Installing Windows Agent into a Windows Custom Image

  • Updated on May 29, 2025
  • Published on May 28, 2025
  • 9 minute(s) read
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Organizations that manage large fleets of Windows devices often create custom images to streamline deployment and reduce setup time across environments. Integrating the HP Insights Windows Application (Also referred to as Windows Agent) into these custom images allows IT teams to automatically enroll devices into HP Workforce Experience Platform (WXP) right from first boot. This approach helps to eliminate the need for post-deployment installation and configuration.

This article provides step-by-step guidance to install the HP Insights for Windows Agent into a custom Windows image using either Windows Audit Mode or System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) Task Sequence.

If you are using HP Configuration Services, contact your HP sales representative or Business Partner to load the Windows agent into your custom image. 

Prerequisites

Before starting the installation:

  • Provide the UPN suffixes to your HP Service Expert or Business Partner.

  • Obtain Company PIN.

    • From the left menu of WXP, click Settings > Preferences. The Preferences tab is displayed.

    • On the Preferences tab, scroll to the Company PIN section and copy the pin.

Downloading Windows Agent

To download HP Insights for Windows agent:

  1. Access the URL - https://workforceexperience.hp.com/software to download HP Insights Windows Application (Windows Agent).

    For detailed steps, refer to the article - Downloading the HP Insights for Windows Application.

    • Ensure the following contents of the HPInsights.exe file are saved to an accessible  location. 

      • VC++ Redistributable (x86)

      • HP Insights Manager Application

      • VC++ Redistributable (x64)

      • HP Insights Analytics Client - Dependencies

      • HP Insights Analytics Client package

    • Note: 
      1. HPInsights.exe does not contain the file setup.exe. Download setup.exe from https://workforceexperience.hp.com/software.

      2. The HP Insights Analytics Client - Dependencies package cannot be installed on non-HP manufactured PCs, including Virtual Machines.

Method 1: Windows Audit Mode

Follow these steps to add the Windows Agent to a reference image before it is sent to users.

Step 1: Creating an install.cmd Batch Script File 

  1. On a USB drive, place the downloaded setup.exe installer file.

  2. In a text editor, such as Notepad, create a file named install.cmd with the following content:

    reg add "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Hewlett-Packard\HP Touchpoint Manager\GPO\DisableOnlineCheck" /v State /t REG_SZ /d True /f %~dp0setup.exe /silent /HIDETRAY=True CPIN=Company-PIN

    Replace the placeholder Company-PIN with the actual pin provided by your HP service expert, then save the file. For example: %~dp0setup.exe /silent CPIN=AbcDefg

    1. Note: You may omit the reg add line if the PCs won't connect to the internet via authenticated proxies.

  3. Ensure that you have the following files on the USB drive:

    • install.cmd

    • setup.exe

Step 2 Modifying the Reference Image

This section describes the steps to modify a Windows reference image to add the Windows agent. The instructions below assume that you already have a Windows reference image created and are adding the Windows agent to the image.

Warning: Prior to performing the steps below, ensure that the PC with the reference image does not have access to the internet.

  1. Boot the Windows PC with the reference image into Audit Mode.

    1. At the Windows Out-Of-Box-Experience (OOBE) screen, press CTRL + SHIFT + F3 to enter Audit Mode. The System Preparation (Sysprep) tool is displayed.

  2. Insert the USB drive that contains the install.cmd and Setup.exe files into the PC.

  3. Open Windows Explorer and go to the USB drive.

  4. Right click on the install.cmd file and select Run as administrator. A command window is displayed.

  5. Start executing the install command. After the command window disappears, the HP icon appears in the system tray with a Yellow exclamation mark to indicate the Windows Agent is Not Enrolled.

    Warning: The Windows Agent icon must show as Not Enrolled after the step above. If it shows as Enrolled, the reference image will not be created correctly. Ensure the device is not able to connect to the internet to perform enrollment.

  6. Using Windows Explorer, go to the C:\ProgramData\Hewlett-Packard\HP Touchpoint Manager and confirm that enroll_config.json file created.

    1. If the enroll_config.json file does not appear, there may be an issue with the install.cmd script file. Follow the steps below to retry:

      1. Right click the install.cmd script again and ensure Run as administrator is selected.

      2. Repeat the steps in Creating an install.cmd batch script to recreate the install.cmd file, then try to run the script again.

