SysPrep was unable to validate your Windows Installation: After resolving the issue, use Sysprep to validate your issue again

Sysprep (System Preparation) prepares a Windows installation (Windows client and Windows Server) for imaging, allowing you to capture a customized installation. Sysprep removes PC-specific information from a Windows installation, “generalizing” the installation so it can be installed on different PCs. Kindly refer to the following related guides: Initialize and format a virtual disk: How to add and remove a new virtual disk from a VM on VMware Workstation, CT restoration: How to clone a Proxmox Container,.  You may also want to see these guide: Sysprep (Generalize) a Windows installation: How to perform Sysprep in Windows, and how to clone a Windows Server running on VirtualBox.

With Windows System Preparation Tool (Sysprep) tool, you can create a customized Windows 10 reference image. See how this can be achived via WDS "How to create a Windows Server reference image using WDS". You can install all apps, drivers, and updates in the image. After that, you can deploy Windows image to users’ computers within your organisation.

The following error below can be attibuted to so many fctors. I will recommend you take a look at the setupact.log file in the following location suggested below.

Also if you take a look at some logs in the setuperr.log file, you will see some apps that culd not be removed.

SYSPRP Package Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge.Stable_86.0.622.38_neutral__8wekyb3d8bbwe was installed for a user, but not provisioned for all users. This package will not function properly in the sysprep image.
2021-07-09 04:30:37, Error                 SYSPRP Failed to remove apps for the current user: 0x80073cf2.
2021-07-09 04:30:37, Error                 SYSPRP Exit code of RemoveAllApps thread was 0x3cf2.
2021-07-09 04:30:37, Error                 SYSPRP ActionPlatform::LaunchModule: Failure occurred while executing 'SysprepGeneralizeValidate' from C:\Windows\System32\AppxSysprep.dll; dwRet = 0x3cf2
2021-07-09 04:30:37, Error                 SYSPRP SysprepSession::Validate: Error in validating actions from C:\Windows\System32\Sysprep\ActionFiles\Generalize.xml; dwRet = 0x3cf2
2021-07-09 04:30:37, Error                 SYSPRP RunPlatformActions:Failed while validating Sysprep session actions; dwRet = 0x3cf2
2021-07-09 04:30:37, Error      [0x0f0070] SYSPRP RunDlls:An error occurred while running registry sysprep DLLs, halting sysprep execution. dwRet = 0x3cf2
2021-07-09 04:30:37, Error      [0x0f00d8] SYSPRP WinMain:Hit failure while pre-validate sysprep generalize internal providers; hr = 0x80073cf2

Solution: You may need administrative rights (permission) to do this. Run Sysprep as an Administrator as shown below. If this does not work, please try other suggestions on the internet 🙂 If you wish to remove an already provisioned app, please use the idea described here: Remove Windows 10 Apps with DISM: How to remove pre-provisioned apps from Windows Image.

As you can see, the Sysprep program is currently running. In the System Preparation Tool window, select the options:
– System Cleanup Action: Enter System Out-of-Box Experience (OOBE);
– Shutdown Options: Reboot;
– Press the OK button.

For the complete steps on how to complete this task, please fere to this guide: “How to Clone and Sysprep (generalize ) a Windows Server running on VMware Workstation”. As you can see below, the task succeeded successfully with the needed (required) privileges to Sysprep the machine.

2021-07-09 04:03:37, Info                  SYSPRP ========================================================
2021-07-09 04:03:37, Info                  SYSPRP ===          Beginning of a new sysprep run          ===
2021-07-09 04:03:37, Info                  SYSPRP ========================================================
2021-07-09 04:03:37, Info       [0x0f004d] SYSPRP The time is now 2021-07-09 04:03:37
2021-07-09 04:03:37, Info       [0x0f004e] SYSPRP Initialized SysPrep log at C:\Windows\system32\Sysprep\Panther
2021-07-09 04:03:37, Info       [0x0f0054] SYSPRP ValidatePrivileges:User has required privileges to sysprep machine
2021-07-09 04:03:37, Info       [0x0f007e] SYSPRP FCreateTagFile:Tag file C:\Windows\system32\Sysprep\Sysprep_succeeded.tag does not already exist, no need to delete anything

I hope you found this blog post helpful. If you have any questions, please let me know in the comment session.