Windows 10: URGENT - Windows 11 can't exit OOBE/Audit mode after using sysprep

WOW! I just installed Windows 11, and it looks very beautiful! Don't know why people have bad reputation though. Anyways, I missed the user account creation OOBE which looks absolutely beautiful, so I wanted to see that again, that is why I used Sysprep, just to know that user account and stuff would be re-installed, so I did not want to do that much work again. But now, I am stuck. Without completing the OOBE, I cannot normally start windows and sign in my normal user account. I can enter Audit mode, but that is no use too. So how do I exit the OOBE without completing it?

:)

 

How to exit System Audit Mode WITHOUT CMD or Logging in

Hi,

As long as the Audit Mode is not specifically told to exit, Windows stays and returns to Audit Mode even when rebooted. There is one valid method to exit Audit Mode: running the Sysprep and telling Windows to boot to OOBE/Welcome Mode. If you try to reboot
your PC, are you getting the Sysprep dialog? Are you getting any other error messages? If so, please send us a screenshot.

We'll keep an eye out on your response.

 

Customize Windows 10 Image in Audit Mode with Sysprep  


Just a few pointers:

• You can always boot to Audit Mode even after the OOBE, command is
  %windir%\System32\Sysprep\Sysprep.exe /audit /reboot
• When rebooted to Audit Mode and if you like to re-customize the default user profile, it will only affect all future user accounts but does not affect existing ones already present when you booted to Audit Mode. You can of course remove all existing user accounts if necessary before sysprepping
• If rebooted to Audit Mode and existing user accounts are kept, you cannot use those usernames when back in OOBE after sysprepping. To create the initial user in OOBE you can for example simply create a dummy local user, let Windows finish the OOBE and boot to this dummy's desktop, sign out and sign in to your original admin account and remove the dummy account
• Sysprepping an upgraded Windows is of course possible and only needs a key and a DWORD deleted in the registry and changing the value of two DWORDs. Instructions in this tutorial: Users Folder - Move Location in Windows 10 - Windows 10 Forums, scroll down to the last part named Upgrade and its Step 2

 

Audit mode

Hi Diane,

Windows boots into Windows Welcome Mode and Audit Mode. Windows Welcome Mode
is the first user experience while the Audit mode is used to add customization to Windows images. Sometimes, Windows keeps running in Audit Mode and user has no idea about it, just like in your case. While your machine is running Audit
Mode when upgrading or reinstalling Windows 10, the upgrade won’t progress.

Here's how to exit from Audit mode to reinstall Windows 10:

• Open the administrative or elevated Command Prompt. Type cmd in the
  Search field at the taskbar.
• Type the following command and press Enter key: sysprep /oobe /generalize
  DISCLAIMER: Running sysprep command each time resets Windows licensing state to default. So if your Windows is activated and you run this command, you’ll need to reactivate Windows after executing this command.
  
  
• Once the command IS successfully executed, you’ll be out of Audit Mode. Now you can re-try to upgrade to Windows 10 and it should work.

Let us know if the steps above worked for you.