Working with the Windows Image Prep Tool

The Windows Image Prep Tool helps you create an image that will automatically install and activate the Secure Endpoint Agent on your Windows devices. Specifically, the tool:

removes any previously installed Secure Endpoint Agent-related artifacts (for example, registry settings) that may interfere with the successful activation of the agent
creates a Windows scheduled task to install the Secure Endpoint Agent on the next restart
ensures that when the Secure Endpoint Agent makes its first connection to the Absolute Monitoring Center from the target device, the agent is successfully activated and a unique Absolute Identifier (ESN) is assigned to the device

The tool includes two PowerShell scripts:

Script	Details
AbtImagePrepSetup.ps1	Removes any Secure Endpoint Agent-related artifacts and creates a Windows scheduled task to execute AbtImagePrepPostBoot.ps1 on the target device
AbtImagePrepPostBoot.ps1	Silently installs the Secure Endpoint Agent on the target device after the device is restarted, and then removes the Windows scheduled task

Running the Windows Image Prep Tool

To run the tool:

Log in to the source computer.
Log in to the Secure Endpoint Console as an Administrator.
Download and extract the Windows Image Prep Tool.
Download the Secure Endpoint Agent for Windows:
1. On the navigation bar, click Settings > Agent Management.
2. Click Get Secure Endpoint Agent.
3. In the dialog that opens, select the checkbox next to Only download the core agent.
  
  The Windows Image Prep Tool does not currently support the full agent installer.
4. Click Windows.
  
  The zipped agent package is downloaded with the following file name:
  
  AbsoluteWinCoreAgent-<agent version>-<account_id>.zip
  
  The zip file contains the following files:
  - AbsoluteCoreAgent.msi
  - AbsoluteAgent.dat
  - AbsoluteAgent.sig
  - AbsoluteAgent.checksums
  Do not unzip the zip file.
Copy the AbsoluteWinCoreAgent-<agent version>-<account_id>.zip file to the AbtImagePrep folder.
Run the tool in Windows PowerShell:
1. Open Windows PowerShell as an administrator.
  
  For example, on a Windows 10 device, click Start, enter PowerShell, right-click Windows PowerShell, and then click Run as administrator.
2. Navigate to the AbtImagePrep folder.
3. Execute the following command to remove any Secure Endpoint Agent-related artifacts residing on the device and create the Windows scheduled task:
  
  Replace AbsoluteWinCoreAgent-<agent version>-<account_id>.zip with the actual file name of the agent package you downloaded from the Secure Endpoint Console.
  Copy
```
powershell.exe -ExecutionPolicy AllSigned -File .\AbtImagePrepSetup.ps1 -update -package .\AbsoluteWinCoreAgent-<agent version>-<account_id>.zip
```
4. If an untrusted publisher prompt shows, install Absolute's script-signing certificates into the Trusted Publishers certificate store by entering R for Run once.
  
  The certificates are embedded in the script and indicate the script's authenticity.
  
  If the script ran successfully, the following message shows:
  
  Success. Absolute Persistence will be installed on the next boot.
  
  This message indicates that the Windows Image Prep Tool has:
  - created a Windows scheduled task called Absolute Persistence Install.
  - copied the following files to the C:\ProgramData\Absolute Software\AAR directory:
    - AbsoluteCoreAgent.msi
    - AbsoluteAgent.dat
    - AbsoluteAgent.sig
    - AbsoluteAgent.checksums
    - AbtImagePrepPostBoot.ps1
5. Execute the following command to verify that the script ran successfully:
  Copy
```
powershell.exe -ExecutionPolicy AllSigned -File .\AbtImagePrepSetup.ps1
```
  If any warnings show, repeat step 6. When the following message shows, go to the next step:
  
  Success. Absolute Persistence will be installed on the next boot.
  
  You can also verify that the script ran successfully by viewing events in Windows Event Viewer. Both the AbtImagePrepPostBoot.ps1 script and the AbsoluteCoreAgent.msi installer post events to the Application folder in the Windows Logs folder, with source names AbtImagePrepPostBoot and MsiInstaller respectively.
Clean up the source computer by deleting the files and folders that you downloaded in steps 3 and 4.
Create an image of the source computer following the instructions for your particular disk imaging software.

After you deploy the image to your Windows devices, restarting a target device prompts the Secure Endpoint Agent to be silently installed. If agent installation is successful, all files in the C:\ProgramData\Absolute Software\AAR directory are removed.

Following installation, the agent is activated with its first connection to the Absolute Monitoring Center and an Absolute Identifier (ESN) is assigned to the device.