SYSPREP a Generation 2 Virtual Machine

Q: Can you run SYSPREP on a Generation 2 Hyper-V virtual machine?

A: Yes. A Generation 2 virtual machine (VM) is a Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI)-based VM introduced in Windows Server 2012 R2 Hyper-V. You can install an operating system on a Generation 2 VM and then run SYSPREP to enable the associated virtual hard disk to be copied and used for other VMs (e.g., as part of a template). However, you can't take a SYSPREP'd Generation 1 VM template and use it with a Generation 2 VM, because of the differences in operating system deployment between BIOS-based (Generation 1) and UEFI-based (Generation 2) VMs. Likewise, a Generation 2 SYSPREP'd virtual hard disk can't be used with a Generation 1 VM.