Windows customization resources were not found on the server

[sadafkhan]

I want to create a VM of Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition in ESXi 5.0 using Clone technology but I received following error message at the screen of Guest Customization . I could not select to any one option to use the customization for creating a new VM because all options are disabled.

“Windows customization resources were not found on the server.”

Same issue is facing with Windows XP. Please help out….

[harrygunter]

Did you put the sysprep files into the correct location on the VC?

http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?language=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=1005593

[aravinds3107]

You have to create the customization first, On your vCenter HOME-> CUSTOMIZATION SPECIFIATION MANAGER

Please extract the sysprep file and keep in the location based on your OS on your vCenter server

Refer the acticle for sysprep file and location where it has to placed for you OS

http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?language=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=1005593

[UmeshAhuja]

Hi,

You have to manually create the sysperp folders in the following paths of your VCenter
C:\Users\All Users\VMware\VMware VirtualCenter\sysprep

You need to copy the contains of the deploy.cab folder from OS disk to the above path with respect with OS folder you have created
After that you will be getting the OS Customization wizard for that particular OS

[sadafkhan]

I create new directory of sysprep on thr provide path and place deploy.cab file but result is same.

"C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\VMware\VMware VirtualCenter\sysprep\Windows XP Pro SP3"

Please check the screenshot for referance.

[UmeshAhuja]

Hi,

Now you have to create File for the specific OS in Customization Specifications Manager Tab. Just like below

How to Create a Customization Specification for Windows Using a Custom  Sysprep Answer File

1	From the vSphere Client Home page, select Customization   Specifications Manager.
2	Click New.
3	In the Guest Customization wizard, select Windows from the Target   Virtual Machine OS menu.
4	Under Customization Specification Information, enter a   name for the specification and an optional description and click Next.
5	Type the virtual machine owner’s name and organization and   click Next.
6	Enter the guest operating system's computer name and click   Next. The operating system uses this name to identify itself on   the network. On Linux systems, it is called the host name. Option Action Enter a name a Type a name. The name can contain alphanumeric characters and the       hyphen (-) character. It cannot contain periods (.) or blank spaces and       cannot be made up of digits only. Names are case-insensitive. b (Optional) To ensure that the name is       unique, select Append a numeric value to ensure uniqueness. This appends a hyphen       followed by a numeric value to the virtual machine name. The name is       truncated if it exceeds 15 characters when combined with the numeric       value. Use the virtual machine name The computer name that vCenter Server creates is     identical to the name of the virtual machine on which the guest operating     system is running. If the name exceeds 15 characters, it is truncated. Enter a name in the Deploy wizard The vSphere Client prompts you to enter a name after the     cloning or deployment is complete. Generate a name using the custom application configured     with vCenter Server Enter a parameter that can be passed to the custom     application.
7	Provide licensing information for the Windows operating   system and click Next. Option Action For non-server operating systems Type the Windows product key for the new guest operating     system. For server operating systems a Type the Windows product key for the new guest       operating system. b Select Include Server License       Information. c Select either Per seat or Per       server. d (Optional) If you selected Per       server,       enter the maximum number of simultaneous connections for the server to       accept.
8	Configure the administrator password for the virtual   machine and click Next. a Type a password for the administrator account and     confirm the password by typing it again. Note You can change the administrator password     only if the administrator password on the source Windows virtual machine is     blank. If the source Windows virtual machine or template already has a     password, the administrator password does not change. b (Optional) To log users into the guest     operating system as Administrator, select the check box, and select the     number of times to log in automatically.
9	Select the time zone for the virtual machine and click Next.
10	(Optional) On the Run Once page, specify commands to run the   first time a user logs into the guest operating system and click Next. See the Microsoft Sysprep documentation for more   information on Run Once commands.
11	Select the type of network settings to apply to the guest   operating system. Option Action Typical settings Select Typical settings and click Next. vCenter Server configures all network interfaces from a     DHCP server using default settings. Custom settings a Select Custom settings and click Next. b For each network interface in the virtual machine,       click the ellipsis button (...) to open the Network       Properties dialog box. c Enter IP address and other network settings and click OK. d When all network interfaces are configured, click Next.
12	Select how the virtual machine will participate in the   network and click Next. Option Action Workgroup Type a workgroup name. For example, MSHOME. Windows Server Domain a Type the domain name. b Type the user name and password for a user account       that has permission to add a computer to the specified domain.
13	(Optional) Select Generate New Security ID   (SID) and click Next. A Windows Security ID (SID) is used in some Windows   operating systems to uniquely identify systems and users. If you do not   select this option, the new virtual machine has the same SID as the virtual   machine or template from which it was cloned or deployed. Duplicate SIDs do not cause problems when the computers   are part of a domain and only domain user accounts are used. However, if the   computers are part of a Workgroup or local user accounts are used, duplicate   SIDs can compromise file access controls. For more information, see the   documentation for your Microsoft Windows operating system.
14	Click Finish to save your changes.

The customization specification you created is listed in the Customization Specification Manager, and can be used to customize virtual machine guest operating systems.

[sadafkhan]

UmeshAhuja thanks for reply.

I place deploy.cab file of Windows XP on the following directory as per your instruction.

“C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\VMware\VMware VirtualCenter\sysprep\Windows XP Pro SP3”

But I face same issue then I read the document from the answer of Mr Harrygunter in which correct path of sysprep directory  was mentioned. Please note

Correct Path of Sysprep directory which is create automatically during the vCenter installation.

“C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\VMware\VMware VirtualCenter\sysprep”

After placing deploy.cab files under the  respective OS, My issue has been resolved.