Sysprep in Windows 2008
One of the most often used tool of sysadmins who need to deploy large numbers of similar hardware is the sysprep tool. This Microsoft tool anonymises key system components so that cloned machines end up unique rather than duplicates of each other which can cause a wide range issues when they are networked together. There are many different versions of sysprep available for the various versions of windows and the different flavours of service pack which can make it a nightmare to find the correct version. Thankfully microsoft in their wisdom have made the process simpler since the release of Vista, by incorporating sysprep into the OS installation as standard. Assuming you've deployed windows to the default directory you'll find the tools in c:\windows\system32\sysprep\sysprep.exe The options are also much simplified, with the option of "Enter System Out-of-Box Experience (OOBE)" in combination with the "Generalise" tickbox giving the required options for cloning the system.
