunattended manner for general use.

Have a great day.

And as a side note, if this works for you too, why not post it in a forum you've beento, as i have seen a hundred different forums with people having the same problems.

after following this, My computer had a Login screen, not OOBE screen. Which i cannot login(btwadministrator is disabled), which i think by doing this the computer will stop "syspreping"anyway. This is not working for me.(I'm doing sysprep and this stopped it ....)

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http://support.microsoft.com/?scid=kb;en-us;977392&x=12&y=7

Microsoft seems have released a patch for this problem.

I installed it in the audit mode then started the sysprep again, same thing happened, no use.

What the heck?

Why Microsoft can't give us a more user-friendly error message?

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Tuesday, February 02, 2010 2:09 AMdaniel_c

Tuesday, February 02, 2010 2:19 AMdaniel_c

Thursday, February 25, 2010 2:05 PMJennifer-

10-11-17 8:53 AMWindows could not finish configuring the system...restart

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We have been experiencing the same problem with Windows 7 + sysprep. But finally we foundthe root of all evil (at least in our case...)Everything seems to be fine and I have reinstalled Windows 7 + all other software that we useover 10 times and then run sysprep /shutdown /generalize /oobe. Then I have prayed... Each andeverytime when the images were distrubuted they freeze with "Windows could not finishconfiguring the system. To attempt to resume configuration, restart the computer" and after thatnothing helps...

BUT NOW FINALLY!!!

The package consists of:Windows 7 EnterpriseAdobe Acrobat ReaderAdobe Flash PlayerAdobe Shockwave PlayerFirefoxICA ClientJavaMicrosoft Office 2007Microsoft Project 2007Microsoft SharePoint Designer 2007Microsoft Office Visio Pro 2007PuttyQuickTimeRoxioSPSS 17WinSCPWS_FTP LE+ updates from Microsoft Updates

The problem for us seems to be two drivers for HP DC7900 MT (theese drivers were for Windows7 Pro?!? but as they were missing in Windows 7 Enterprise we used them)Chipset - Intel Active Client Manager HECI Device Driver for Microsoft Windows 7 version8.9.0.1023 Rev. A (15 Feb 2010)System Management - Intel AMT LMS_SOL for AMT 5.xx for Microsoft Windows 7 version5.5.1.1012 Rev. A (22 Oct 2009)As we built a new package with all the before mentioned software but left out the two driversthen everything worked as a charm! Hope this will help someone else experiencing the samething... You are not alone...

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I've been reading this thread for the last couple of weeks while I workout the kinks inmy Windows 7 Enterprise sysprep process. I was encountering the exact same errorthat started this thread, and I figured out what was causing it for me after startingover from scratch. In my case, it was caused by pre-installing network printers priorto running sysprep. I'm not sure how many other people may or may not do that,but I thought I'd put it out there. It definitely didn't cause problems with XP &sysprep. As with other people's experience on this thread, simply uninstalling theprinters did not remedy my Windows 7 sysprep problems; I had to start over fromscratch.

This solved the issue for me...once I removed the network printers, all was good.

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I've been having the same problem sysprepping and deploying Windows 7 and narrowed it downto Kaspersky (6.0.4.1212 a). I did finally get it to work with Kaspersky installed and updated:

1. set up the ref computer, Office 2007, all Microsoft updates, Java, Flash, Acrobat Reader,etc.

2. install Kaspersky last, just before sysprep & capture; DON'T let Kaspersky reboot3. run Kaspersky update4. from within Kaspersky, pause protection (resume manually)5. Kaspersky Settings6. under Protection, uncheck Launch at Startup and Advanced Disinfection7. under Options, uncheck Self Defense and External Control of System Service (I think these

are the real culprits)8. close Settings, then Exit taskbar icon9. sysprep and capture the image

10. re-enable all protection after you deploy the image

Thursday, March 04, 2010 5:44 PMJasongcds

Wednesday, March 24, 2010 2:31 PMaliefeld

10-11-17 8:53 AMWindows could not finish configuring the system...restart

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Hope this helps.

Andrew Liefeld

P.S. It won't matter if you let Kaspersky reboot, I've sysprepped, captured, & deployed severaltimes since then with the same system; you just have to make sure Kaspersky is disabled beforesysprep is run.

Proposed As Answer by aliefeld Wednesday, March 24, 2010 2:32 PM

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Four complete image builds - ugh!

Good news is that I got it to work - I left out the network printers, and also for good measuredisabled all startup items with Startup Control Panel - it's an oldie but a goodie.

