The computer restarts unexpectedly when you leave the Shutdown option selected in Sysprep in the Norwegian, French, or Italian version of Windows Vista

Consider the following scenario:

• To prepare a computer for imaging and deployment to multiple computers, you use the Sysprep tool (Sysprep.exe) from one of the following language versions of Windows Vista:
  • Norwegian
  • Italian
  • French
• When you run Sysprep, you leave the default Shutdown option selected in the Shutdown Options list. Then, you click OK to prepare the image.

In this scenario, the computer does not shut down as expected after Sysprep.exe finishes preparing the Windows Vista image. Instead, the computer restarts unexpectedly in audit mode.

You experience this problem even though the Enter System Out-of-Box Experience (OOBE) option is selected in the System Cleanup Action list.

Note You do not experience this problem if you use the English version of Sysprep.

This problem occurs because of a problem in the graphical user interface (GUI) of the versions of Sysprep that are mentioned in the "Symptoms" section. In these versions of Sysprep, although Shutdown appears in the Shutdown Options list by default, the Shutdown option is not actually selected. Therefore, the computer does not shut down when you prepare the image.

To work around this problem, use one of the following methods:

• Run Sysprep.exe from the command line. To do this, click the Close button in the upper-right corner of the System Preparation Tool dialog box to exit Sysprep. Then, run the sysprep –audit -shutdown command or run the sysprep –oobe –shutdown command.
• Click any other item in the Shutdown Options list in the System Preparation Tool dialog box, and then click Shutdown in the Shutdown Options list again. This action forces the Shutdown command to be selected.
• Select Quit in the Shutdown Options list in the System Preparation Tool dialog box, and then click OK to prepare the image. Then, manually shut down the computer.

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed in the "Applies to" section.