UPDATE Sept. 1 2016: Some of the content in this post is superseded by changes with Microsoft's new Anniversary update release 1607. Refer to the following article for more information. >> ImageAssist & Windows Anniversary Update. Things you should know.
Starting with Windows 10 and Microsoft's new Windows as a service release model, organizations will need to rethink how they upgrade and deploy Windows.
Note: This article focuses primarily on Windows 10, however it is good to keep in mind that Microsoft does not support running Sysprep on any version of Windows that has been upgraded.
With the shift to this new Windows as a service model, it is important to understand the distinction between two key terms:
- Upgrade: A new Window 10 release that contains additional features and capabilities, released two to three times per year.
- Update: Packages and security fixes, reliability fixes, and other bug fixes that are released periodically, typically once a month on Update Tuesday (sometimes referred to as Patch Tuesday). With Windows 10, these are cumulative in nature.
For a comprehensive understanding of Windows 10 servicing options, refer to the following article: https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/mt574263(v=vs.85).aspx
What's the problem?
Users aren't familiar with Windows update performing a Windows upgrade. With Windows 10, running Windows update can upgrade Windows 10 to the next release, in-turn rendering Sysprep nonfunctional.
If an upgrade is performed, ImageAssist will not install and will inform that upgraded version of Windows is in use because Sysprep is not supported for upgraded versions of Windows. In order to create a Windows 10 image which includes the latest feature release, it must be rebuilt using the latest Windows 10 installation media.
If you are a VLA Windows 10 customer, you can use your Microsoft service to download the latest bits. If you're a Dell OEM customer, you will need to obtain the latest W10 OEM media from Dell at the following link. http://www.dell.com/support/home/us/en/04/Drivers/OSISO or contact Dell Technical Support http://www.dell.com/support/incidents-online/us/en/19/contactus
For more information on Windows 10 and ImageAssist, refer to the following article.