Our config is a Dell Optiplex 380 and Windows 7 Professional, plus the following apps wereincluded in our image:

7-Zip 4.65 Adobe Flash Player 10 ActiveX Publisher:Adobe Systems Incorporated Version:10.0.45.2 Adobe Flash Player 10 Plugin Publisher:Adobe Systems Incorporated Version:10.0.45.2 Apple Application Support Publisher:Apple Inc. Version:1.1.0 Apple Mobile Device Support Publisher:Apple Inc. Version:2.6.0.32 Apple Software Update Publisher:Apple Inc. Version:2.1.1.116 AusLogics Disk Defrag Publisher:Auslogics Software Pty Ltd Version:Version 3.1 Belarc Advisor 8.1 Bonjour Publisher:Apple Inc. Version:1.0.106 ccleaner Publisher:Piriform Version:2.29 Everything 1.2.1.371 FileMaker Pro 10 Publisher:FileMaker, Inc. Version:10.0.3.0 Foxit PDF IFilter Publisher:Foxit Software Version:2.0.0.208 Foxit PDF Preview Handler Publisher:Tim Heuer Version:1.0.0 Foxit Reader Publisher:Foxit Corporation Version:3.2.0.0303 ImgBurn Publisher:LIGHTNING UK! Version:2.5.1.0 iTunes Publisher:Apple Inc. Version:9.0.3.15 Java(TM) 6 Update 18 Publisher:Sun Microsystems, Inc. Version:6.0.180 K-Lite Codec Pack 5.8.3 (Full) Version:5.8.3 Microsoft Office Standard 2007 Publisher:Microsoft Corporation Version:12.0.6425.1000 2007 Microsoft Office Suite Service Pack 2 (SP2) Publisher:Microsoft Microsoft Save as PDF Add-in for 2007 Microsoft Office programs Publisher:MicrosoftCorporation Version:12.0.4518.1014 Microsoft Security Essentials Publisher:Microsoft Corporation Version:1.0.1961.0 Microsoft Silverlight Publisher:Microsoft Corporation Version:3.0.50106.0 Microsoft Silverlight 3.0.50106.0 Mozilla Firefox (3.6.2) Publisher:Mozilla Version:3.6.2 (en-US) MySQL Connector/ODBC 3.51 Publisher:MySQL AB Version:3.51.19 QuickTime Publisher:Apple Inc. Version:7.65.17.80 Simply Accounting by Sage 2010 Publisher:Sage Software Version:17.11.0001

For what it's worth, I used the standard MS imaging tools: WinPE, diskpart and ImageX.

Also, one other tidbit: check out this imaging how-to resource: I learned a couple of good newthings here: Sysprep a Windows 7 Machine – Start to Finish V2

Good luck!

Steve

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Just contributing to the thread fwiw. I also found out the culprit for my issue was the CitrixXenApp client 10.2. Uninstalling resolved this issue for me. Thanks everyone on this thread fortheir feedback.

Andrew

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Hi

Just tested a few launches to, and found out that

Sunday, March 28, 2010 12:45 PM

Steverino123

Saturday, April 03, 2010 2:22 AM

aqle

Monday, April 05, 2010 8:11 PM

Dvlz1

10-11-17 8:53 AMWindows could not finish configuring the system...restart

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- Avira Antivirus also causes the problem. (Uninstall worked before I ran Sysprep.)

Hope it helps someone.

/cheers

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For those who have Kaspersky installed on your image (and it is causing the deployment tofail) and you do not want the hassle of having to rebuild from scratch, here is anotherworkaround which makes the process a little quicker. 1) When the error occurs press 'shift+F10' to open the command prompt. 1) Rename the following files in the 'system32\drivers' folder.

· klbg.sys > klbg.hold· klim6.sys > klim6.hold· klif.sys > klif.hold (automatically restored by Kaspersky when system is back up)

2) You have now disabled Kaspersky. Reboot the system and allow it to complete the lastsysprep phase of the deployment. 3) Once complete, Login and you will notice that Kaspersky is loaded but cannot enablesome components. This is fine for deployment purposes and you will be able to re-enablethem when you re-deploy your working image. 4) Sysprep the image as before or use 'C:\Windows\System32\sysprep\sysprep.exe /quiet/generalize /shutdown /oobe' and then recapture your image. 5) Use group policies or scripts to rename the '.hold' files back to '.sys' after you haveredeployed your image. NOTE: If you automate this process using gpo's or login scriptsthen Kaspersky will only be active on you second reboot. If you have complex builds like I do that take forever to configure this should save you abundle of time having to rebuild.

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Thanks Ho Hum Diddle Dee. Your solution qworked for me. I created a 64 bit image of an HPTouchSmart tx2 and got the dreaded error. After applying Ho hum's solution I had NO moreissues.

Thank you for saving my Bacon! :-)

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I've had the exact same error -- removing the networked printer resolved the issue for me. Iintend to add the printer post-install. I tried everything else in this long thread but nothingresolved it other than removing the printer.

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i experienced this same problem "Windows could not finish configuring the system. To attempt

Tuesday, April 06, 2010 4:32 PM

TurboUK

Wednesday, April 07, 2010 10:26 PMAZ Randy

Thursday, April 15, 2010 4:39 PM

razenruin

Wednesday, April 28, 2010 6:37 PMdavidindoha

10-11-17 8:53 AMWindows could not finish configuring the system...restart

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to resume configuration, restart the computer." on an hp 2370 elitebook, by the way thishappened only when i choose generalize

and i tried everything in this forum and to revive the image but failed, i had to build an imagefrom scratch and later found out that the network printers were causing the problems so tookthem off and sysprep with generalize and answer file it worked like a charm, it looks like somekind of network services is causing this issue

but you should always make sure you create an image with Norton ghost before sysprep,because something could always go wrong there could be a number of reasons as per readingthe posts below.

