sysprep Windows 2008 not enabling service

Question

I have following unattend.xml file for Windows Server 2008 R2 Enterprise.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<unattend xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:unattend" xmlns:ms="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:asm.v3" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State">
    <settings pass="windowsPE">
        <component name="Microsoft-Windows-PnpCustomizationsWinPE"
        publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral"
        versionScope="nonSxS" processorArchitecture="amd64">
            <DriverPaths>
                <PathAndCredentials
                    wcm:action="add"
                    wcm:keyValue="1">
                    <Path>C:\Windows\Temp\virtio</Path>
                </PathAndCredentials>
            </DriverPaths>
        </component>
    <component name="Microsoft-Windows-International-Core-WinPE" processorArchitecture="amd64" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
        <SetupUILanguage>
            <UILanguage>en-US</UILanguage>
        </SetupUILanguage>
            <SystemLocale>en-US</SystemLocale>
            <UILanguage>en-US</UILanguage>
            <UserLocale>en-US</UserLocale>
            <UILanguageFallback>en-US</UILanguageFallback>
    <UserLocale>en-US</UserLocale>
    </component>

        <component name="Microsoft-Windows-Setup"
            publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35"
            language="neutral"
            versionScope="nonSxS"
            processorArchitecture="amd64">

            <DiskConfiguration>
                <WillShowUI>OnError</WillShowUI>
                <Disk wcm:action="add">
                    <DiskID>0</DiskID>
                    <WillWipeDisk>true</WillWipeDisk>

                    <CreatePartitions>
                        <CreatePartition wcm:action="add">
                            <Order>1</Order>
                            <Extend>true</Extend>
                            <Type>Primary</Type>
                        </CreatePartition>
                    </CreatePartitions>

                    <ModifyPartitions>
                        <ModifyPartition wcm:action="add">
                            <Format>NTFS</Format>
                            <Order>1</Order>
                            <PartitionID>1</PartitionID>
                            <Label>System</Label>
                        </ModifyPartition>
                    </ModifyPartitions>
                </Disk>
            </DiskConfiguration>

            <ImageInstall>
                <OSImage>
                    <WillShowUI>Never</WillShowUI>            
                    <InstallFrom>
                        <MetaData>
                            <Key>/IMAGE/Name</Key>
                            <Value>Windows Server 2008 R2 ENTERPRISE</Value>
                        </MetaData>
                    </InstallFrom>
                    <InstallTo>
                        <DiskID>0</DiskID>
                        <PartitionID>1</PartitionID>
                    </InstallTo>
                </OSImage>
            </ImageInstall>
            <UserData>
                <AcceptEula>true</AcceptEula>
            </UserData>
        </component>
    </settings>
    <settings pass="specialize">
        <component name="Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup" processorArchitecture="amd64" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
            <ShowWindowsLive>false</ShowWindowsLive>
            <TimeZone>India Standard Time</TimeZone>
        </component>
        <component name="Microsoft-Windows-TerminalServices-LocalSessionManager" processorArchitecture="amd64" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
            <fDenyTSConnections>false</fDenyTSConnections>
        </component>
        <component name="Microsoft-Windows-TerminalServices-RDP-WinStationExtensions" processorArchitecture="amd64" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
            <UserAuthentication>0</UserAuthentication>
        </component>
        <component name="Networking-MPSSVC-Svc" processorArchitecture="amd64" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
        <FirewallGroups>
            <FirewallGroup wcm:action="add" wcm:keyValue="RemoteDesktop">
                <Active>true</Active>
                <Profile>all</Profile>
                <Group>@FirewallAPI.dll,-28752</Group>
            </FirewallGroup>
        </FirewallGroups>
        </component>
    </settings>

    <settings pass="oobeSystem">

        <component name="Microsoft-Windows-Deployment" processorArchitecture="amd64" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
            <RunSynchronous>
    <!--- Firewall to add IMCP -->
                <RunSynchronousCommand wcm:action="add">
                    <Order>1</Order>
                    <Path>netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name=ICMP protocol=icmpv4 dir=in action=allow</Path>
                    <Description>Add ICMP rule to enable ping on VM</Description>
                </RunSynchronousCommand>
    <!--- Command to enable cloudbase-init -->
                <RunSynchronousCommand wcm:action="add">
                    <Order>2</Order>
                    <Path>sc config cloudbase-init start= auto</Path>
                    <Description>Re-enable auto start of cloudbase-init</Description>
                    <WillReboot>Never</WillReboot>
                </RunSynchronousCommand>

            </RunSynchronous>
        </component>
        <component name="Microsoft-Windows-International-Core" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" processorArchitecture="amd64" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State">
            <InputLocale>en-US</InputLocale>
            <SystemLocale>en-US</SystemLocale>
            <UILanguage>en-US</UILanguage>
            <UserLocale>en-US</UserLocale>
            <UILanguageFallback>en-US</UILanguageFallback>
        </component>
        <component name="Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup" processorArchitecture="amd64" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
            <OOBE>
                <HideEULAPage>true</HideEULAPage>
            </OOBE>
            <TimeZone>Coordinated Universal Time</TimeZone>
            <UserAccounts>
                <AdministratorPassword>
                    <Value>randompass</Value>
                    <PlainText>true</PlainText>
                </AdministratorPassword>
            </UserAccounts>
<!-- Auto logon is commented out -->
<!--            <AutoLogon>
                <Password>
                    <Value>randompass</Value>
                    <PlainText>true</PlainText>
                </Password>
                <Enabled>true</Enabled>
                <LogonCount>50</LogonCount>
                <Username>Administrator</Username>
            </AutoLogon>
-->
        </component>
    </settings>
</unattend>

The problem I am facing that it has a cloud-init-base service. If this service is auto start, then it interferes with sysprep process when machine restarts or booted into different machine. So, to complete sysprep, I have disabled this service in the original image.

Now, the problem is that once sysprep is complete and machine is up, cloud-init-base service is still disabled.

The same file works on Windows Server 2012 R2. However, same XML construct is not working on Windows Server 2008 R2. What is the way to run the command in oobe stage or enable the service once sysprep is complete?

Answer 1

You need to add an automated step after the machine reboots to enable the service. Another step in your task sequence in SCCM, or a 'run once' registry call running a script to finalize the build. Either way, a couple of powershell commands (Set-Service and Start-Service) in either the task sequence (if you're using SCCM) or in a script called by 'run once' should do the trick.