      3. Remove the USB drive from the PC.

  7. In the Sysprep Tool, ensure the following options are selected, then select OK:

    • System Cleanup Action: Enter System Out-of-Box Experience (OOBE)

    • Select Generalize

    • Shutdown Options: Shutdown

  8. Alternatively, run the command in a command window: Sysprep /generalize /shutdown. The reference PC will then be generalized, and the image can be captured.

Step 3 Capturing the Reference Image

This section describes the steps to capture the reference image after the Windows Agent is installed. These steps are provided as a reference, the steps can be modified to align with your standard imaging procedure.

To capture the reference image:

  1. Use bootable WinPE media to boot the device.

    1. For help,  see the Microsoft resources:
      Download WinPE (Windows PE)
      Create bootable WinPE media

    2. Ensure there is enough space on the USB drive to store the image.

  2. On the PC with the reference image, insert the bootable WinPE media and boot the device to WinPE.

  3. In the command prompt, run the following command to capture the Windows partition:

    Dism /Capture-Image /ImageFile:"D:\Images\company.wim" /CaptureDir:C:\ /Name:Company

    Replace D: with the destination path. The image is successfully captured and saved to the USB drive or file storage location.

Step 4: Applying the Captured Image

This section describes the steps to apply the captured image to a PC and confirm that the Windows Agent can enroll successfully. These steps are provided as a reference, the steps can be modified to align with your standard imaging procedure.

To apply the captured image:

  1. Partition the target PC’s hard drive using scripts for either MBR or UEFI/GPT.

    1. Select the partition option based on the hardware you are applying the image to.
      For help, refer to the following Microsoft resources below:
      BIOS/MBR-based hard drive partitions
      UEFI/GPT-based hard drive partitions

  2. Apply the captured image using a script, for example: D:\ApplyImage.bat C:\Images\Company.wim

    1. For additional information, refer to the Microsoft Resources below:
      Capture and apply a Windows image using a single .WIM file

    2. This can be the same USB drive used to capture the reference image in the Capture the Reference Image section above.

  3. Boot the PC to WinPE using the bootable WinPE Media created earlier, then insert the USB drive containing the scripts and captured image.

  4. Partition the hard drive by running the diskpart utility and applying the drive partitioning script created above. For example:
    diskpart /s CreatePartitions-UEFI.txt
    If the partitioning was successful, you should see the drive partitioned like the screen below:
     

  5. Apply the image to the Windows and Recovery partitions using the script created above. For example, if the script and images are on the D: drive:
    D:\ApplyImage.bat C:\Images\Fabrikam.wim 

  6. If the script fails to find the Winre.wim file, you may need to copy the Winre.wim file to the USB drive from your Windows Installation Media. On Windows Installation Media, the Winre.wim file is located inside the install.wim file under the \Windows\system32\Recovery path.

  7. If the images were successfully applied to the PC, you should see Operation Successful messages like in the screen below:
     

  8. Remove the bootable WinPE Media and USB drive from the PC. Type Exit in WinPE to reboot the PC. The PC should boot to Windows 10/11 OOBE.

  9. While going through Windows 10/11 OOBE, ensure that you connect the PC to a network that has access to the internet.

  10. After the OOBE process completes and the Windows desktop is displayed, the PC should automatically enroll in an HP Insights service.

  11. If the device is domain-joined and the UPN domain suffixes have been configured in the HP Insights service company tenant, the PC will silently enroll when connected to the internet.

  12. If the device is not domain-joined, you will see an Enrollment Confirmation dialog such as the following, selecting Agree will complete the enrollment process:
     

  13. The enrollment status can be confirmed by right clicking the HP system tray icon and selecting Status. The Device Enrollment Status should show as Enrolled, like in the screen below:

Method 2: System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) Task Sequence

Follow the steps below to install HP Insights for Windows agent into a custom image using System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) Task Sequence.

Creating an install.cmd Batch Script File 

This section describes how to download the HP Insights for Windows agent and create an install.cmd batch script file to pre-configure the HP Insights for Windows agent in the image to enable automatic device enrollment.

To create a install.cmd batch script file:

  1. On a Windows PC, launch a web browser and download the latest version of the HP Insights for Windows agent from https://www.hpdaas.com/software.

  2. Download the HP Insights for Windows agent Setup.exe installer file.

See Installing HP Insights Windows Application Using setup.exe.