in order to deploy the unsysprepped image to another computer you will have to run ghostwalker soon after you deploy the image with norton ghost by running the command in theprompt behind the norton ghost menu "x://ghost/ghwalk32.exe", this will let you go to back tothe image before it was sysprepped just in case anything goes wrong

Proposed As Answer by davidindoha Wednesday, April 28, 2010 7:03 PM

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your solution works, thanks Stuart

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For those who have Kaspersky installed on your image (and it is causing thedeployment to fail) and you do not want the hassle of having to rebuild fromscratch, here is another workaround which makes the process a little quicker. 1) When the error occurs press 'shift+F10' to open the command prompt. 1) Rename the following files in the 'system32\drivers' folder.

· klbg.sys > klbg.hold· klim6.sys > klim6.hold· klif.sys > klif.hold (automatically restored by Kaspersky when system is

back up)

2) You have now disabled Kaspersky. Reboot the system and allow it tocomplete the last sysprep phase of the deployment. 3) Once complete, Login and you will notice that Kaspersky is loaded but cannotenable some components. This is fine for deployment purposes and you will beable to re-enable them when you re-deploy your working image. 4) Sysprep the image as before oruse 'C:\Windows\System32\sysprep\sysprep.exe /quiet /generalize /shutdown/oobe' and then recapture your image. 5) Use group policies or scripts to rename the '.hold' files back to '.sys' afteryou have redeployed your image. NOTE: If you automate this process usinggpo's or login scripts then Kaspersky will only be active on you second reboot. If you have complex builds like I do that take forever to configure this shouldsave you a bundle of time having to rebuild.

Wednesday, April 28, 2010 7:08 PMdavidindoha

Friday, April 30, 2010 4:11 PM

GDT I.T. Department

10-11-17 8:53 AMWindows could not finish configuring the system...restart

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We got ours to work using a combination of TurboUK's solution & HoHumDiddleDee's solution. What I want to know is why we didn't have any of these problems on the Dell E6500 serieslaptops? This issue only reared it's ugly head on the Dell Latitude E6510 laptops...

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This Solution Works :)

THE SOLUTION THAT WORKED

1. When the error message apears, open up a command window with SHIFT + F102. open the REGEDIT3. navigate to hklm\system\setup4. change CmdLine to blank (no value entered) (was oobe\windeploy.exe)5. change CreateNewQueueOnFirstBoot to 0 (was 1)6. change OOBEInProgress to 0 (was 1) (i am guessing that might be AUDITInProgress if thatwas your sysprep choice)7. change SetupPhase to 0 (was 4)8. change SetupShutdownRequired to 0 (was 1)9. change SetupType to 0 (was 2)10. change SystemSetupInProgress to 0 (was1)

11. exit REGEDIT and reboot

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I now have the ACTUAL SOLUTION to this problem. This solution will actually tell you exactlywhat registry key is causing your sysprep to fail, so then you don't have to slowly install everyprogram until you find the problem -- especially since this didn't work for me because myproblem has been intermittent.

This issue is caused by certain registry keys that are either:

a) Larger than 8kb

b) Set with incorrect permissions

c) Corrupt in some way

For me, the problem was intermittent (same registry key would sometimes cause the issue andsometimes not - must be corrupt sometimes) so it was impossible to tell what program wasdoing it. Luckily, there is a log you can look at that will tell you exactly what registry key iserroring out. Here are the steps for getting the log you need to see:

When you see the error message, do the following:

1.) Push Shift+F10 to get to a command prompt

2.) Navigate to C:\windows\Panther

3.) Find the Setup.etl file and find a way to copy this file off of the system (I copied it to the D:\partition and used Ghost to gather that partition and get the file off)

4.) Copy the setup.etl file from the corrupted system to another computer that has Windows 7. Put it on the root of C:\ for easiest access.

5.) Open a Command Prompt on the Windows 7 computer.

6.) Navigate to the root of C:\ (or wherever you saved the file)

7.) Type "tracerpt setup.etl -o logfile.csv"

8.) Close the command prompt and open up logfile.csv in your text editor of choice.

9.) Look through the log file (towards the end probably) for messages that say "Failed to processreg key or one of it's decendants" For me, the exact eror looked like this: "Failed to process regkey or one of its descendants: [\REGISTRY\MACHINE\SOFTWARE\ESET\ESETSecurity\CurrentVersion\Plugins\01000200\Profiles\@My profile]" If you search for "reg key" or"failed to process" you should find the failure.

10.) Remove this software from your image, or find out how to get the registry key that is failingto work properly.

After this, you should be able to properly identify any problem keys and remove/workaroundthem on your image.

Wednesday, May 05, 2010 7:34 PMfastwide

Friday, June 04, 2010 4:05 PM

Jeff Harrison

10-11-17 8:53 AMWindows could not finish configuring the system...restart

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Proposed As Answer by Jeff Harrison Friday, June 04, 2010 4:05 PM

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Jeff Harrison's solution worked for me!

I used [shift]+[f10] to open a command prompt, installed a flash drive and copiedc:\panther\setup.etl to it.

