Wondering how to run Sysprep to create and install custom reusable Windows AMI? We can help you.

As a part of our AWS Support Services, we often receive similar requests from our AWS customers.

Today, let’s see the steps followed by our Support Techs to help our customers.

Sysprep to create and install custom reusable Windows AMI

You can use Sysprep, a Microsoft tool, to capture custom Windows images.

Sysprep removes unique information from an Amazon EC2 Windows instance, including the instance security identifiers (SID), computer name, and drivers.

Please note the below points below you run Sysrep.

• Firstly, don’t use Sysprep to create a backup for your instance.
• Secondly, don’t run Sysprep on a production system.
• Sysprep isn’t supported on Windows Server 2016 Nano Server.
• For Windows Server 2008 through Windows Server 2012 R2, run Sysprep with EC2Config.
• For Windows Server 2016 or later, run Sysprep with EC2Launch.

Today, let us see the steps followed by our Support techs:

1.Firstly, open the Amazon EC2 console, and then connect to your Windows EC2 instance using Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP).
2.Then, from the Windows Start menu:
For Windows Server 2008 through Windows Server 2012 R2, open EC2ConfigService Settings, and then choose the Image tab.
For Windows Server 2016 or later, open EC2 Launch Settings.
Then for Administrator Password, choose Random.
3.Choose Shutdown with Sysprep.
4.Next, choose Yes.
Please note you must retrieve the new password from the EC2 console on the next boot.
5.Open the Amazon EC2 console and choose Instances from the navigation pane.
6.After the instance state changes to stopped, select your instance.
For Actions, choose Image, Create image.
For Image name, enter a name.
7.(Optional) For Image description, enter a description.
8.Finally, choose Create image.

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Conclusion

In short, today we discussed the steps followed by our Support Engineers  to run Sysprep to create and install custom reusable Windows AMI.