  1. Copy the Setup.exe installer file onto a file share accessible by SCCM.

  2. In a text editor such as Notepad, create a file named install.cmd.

  3. Copy and paste the following text into the body of the install.cmd batch script file:

    reg add "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Hewlett-Packard\HP Touchpoint Manager\GPO\DisableOnlineCheck" /v State /t REG_SZ /d True /f 
    %~dp0setup.exe /silent /HIDETRAY=True CPIN=Company PIN

  4. Replace the Company-wide PIN with the PIN provided by your HP Service Expert or Business Partner. For example: %~dp0setup.exe /silent CPIN=AbcDefg

Note: The reg add command above can be omitted if the imaged Windows PCs will not connect to the internet via authenticated proxies.

  1. Save the script file onto the same file share where the setup.exe installer file was saved.

Creating an Application in SCCM

This section describes how to create an application in SCCM to install the HP Insights for Windows agent.

To create an application in SCCM:

  1. Log into the SCCM Admin Console.  Start the Create Package & Program Wizard. 

  2. In the SCCM Admin Console, click Software Library. 

  3. In the Software Library workspace, click Application Management > Applications.  Click Create Application at the top.

  4. Select Manually specify the application information, and then click Next.

  5. Type the following in the respective fields:

    • Name: HP Insights for Windows agent

    • Publisher: HP Inc.

    • Version: 3.xx.xxx (replace with the version of the setup.exe file you are deploying).

  6. Click Next to accept the defaults for the Application Catalog entry.

  7. Click Add to create a new Deployment Type, then select Script Installer. Manually specify the deployment type information will automatically be selected, then click Next.

  8. Type “HP Insights for Windows agent Silent Install” as the Name for the deployment, and then click Next.

  9. In Content Location, specify the Network path (UNC name) to the install.cmd file.

  10. In Installation Program, specify the install.cmd file.

  11. In Uninstall Program, specify the following command. 

    %PROGRAMFILES%\InstallShield Installation Information\{24CB35EB-F445-4061-8C3A-67D5631996C5}\setup.exe -remove -silent

  12. Select the checkbox for Run installation and uninstall program as 32-bit process on 64-bit clients, then click Next.

  13. To specify the detection rules, click Add Clause and enter the following rules to detect the existence of the client binaries, then click OK. Click Next to proceed:

    • Setting Type: File System

    • Path: %ProgramFiles(x86)%\Hewlett-Packard\HP Insights Manager\Agent

    • File or folder name: LHAgent.exe

    • Select the This file or folder is associated with a 32-bit application on 64-bit systems check box.

    • Select the The file system setting must exist on the target system to indicate presence of this application check box.

  14. To specify the user experience settings, select the following settings, and then click Next:

    • Installation behavior: Install for system

    • Logon requirement: Whether or not a user is logged on

    • Installation program visibility: Hidden

    • Maximum allowed run time (minutes): 20

  15. Click Next to accept the defaults for installation requirements.

  16. Click Next to accept the defaults for software dependencies.

  17. Confirm the deployment details, and then click Next.

  18. When the completion screen is displayed, click Close.

  19. In the Create Application Wizard, click Next to proceed.

  20. Confirm the settings, and then click Next.

  21. When the completion screen is displayed, click Close.

  22. The new application is displayed under the Applications node. Right-click, and then select Properties.

  23. Select the Distribution Settings tab, and then select Automatically download content when packages are assigned to distribution points.

  24. Distribute the application to the distribution point by right clicking the application and selecting Distribute Content, then walk through the content distribution wizard.

Adding the Application to an Existing Windows Installation Task Sequence

This section describes how to add the HP Insights for Windows agent to an existing Task Sequence. These steps assume you already have an existing task sequence for installing Windows.

To add the application to an existing task sequence:

  1. In the SCCM Admin Console, click Software Library.

  2. In the Software Library workspace, click Operating Systems > Task Sequences.

  3. Right click your existing Windows Deployment task sequence and select Edit.

  4. Add a new Install Application task to your Install Application task group so that it installs with your other applications. It should be added after the Join-Domain or Workgroup task if present.

  5. To add the new Install Application task, select the Setup Operating System node, then select Add > Software > Install Application.

  6. Select the Star icon under the Install the following applications section, then select the HP Insights for Windows agent and select OK.

  7. Select OK to update the task sequence.

  8. Depending on your imaging procedures, create Task Sequence Media or capture a Reference Image using the task sequence.

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