When I analyzed the file on my own machine, like most here, my problem pointed to a printerthat was loaded from a print server.

Back on the broken machine, I started REGEDIT from the command prompt, and navigated to...

HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Print\Providers\Client Side RenderingPrint Provider

From there, I drilled down past an unresolved SID key, to Printers, then Connections.

From there, I could see all of my printer connections from my print server. I deleted them, closedout REGEDIT, closed out the command prompt, clicked [ok] on the "Windows could not finishconfiguring the system" error box, and my system rebooted and completed mini-setup withoutissues.

Thank you Jeff! I was on my third attempt at making an image that contained Autodesk 2010 andwas really getting frustrated at having my images fail after sysprep.

I'm good to go now!

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Hello,

Looking through this thread I got further than by actually working with a Microsoft Engineer for aweek. When looking at my file the error is occurring at\REGISTRY\MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows] \REGISTRY\MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion and\REGISTRY\MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Installer. I'm not sure whatsoftware to remove at this point?

Rich

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I have encountered this issue after creating an image of my desktop for backup purposes. I'veread through several of the threads in this forum, but I'm running into a problem when followingthe suggested fix above:

" If you review the Windows\panther\unattendgc\setuperr.log you may see thefollowing entries... "

When I try to open, copy or otherwise access anything in the \panther\ directory, I receive an'Access is denied' message. Can you provide any direction? Thanks for any help you might beable to give.

Chris

Shane Paige

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Jeff's solution worked perfectly for me. In my case, it was Eset's NOD32 antivirus. I was able tokeep it installed by disabling the "Enable Self-defense" option and then restarting.

Tuesday, June 15, 2010 12:47 PM

scot hans

Friday, June 18, 2010 10:30 PM

rich_RRCC

Thursday, July 01, 2010 1:47 PM

OCSTech

Tuesday, July 13, 2010 6:19 PM

Tim Zeg

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keep it installed by disabling the "Enable Self-defense" option and then restarting.

Thank you.

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Thank you all. It was Network printers!!!!!!

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Hi Jeff,

thanks for your great post. Unfortunately the Entries i found within my setup.etl are not pointingme to any specific program or component, but every time to[\REGISTRY\MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Installer\UserData]:

Here is one of the logged events:

<Event xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/win/2004/08/events/event"> <System> <Provider Name="Microsoft-Windows-SetupCl" Guid="{75ebc33e-d017-4d0f-93ab-0b4f86579164}" /> <EventID>2</EventID> <Version>0</Version> <Level>2</Level> <Task>0</Task> <Opcode>0</Opcode> <Keywords>0x8000000000000002</Keywords> <TimeCreated SystemTime="2010-07-22T11:59:17.842818100Z" /> <Correlation ActivityID="{00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000}" /> <Execution ProcessID="316" ThreadID="320" ProcessorID="1" KernelTime="2100" UserTime="240" /> <Channel>Microsoft-Windows-SetupCl/Analytic</Channel> <Computer /> </System> <EventData> <Data Name="SourceLine"> 330</Data> <Data Name="SourceFunction">SclRegProcessKeyRecursiveByHandle</Data> <Data Name="Message">(80000005): Failed to process reg key or one of its descendants: [\REGISTRY\MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Installer\UserData]</Data> </EventData> <RenderingInfo Culture="de-DE"> <Level>Fehler </Level> <Opcode>Info </Opcode> <Keywords> <Keyword>keyDiagnostic</Keyword> </Keywords> <Message>SclRegProcessKeyRecursiveByHandle@330 : (80000005): Failed to process reg key or one of its descendants: [\REGISTRY\MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Installer\UserData] </Message> <Channel>Microsoft-Windows-SetupCl/Analytic</Channel> <Provider>Microsoft-Windows-SetupCl </Provider> </RenderingInfo></Event>

Unfortunately i have no idea what to do or what to uninstall, but maybe someone else likes tomake a suggestion?

Thanks in Advance,

Martin Dingel

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Saturday, July 17, 2010 1:36 AM

Brian.bsi

Thursday, July 22, 2010 10:33 AM

MEMQAG_MartinDingel

10-11-17 8:53 AMWindows could not finish configuring the system...restart

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Found something... i've checked[\REGISTRY\MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Installer\UserData]. In theusers folder of my setup account i've found installation entries for Windows Automated Install Kitand ATI Radeon Graphic Drivers. After uninstalling the WAIK and upgrading the ATI drivers theregistry entries disappeared.

Then i tried another Sysprep Run. This time it let me pass through the "initializing services"section, but after recognizing my drivers the system boot fails again with a new Windows DialogBox.

Error Message: "Windows Setup could not configure Windows to run on this computershardware"

I tried again after disabling AHCI for my Intel SSD... same problem.

I've reviewed setuperr.log/setupact.log in c:\windows\panther andc:\windows\system32\sysprep\panther but i found nothing that seems to be from real interest.I've also recreated logfile.csv from setup.etl and checked for obvious problems, but its difficultwhen you dont know what to search for. This Logfile has about 50k+ lines...

Any ideas?

