A
tool used in deployments of NT-based
operating systems to produce a unique image for duplication. Comparable to the
Win9x "
Preptool", Sysprep plows through the OS
resetting SIDS, modifying
ACL's (on
NTFS partitions) and informing installed
components (such as
IIS) that they are about to be
duplicated. Each update of the
OS ships with a matched Sysprep release; thus the edition of Sysprep that shipped with
NT 4.0 is
incompatible with
Windows 2000 and
Windows XP, and vice-versa.
Sysprep is a part of the Windows OPK companion CD released by Microsoft with each cycle of the Windows Operating System.