The Sysprep utility is used to prepare a reference Windows image and its depersonalization, remove all unique identifiers (SID, GUID) from the system, which is necessary for its correct deployment on the corporate network (see our Sysprep Windows 10 Guide). In some cases, when you run the sysprep /generalize /oobe /shutdown command while creating a reference Windows 10 image, Sysprep.exe can return the following Sysprep Was Not Able to Validate Your Windows Installation error:
System Preparation Tool 3.14
Sysprep was not able to validate your Windows installation. Review the log file at %windir%\system32\Sysprep\panther\setupact.log for details. After resolving the issue use Sysprep to validate your installation again.
How to Fix Sysprep Was Not Able to Validate Your Windows Installation Error?
In order to fix the error Sysprep was not able to validate your Windows installation go to the C:\Windows\System32\Sysprep\Panther directory and open the sysprep utility log file (setupact.log) using any text editor (for example, Notepad).
Start viewing the contents of the setupact.log file from the bottom to the top and look for the errors. Depending on the error found, you will need to perform certain actions to fix it. Below we will consider the possible Sysprep errors.
Turn BitLocker off to Run Sysprep
Error SYSPRP BitLocker-Sysprep: BitLocker is on for the OS volume. Turn BitLocker off to run Sysprep. (0x80310039)
Error [0x0f0082] SYSPRP ActionPlatform::LaunchModule: Failure occurred while executing ‘ValidateBitLockerState’ from C:\Windows\System32\BdeSysprep.dll
Open the command prompt as administrator and run the command:
manage-bde -status
It should return the following info:
Disk volumes that can be protected with
BitLocker Drive Encryption:
Volume C: [OSDisk]
Conversion Status: Encryption in Progress
This error mostly occurs on tablets and laptops with Windows 10 that support InstantGo encryption (based on BitLocker.) To fix this error, you must disable encryption for the system volume using the following PowerShell command:
Disable-Bitlocker –MountPoint ‘C:’
SYSPRP Failed to Remove Apps for the Current User
Check if there are such errors in the setupact.log:
Error SYSPRP Package SomeAppName_1.2.3.500_x64__8we4y23f8b4ws was installed for a user, but not provisioned for all users. This package will not function properly in the sysprep image.
Error SYSPRP Failed to remove apps for the current user: 0x80073cf2.
This means that you manually installed Modern/Universal Apps from the Windows Store, or incorrectly uninstalled a certain app.
Try to remove this app package using the PowerShell commands:
Get-AppxPackage –Name *SomeAppName* | Remove-AppxPackage Remove-AppxProvisionedPackage -Online -PackageName SomeAppName_1.2.3.500_x64__8we4y23f8b4ws
In addition, to ensure that the Microsoft Store doesn’t update the apps from Microsoft Store, you must disable Internet access on your reference Windows 10 computer and disable automatic updates in the audit mode before creating the image. Also delete all local user profiles, only the local administrator profile should remain.
Sysprep Will not Run on Upgraded OS
If you’ve upgraded the operating system in your image to Windows 10 from the previous version (Windows 8.1 or Windows 7 SP1), when you try to run Sysprep in the setupact.log the error should appear:
Error [0x0f0036] SYSPRP spopk.dll:: Sysprep will not run on an upgraded OS. You can only run Sysprep on a custom (clean) install version of Windows.
Microsoft doesn’t recommend to run a Sysprep on Windows image that has been upgraded from a previous version of Windows. It is recommended to use an image with clean installation of Windows 10. However, there is a way to bypass this requirement:
- Open the Registry Editor (regedit.exe) and go to the following registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\Setup;
- Find the parameter named Upgrade and delete it;
- Then go to the key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\Setup\Status\SysprepStatus and change the parameter of the CleanupState key to 7.
This will cause Sysprep to assume that this copy of Windows is installed in a clean install mode. Restart the computer and run Sysprep again.