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For those who have Kaspersky installed on your image (and it is causing thedeployment to fail) and you do not want the hassle of having to rebuild fromscratch, here is another workaround which makes the process a little quicker. 1) When the error occurs press 'shift+F10' to open the command prompt. 1) Rename the following files in the 'system32\drivers' folder.

· klbg.sys > klbg.hold· klim6.sys > klim6.hold· klif.sys > klif.hold (automatically restored by Kaspersky when system is

back up)

2) You have now disabled Kaspersky. Reboot the system and allow it tocomplete the last sysprep phase of the deployment. 3) Once complete, Login and you will notice that Kaspersky is loaded but cannotenable some components. This is fine for deployment purposes and you will beable to re-enable them when you re-deploy your working image. 4) Sysprep the image as before oruse 'C:\Windows\System32\sysprep\sysprep.exe /quiet /generalize /shutdown/oobe' and then recapture your image. 5) Use group policies or scripts to rename the '.hold' files back to '.sys' afteryou have redeployed your image. NOTE: If you automate this process usinggpo's or login scripts then Kaspersky will only be active on you second reboot. If you have complex builds like I do that take forever to configure this shouldsave you a bundle of time having to rebuild.

I have Kaspersky 6.0.4.1424 a. This soluion worked for me to deploy the image. I did not try toreimage the machine after deployment. I tried a few other solution that didn't help to capture animage with Kaspersky installed

I tried the posted solution to install Kaspersky without rebooting and then sysprep but thesysprep and capture still failed.Our Kaspersky is controlly by an admin server so I can't turn off all modules but I turned off mail,proactive defense, anti-spy, anti-hacker, anti-spam and device control and sysprep still fails.

If I image BEFORE installing Kaspersky everything works perfectly.

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Thursday, July 22, 2010 3:34 PM

MEMQAG_MartinDingel

Monday, July 26, 2010 2:21 PM

dmcky

10-11-17 8:53 AMWindows could not finish configuring the system...restart

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Hello,

I have been reading this forum for a while and find quite interesting that microsoft and its socalled enginneers never come up with a solution for the various problems, but rather it's the ITprofessionals that come up solutions. Bravo to all of you, shame to microsoft!

I've been trying to make a win 7 enterprise image for several labs. Although microsoft does notunderstand why we need to copy profiles, we, IT professionals know the importance of this,especially in a lab environment where all students must have exacly the same tools in front ofthem. Lately I've having having the dreadfull "Windows could not finish configuring the system. To attempt to resume configuration, restart the computer". Thanks to the help of manycontributors from this forum I've pin-pointed printer drivers has being the problem. However theerror only occurs when I install the printer as a network printer.

To make things clear, here's the situation:

I install all the necessary software as administrator without any problems, and just beforerunning sysprep I install a network printer (from a 2008 server) with a successul test page. Afterreboot and when windows is starting services I get the error"windows could not .....restart thecomputer". If I install the same printer, but as a local tcp-ip with the same drivers everythingworks fine.

Any suggestions anybody? Could it be that upon rebooting the machine cannot contact theprint server?

Thanks in advance.

Jose

Proposed As Answer by guy montag Wednesday, August 11, 2010 3:22 PM

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There is a hotfix from Microsoft.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/981542

Proposed As Answer by guy montag Wednesday, August 11, 2010 3:24 PM

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I certainly hope that you are correct! I just downloaded this and am recreating my Windows 7 -Ultimate image now. I will report back with my findings after I attempt to redeploy the image. Here goes another entire days worth of work!

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Tuesday, August 03, 2010 1:16 AMJoemor

Wednesday, August 11, 2010 3:23 PMguy montag

Tuesday, September 07, 2010 2:49 PMMick M. _

Wednesday, September 08, 2010 6:31 PMbilleuze

10-11-17 8:53 AMWindows could not finish configuring the system...restart

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The above MS hotfix does not work for the Kaspersky issue.

There are at least 2 solutions that do work for Kasperksy 6.0.4.1424 a:

1. The TurboUK solution to rename klif.sys and klim6.sys (there is no klbg.sys in this versionof Kaspersky). Just renaming these 2 files is enough

2. This morning I got my reply from Kaspersky support and their solution also works. It is to(before running sysprep) go into "Settings" >> "Options" and uncheck "Enable Self-Defense"

For everyone's inofrmation, In adition to some of the above lists of programs that do not createthis problem I can add the following to the list. These programs installed in win7 32 bit withoutcreating the problem:

All the default HP stuff that comes intslled in a new Compaq 500B MinitowerHP power ManagerRoxio Creator BusinessWAIK (someone else above had an issue but it works for me)Crystal Reports ver. 10 (full version)Run time version of Crystal Reports 10 that is shipped with RDPwin (a Hotel Property ManagementSystem)Pervasive client engine and tools of Pervasive SQL serverTreesize v.1.6

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Wow! It sure would be nice if you actually download the hotfix for KB981542.

I have the same problem trying to just use sysprep so I can modify the default user profile, andafter following all the instructions, I am unable to get the Win7 enterprise system to boot backup.

Hey M$, fix it please!

