Skip to main content This browser is no longer supported. Show
Upgrade to Microsoft Edge to take advantage of the latest features, security updates, and technical support. The Microsoft policy for disk duplication of Windows installations
In this articleThis article describes the SID and supported methods for cloning or duplicating a Windows installation. Applies to: Windows 10, version 2004, Windows 10, version 1909, Windows 10, version 1903, Windows 10, version 1809, Windows 7 Service Pack 1, Windows Server 2019, Windows Server 2016, Windows Server 2012 R2 SummaryWhen
you deploy a duplicated or imaged Windows installation, it is required that the System Preparation (Sysprep) tool is used before the capture of the image. Sysprep prepares an installation of Microsoft Windows for duplication, auditing, and customer delivery. For Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003, Sysprep is included with the latest service pack Deploy.cab. For later versions of Windows, Sysprep is included with the operating system, and Sysprep is located in the folder:
More informationSysprep is responsible for removing system-specific data from Windows, such as the Computer SID. During installation of Windows, a computer SID is computed to contain a statistically unique 96-bit number. The computer SID is the prefix of the user account and group account SIDs that are created on the computer. The computer SID is concatenated together with the Relative ID (RID) of the account to create the account's unique identifier. The following example displays the SIDs for four local user accounts. Only the last four digits are incremented as new accounts are added. HKEY_USERS on local machine S-1-5-21-191058668-193157475-1542849698-500 Administrator S-1-5-21-191058668-193157475-1542849698-1000 User 1a S-1-5-21-191058668-193157475-1542849698-1001 User 2 S-1-5-21-191058668-193157475-1542849698-1002 User 3 Cloning or duplicating an installation without taking the recommended steps could lead to duplicate SIDs. For removable media, a duplicate SID might give an account access to files even though NTFS permissions for the account specifically deny access to those files. Because the SID identifies both the computer or domain and the user, unique SIDs are necessary to maintain support for current and future programs. For more information about issues that might occur if you clone an installation of Windows 8 or of Windows Server 2012, go to the Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012 specific information section. In addition to the computer SID, many other components and features must be cleaned up, generalized, or specialized in order to be imaged. Some examples include the following:
Note This is not a comprehensive list. We support the following operating systems that are prepared by using the Sysprep utility and then imaged:
We do not provide support for computers that are set up by using SID-duplicating tools other than the System Preparation tool. For example, this includes the following:
Microsoft provides third-party contact information to help you find technical support. This contact information may change without notice. Microsoft does not guarantee the accuracy of this third-party contact information. Note If an image was created without using Sysprep, we do not support the running of Sysprep after the image is deployed as a way to bring the computer back into compliance. Sysprep must be run before the capture of the image. Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012 specific informationIf you clone a Windows 8 or Windows Server 2012 image or virtual machine without running
ReferencesFor more information about the Windows System Preparation Tool, visit the following Microsoft websites:
The third-party products that this article discusses are manufactured by companies that are independent of Microsoft. Microsoft makes no warranty, implied or otherwise, about the performance or reliability of these products. Which utility software is used to make duplicate copy of all the information stored in computer?Backup software makes copies of all information stored on a disk and restores either the entire disk (aka Disk cloning) in an event of disk failure or selected files that are accidentally deleted or corrupted. Undeletion utilities are sometimes more convenient.
What is the use of duplicate in computer?Duplicate these displays – will show the same thing on both monitors. Extend These Displays – will make all monitors act as one big monitor; displaying different things on each.
What are utilities in computer?In computers, a utility is a small program that provides an addition to the capabilities provided by the operating system. In some usages, a utility is a special and nonessential part of the operating system. The print "utility" that comes with the operating system is an example.
Which one of the following utilities is used to store duplicate or multiple copies of important files?Backup utility
Was this answer helpful?
|