Avoiding SMS Unique ID Problems with Preinstalled Client Software

If your company routinely orders new computers preinstalled with software prior to delivery, it might be convenient to have the vendor install the SMS 2.0 client software at the same time.

After you attach a new vendor-preinstalled computer to your network, SMS will detect it through the typical discovery methods you initiated on your site server. SMS will assign a unique identifier to the client computer the first time a user logs on and the SMS logon script is run.

To prepare the “master” client computer, you must first install and configure an SMS 2.0 site server. Set the site boundaries in the SMS Administrator console, but do not initiate any resource discovery or client installation methods.

  To create a “master” client computer

1. Use the Systems Management Installation Wizard to install the SMS 2.0 client software on one computer attached to your network and within the site boundaries you defined. For information about the command-line options you can use to configure this computer, see “Running the Wizard on 32-Bit Computers.”
2. Restart the client computer and log on as Administrator.
3. On the “master” client, open Registry Editor and remove the following SMS Unique Identifier registry value: \HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
   \SOFTWARE\Microsoft\SMS\Client\Configuration\Client Properties\SMS Unique Identifier.
4. Delete all copies of Smsuid.dat from the computer’s hard drive.
5. Open Registry Editor and remove all registry keys under \HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\NAL\Client
   \AbExprtDB.

Your vendor can use this computer to preinstall the SMS 2.0 client software on computers to be delivered to your company.