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Amazing. It's been ONE YEAR AND NINE MONTHS (21 MONTHS!!!) since this problem was broughtto Microsoft's attention and not one official mention or explanation.

rich_RRCC related that he spent a week on the phone with a Microsoft engineer, so it's not asthough Microsoft continues to be unaware of this problem. In fact, if the official record were everexposed, I suspect we'd find that Microsoft knew about this issue before the gold-master wassent-off for production.

It appears that:

a) The hotfix cited in this thread previously (981542) is not a panacea for the problem at-hand

b) The title of the aforementioned hotfix does not describe the problem at-hand accurately:

A Windows 7 or a Windows Server 2008 R2 imagedeployment process stops when you try to deploythe image on another computerThis occurs "when you try to deploy the image on THE SAME COMPUTER."

Quite frankly, it's shameful that this show-stopper has not been addressed; as I stated earlier inthis thread, Windows 7 is NOT "Enterprise-Ready" until this issue is addressed in full.

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Tuesday, September 21, 2010 11:04 PMPerry.M

Thursday, September 30, 2010 2:22 AMGeraldCough

Thursday, September 30, 2010 2:26 AMGeraldCough

10-11-17 8:53 AMWindows could not finish configuring the system...restart

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Perry.M, even though the hotfix appears not to address this particular problem, it is indeedpossible to download the hotfix, should you be so inclined. Click the "View and request hotfixdownloads " link right near the top of the page. You'll have to provide an email address, asMicrosoft prefers not to make its hotfixes readily accessible. I recommend you usehttp://10minutemail.com and provide Microsoft with a throw-away email address. You willreceieve an email from Microsoft immediately, which contains a link to the hotfix downloads forthe platforms you select, as well as the passwords to decrypt the self-extracting EXE files. Whenyou copy-paste the passwords from the email, be sure that you do not inadvertently highlight anewline at the end of the password, as pasting the password into the field will fail if you copy theinvisible newline character. You may wish to highlight only the first few characters of thepassword and then use Shift-Right-Arrow to select the remaining characters; this will ensure thatthe newline is not copied.

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I have found that this error is caused by a particular application. I spent months trying to figureout why this is happening.

In the end, in my particular case it ws NOD4 causing the issue (NOD4.2 on the other hand worksfine). The moment I excluded NOD4 from my image PC started fine, I captured the image fine,the PC started fine after the capture, and I had no issues deploying the imaage to other PCs. If Iput NOD4 back inside the image, same problem comes back.

For different users the problem may be caused by different applications.

The way I figured out it was NOD4 in my particular case is by doing the following:

During the startup, when the error occurs, I press 'shift+f10' to bring the comand prompt.I then brought up the explorer and started shutting down service at a time to try and isolatewhich service was the problem.This id not help me because even though I shut NOD servoice down I did not notice the problemgo away until I uninstalled NOD4 completely through the same command prompt at the timewhen the error occurs. Once I uninstalled NOD4, restarted the pc....it went through "startingservices" fine and the PC completed the setup.

What I suggest is to try uninstalling application at a time until you find the culprit.Ever since NOD released version 4.2, I no longer have this issue, I can now include NOD in myimage if I want to.

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I now have the ACTUAL SOLUTION to this problem. This solution will actually tellyou exactly what registry key is causing your sysprep to fail, so then you don't haveto slowly install every program until you find the problem -- especially since thisdidn't work for me because my problem has been intermittent.

This issue is caused by certain registry keys that are either:

a) Larger than 8kb

b) Set with incorrect permissions

c) Corrupt in some way

For me, the problem was intermittent (same registry key would sometimes cause theissue and sometimes not - must be corrupt sometimes) so it was impossible to tellwhat program was doing it. Luckily, there is a log you can look at that will tell youexactly what registry key is erroring out. Here are the steps for getting the log youneed to see:

When you see the error message, do the following:

1.) Push Shift+F10 to get to a command prompt

2.) Navigate to C:\windows\Panther

3.) Find the Setup.etl file and find a way to copy this file off of the system (I copied itto the D:\ partition and used Ghost to gather that partition and get the file off)

4.) Copy the setup.etl file from the corrupted system to another computer that hasWindows 7. Put it on the root of C:\ for easiest access.

Sunday, October 10, 2010 9:49 PMbalkanman

Monday, October 11, 2010 6:11 AMmichaelkkp

10-11-17 8:53 AMWindows could not finish configuring the system...restart

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5.) Open a Command Prompt on the Windows 7 computer.

6.) Navigate to the root of C:\ (or wherever you saved the file)

7.) Type "tracerpt setup.etl -o logfile.csv"

8.) Close the command prompt and open up logfile.csv in your text editor of choice.

9.) Look through the log file (towards the end probably) for messages that say"Failed to process reg key or one of it's decendants" For me, the exact eror lookedlike this: "Failed to process reg key or one of its descendants:[\REGISTRY\MACHINE\SOFTWARE\ESET\ESETSecurity\CurrentVersion\Plugins\01000200\Profiles\@My profile]" If you search for"reg key" or "failed to process" you should find the failure.

10.) Remove this software from your image, or find out how to get the registry keythat is failing to work properly.

After this, you should be able to properly identify any problem keys andremove/workaround them on your image.

