Old user still there in OOBE after sysprep and deleting it

Question

I want to sysprep a computer before giving it as a gift. I want this since I want it to keep all the drivers already installed and everything. However, if I sysprep it using Administrator account and delete the "User" account, when I boot to OOBE (Out of the Box Experience), it doesn't ask me to create a new user and it's still showing me the "User" I had previously. If I go through the process, I get to the login screen and I cannot login using "User" since the account has been deleted (I was kind of locked the since there was no account at this point but I manage to fix this). Also, at the first screen of OOBE, if I do Shift-F10 and input net user in the command prompt, I do not see "User" so the user has really been deleted. Do you have any idea what's happening? How can I get the computer to sysprep and asking me for a new username at OOBE? I'm on latest version of Windows 10 on this computer.

Answer 1

I'm posting this, as this was the starting point for the same problem and I found the answer.

When you start a new Windows Installation you can press CTRL + SHIFT + F3 and skip the installation wizard to be logged in as a local administrator.

Then setup what you want (drivers in OPs and mine case).

In this mode the Sysprep utility is actually already started on boot so you just have to use it when finished.

Answer 2

Apologies for being many years late, but as this question was never fully answered, and I just rebuilt several machines for sale and donation, I took the opportunity to run some tests to try to recreate the issue described.

For the sake of clarity, I will use the username TestUser in the answer below.

In regards to the question "Do you have any idea what's happening?", my best guess is that the OP deleted the TestUser account at the command line, while logged in as that user, with the command net user TestUser /delete and then logged out. The result will be as described. That is, you will be stuck at a login screen showing the now-deleted TestUser with a prompt for a password (even if the account never had a password). Rebooting will not change that.

To recover from this situation:

• Hold Shift when selecting Restart from the lower right corner in order to get to Recovery.
• From the boot options, select the option that will get you to a Cmd prompt.
• Add back the deleted User with the command net user TestUser /add
• Add the user to the administrators group with net localgroup administrators TestUser /add.
• Restart and login as that user. Then see the steps for Local Account Method below.

In regards to the question "How can I get the computer to sysprep and asking me for a new username at OOBE?", the best method, as @DanielBachmann answered, is to use Ctrl-Shift-F3:

Ctrl-Shift-F3 Method (Recommended)

• Do the Windows install and then press Ctrl-Shift-F3 at the first OOBE screen. This will automatically log you in as Administrator in what Microsoft refers to as "audit mode".
• Install Windows updates and drivers and restart as many times as you like. Windows will continue to automatically login as Administrator until you run Sysprep. In fact, as previously mentioned, Sysprep will automatically start up and wait for you to click OK. It's OK to close that Sysprep window while you're doing all the updates, but it's not necessary. It's also easy enough to start manually (Win-R Sysprep will find Sysprep and then double-click it).
• When you're all done with the updates and drivers, click OK in Sysprep. Do NOT check "Generalize", as that will undo your work of installing the machine specific drivers! Sysprep will automatically disable Administrator and set the machine to start at OOBE.
• Once you're booted to OOBE, press Shift-F10 to get a Cmd prompt and enter shutdown /s /t 1 and you're all done!

Local Account Method (OK, but more steps)

• Do the Windows install and proceed through the OOBE screens, skipping as much as possible.
• When you get to the prompt asking for an account, enter any single letter, such as a when prompted for a user, and any single letter, such as a when prompted for a password. You will then see the "Oops, something went wrong" message and will be prompted to create a local account.
• Create a local account (e.g. TestUser) and do not give it a password.
• Install Windows updates and drivers and restart as many times as you like.
• When you're all done with the updates and drivers, open a Cmd prompt with Run as Administrator and then activate the Administrator account with net user administrator /active:yes.
• Then logout and login as Adminstrator.
• Once you're logged in as Administrator, use the GUI to delete the account you created and double-check that the user folder has been removed from C:\Users.
• Then just run Sysprep and click OK. Do NOT check "Generalize", as that will undo your work of installing the machine specific drivers!
• Once you're booted to OOBE, press Shift-F10 to get a Cmd prompt and enter shutdown /s /t 1 and you're all done!

Tip: when doing a clean install, and you get to the screen that shows the partitions, delete all of them. Windows will create the needed partitions automatically. When the build is complete, there may be a small unallocated partition. I usually use MiniTool Partition Wizard to add that space to the primary partition.

Answer 3

Form working with an old Windows 10 installation disk, I found that if you run the setup after installing the correct drivers, it keeps the old drivers as firmware.... However I can not replicate this repeatedly, it must do a sysprep prior to resetting the device.