Using Sysprep to Customize a 2003 SP2 Template on VirtualCenter 2.5

It isn’t documented all that well in the VC 2.5 Administration Guide, but it is possible to customize a 2003 SP2 template with minimal effort.

1. Download and install the 2003 SP2 Sysprep hotfix : KB Article ID 926028. I did this on my VC 2.5 server.
2. Extract c:\windows\system32\deploy.cab to C:\<ALLUSERSPROFILE>\Application Data\Vmware\VMware VirtualCenter\sysprep\svr2003\
3. You should now have the option within VirtualCenter to customize a 2003 SP2 template.

This worked for me. I’m going to give it a try in another environment to ensure it wasn’t a fluke.