We're testing the deployment of Windows 8.1 Enterprise Preview in our lab and it works like a charm for x86 systems, but with the 64bit systems we get a headaching problem with the default user profile on deployed clients.
We've created a customized wim-image for deployment, using MDT 2013. MDT 2013 offers a nice Task sequence step to stop the TS temporary, adjust user settings, themes and start menu icons and then continue with sysprepping and imaging.
For the deployment of the customized image we use the SCCM 2012 R2 Preview (without MDT integration!) with the default deployment taks sequence. We have just manually edited the unattend.xml (because SIM can't be used to edit the Unattend.xml) and added the <CopyProfile>true</CopyProfile> line under the "Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup" part of the "Specialize" pass. As a part of the deployment, the client will be domain joined as well.
As mentioned above, this works nice for x86 systems. All the settings, icons and pictures show as expected for each new user logging in to the client. But following the exactly same process to create a x64 Win 8.1 client deployment the copied default user profile does not work at all. After loging in with a non administrative account, it just takes a minute before we receive the following message:
The User Profile Service service failed the sign-in
User profile cannot be loaded
Trying the same with a domain user that has administrative rights on the client, we get the start menu, but with some icons missing. On the desktop, we get the following 2 errors:
C:\WINDOWS\System32\config\Desktop is unavailable. If the location is on this PC, make sure the device or drive is connected or the disc is inserted, and then try again. If the location is on a network, make sure you're connected to the network or internet, and then try again. If the location still can't be found, it might have been moved or deleted.
Failed to connect to a windows service
Windows couldn't connect to the System Event Notification Service service. This problem prevents standard users from signing in.
As an administrative user, you can review the system event log for details about why the service didn't respond.
This and many further errors point to the fact that the default user profile is somehow corrupted and so the system cannot be used.
Finally I went back to the roots and followed the "Basic Windows Deployment Step-by-Step Guide" at http://technet.microsoft.com/library/hh825212.aspx?ocid=wc-mscom-mva#AnswerFile to manually create an image on a memory stick and deploy it manually to a client with DISM...with the same result. The CopyProfile step does not do it's job well for 64 bit systems.
So my question is, if someone ever succeeded to create a valid default user profile to deploy Win8.1 x64?
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