Guys, i am getting similar issue from my end. I have did numerous of imaging with Win7 for mycustomer but once a while will get a hit with the same issue. This round, i have followedinstruction posted by Jeff Harison and found out below stuff but i have no clue on what its tryingto tell. Mind to enlighten me?

<Event xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/win/2004/08/events/event">

<System>

<Provider Name="Microsoft-Windows-CmiSetup" Guid="{75ebc33e-0cc6-49da-8cd9-8903a5222aa0}" />

<EventID>1002</EventID>

<Version>0</Version>

<Level>4</Level>

<Task>1000</Task>

<Opcode>2</Opcode>

<Keywords>0x8000000000000001</Keywords>

<TimeCreated SystemTime="2010-09-17T13:24:34.947880100Z" />

<Correlation ActivityID="{00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000}" />

<Execution ProcessID="720" ThreadID="724" ProcessorID="0" KernelTime="1350"UserTime="1110" />

<Channel>Microsoft-Windows-CmiSetup/Analytic</Channel>

<Computer />

</System>

<EventData>

<Data Name="ErrorCode"> 1</Data>

</EventData>

<RenderingInfo Culture="en-GB">

<Level>Information </Level>

<Opcode>Stop </Opcode>

<Keywords>

<Keyword>Performance </Keyword>

</Keywords>

<Task>CMI Configuration </Task>

<Message>CMI Configuration completed with status 1. </Message>

<Channel>Microsoft-Windows-CmiSetup/Analytic</Channel>

<Provider>Microsoft-Windows-CmiSetup </Provider>

</RenderingInfo>

</Event>

Regards,

Michael

10-11-17 8:53 AMWindows could not finish configuring the system...restart

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I now have the ACTUAL SOLUTION to this problem. This solution will actually tellyou exactly what registry key is causing your sysprep to fail, so then you don't haveto slowly install every program until you find the problem -- especially since thisdidn't work for me because my problem has been intermittent.

This issue is caused by certain registry keys that are either:

a) Larger than 8kb

b) Set with incorrect permissions

c) Corrupt in some way

For me, the problem was intermittent (same registry key would sometimes cause theissue and sometimes not - must be corrupt sometimes) so it was impossible to tellwhat program was doing it. Luckily, there is a log you can look at that will tell youexactly what registry key is erroring out. Here are the steps for getting the log youneed to see:

When you see the error message, do the following:

1.) Push Shift+F10 to get to a command prompt

2.) Navigate to C:\windows\Panther

3.) Find the Setup.etl file and find a way to copy this file off of the system (I copied itto the D:\ partition and used Ghost to gather that partition and get the file off)

4.) Copy the setup.etl file from the corrupted system to another computer that hasWindows 7. Put it on the root of C:\ for easiest access.

5.) Open a Command Prompt on the Windows 7 computer.

6.) Navigate to the root of C:\ (or wherever you saved the file)

7.) Type "tracerpt setup.etl -o logfile.csv"

8.) Close the command prompt and open up logfile.csv in your text editor of choice.

9.) Look through the log file (towards the end probably) for messages that say"Failed to process reg key or one of it's decendants" For me, the exact eror lookedlike this: "Failed to process reg key or one of its descendants:[\REGISTRY\MACHINE\SOFTWARE\ESET\ESETSecurity\CurrentVersion\Plugins\01000200\Profiles\@My profile]" If you search for"reg key" or "failed to process" you should find the failure.

10.) Remove this software from your image, or find out how to get the registry keythat is failing to work properly.

After this, you should be able to properly identify any problem keys andremove/workaround them on your image.

The above process worked for me.

1)Booted winx64 from HD with a flash drive connected

2)After the error followed the process above and copied the file to the flash drive.

3)Found SPTD to be the offending registry key

4)Went to the bad PC again and ran regedit and tried to delete the SPTD entry

5)Could not delete the whole entry so I deleted the path

6)Restarted the pc and now it works!!!

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I have spent the last week fighting this same error trying to sysprep Windows 7 Enterprise andghosting with Ghost Suite 2.5 (Ghost 11.5) and came accross this site about the same time. Afterreading every post on this thread, I too went through and installed every program we use one byone (30 on the base image). I was beginning to get so stressed out since our IT Director wanted

Monday, October 25, 2010 9:04 PMOmar Almonte

Tuesday, October 26, 2010 8:45 PMmtarggart

10-11-17 8:53 AMWindows could not finish configuring the system...restart

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this image to be rolled out in the next two months to co-incide with the new wings opening atthe two high schools in our corporation. I certainly did not have the time that some of the peopleher spent trying to figure this problem out, not that they did either.

What I eventually found was that none of the applications were causing this error. I can'tnecessarilly point towards Ghost causing this error either although it mostly appeared after theWinPE ran. I even tried different answer files, but thatwas inconsistant as well. I do think it mayhave been in the way I was setting up the Ghost Cast Server session. With XP, I was used toselecting Disk 1 since I only to worry about one partition to deal with. I've noticed that if I don'tdesignate any disk (since there is only one drive in the system anyway), I haven't gotten the errorsince. May just be wishful thinking.

