User Rights Required to Run the Sysprep.exe Program

When you attempt to run Sysprep.exe version 1.0 or 1.1, you may receive the following message even though you are logged on as Administrator.

You receive this error message if you remove the user rights that are essential for running Sysprep.exe. The following rights are needed to run this program:

• Back up files and directories
• Modify firmware environment values
• Restore files and directories
• Shutdown the system

To avoid this behavior, use the Local Security Settings tool to modify the user rights assignments.

Note: If the policy that removed the necessary rights from the Administrators group is set at the Domain, Site, or Organizational Unit level, you need to modify the Group Policy of the domain.

1. Click Start, click Run, type secpol.msc, and then click OK.
2. In the Local Security Settings window, expand Local Policies, and then double-click User Rights Assignment.
3. Look through the list of user rights and verify that the Administrators group has the rights that are needed to run Sysprep.exe.
4. If you need to add a right, double-click the right, and then click Add.
5. In Select Users or Groups, click Administrator, and then click Add.
6. Click OK twice to add Administrator to the list of users who have that right.