I doubt that this will help anyone, but thought I'd add a little something as well. I am relieved thtit is working

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Perry.M, even though the hotfix appears not to address this particular problem, it isindeed possible to download the hotfix, should you be so inclined. Click the "Viewand request hotfix downloads " link right near the top of the page. You'll have toprovide an email address, as Microsoft prefers not to make its hotfixes readilyaccessible. I recommend you use http://10minutemail.com and provide Microsoftwith a throw-away email address. You will receieve an email from Microsoftimmediately, which contains a link to the hotfix downloads for the platforms youselect, as well as the passwords to decrypt the self-extracting EXE files. When youcopy-paste the passwords from the email, be sure that you do not inadvertentlyhighlight a newline at the end of the password, as pasting the password into thefield will fail if you copy the invisible newline character. You may wish to highlightonly the first few characters of the password and then use Shift-Right-Arrow toselect the remaining characters; this will ensure that the newline is not copied.

This hotfix solved the problem for me. Thanks for posting it.

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hi

i had this problem when i want to take an image by acronis after i use sysprep and restart thesystem.i installed the software one by one to recognize which one made this problem and finallyi recognized that windows live essential(messenger,livemail,etc...) make this problem,when itake an image after installing a clean windows 7 and all of updates for that,the sysprep commandwork correctly,but when i install windows live (2011-2010) the problem appear aftersysprep.you can not solve this problem by uninstalling windows live,you need to install a cleancopy of windows but DO NOT INSTALL ANY WINDOWS LIVE PROGRAMS.

regards

Proposed As Answer by Ebrahim Partovi Monday, November 15, 2010 10:05 AM

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Perry.M, even though the hotfix appears not to address this particularproblem, it is indeed possible to download the hotfix, should you be soinclined. Click the "View and request hotfix downloads " link right nearthe top of the page. You'll have to provide an email address, as

Wednesday, November 10, 2010 6:41 PMkimbob4

Monday, November 15, 2010 9:53 AMEbrahim Partovi

Monday, November 15, 2010 1:46 PMEbrahim Partovi

10-11-17 8:53 AMWindows could not finish configuring the system...restart

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Microsoft prefers not to make its hotfixes readily accessible. Irecommend you use http://10minutemail.com and provide Microsoftwith a throw-away email address. You will receieve an email fromMicrosoft immediately, which contains a link to the hotfix downloads forthe platforms you select, as well as the passwords to decrypt the self-extracting EXE files. When you copy-paste the passwords from theemail, be sure that you do not inadvertently highlight a newline at theend of the password, as pasting the password into the field will fail ifyou copy the invisible newline character. You may wish to highlight onlythe first few characters of the password and then use Shift-Right-Arrowto select the remaining characters; this will ensure that the newline isnot copied.

This hotfix solved the problem for me. Thanks for posting it.

this hotfix solve my problem.after installing windows live component,i install this hotfix andthen use sysprep command and that's ok

Proposed As Answer by Ebrahim Partovi Monday, November 15, 2010 1:47 PM

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Our sysprep worked months ago and quit working we have been using

http://blog.brianleejackson.com/sysprep-a-windows-7-machine-%E2%80%93-start-to-finish-v2

and did not have any problems till now.

We run win7 enterprise (32bit and 64bit) (currently working with 32bit for this writing) withSymantec Enpoint Protection on Dell optiplex PC's (520,620,745,755,780,960,980, etc..) UsingSymantec Ghost to deploy...

Tried from scratch, clean load, everything would fail after syspreping (Installed all updates andsome basic programs)

"Windows could not finish configuring the system. To attempt to resume configuration, restartthe computer."

Hotfix http://support.microsoft.com/kb/981542/en-us resolved the issue, had to find the 32bitversion at alternate site since MS doesn't post 32bit version there... http://thehotfixshare.net/board/index.php?showtopic=14375 - Used for testing only... (Waitingfor MS to respond to get patch from them)

Must be a update/patch causing this problem... I did install Windows live when it was failing....Have windows live now and it works with patch. No issues with wmpnetwk.exe or antivirus. NoDaemon tools installed.

Prompts for computer name during sysprep, joins domain, fully patched, ready to roll... Just needto work on deploying drivers depending on the model

BACK IN BUSINESS FINALLY!

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Thanks Jeff!!! Your solution worked for me. To get the setup.etl file off the workstation Iburned it to a CD as I the USB drive was not recognized.

I found the logfile.csv pointed to registry key:

\REGISTRY\USER\.DEFAULT\Software\Microsoft\IdentityCRL

I ran regedit from the command prompt and browsed to:

\HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Software\Microsoft\

Then I deleted the IdentityCRL key. Windows Live Essentials 2011 was installed whichuses this registry key.

After deleting the key and restarting the Windows 7 x64 workstation all is well.

To finish up the process I uninstalled Windows Live Essentials 2011 (Not needed anyway),installed the KB981542 hotfix, ran sysprep (using oobe and generalize option) and created anew ghost image.

Monday, November 15, 2010 9:02 PMBP Tech

7 hours 37 minutes ago

billslade

10-11-17 8:53 AMWindows could not finish configuring the system...restart

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Everything is working great now. I appreciate everyone's help in this forum.

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