What's Going on "Under the Hood"? 

With the UIU, IT departments realize significant cost reductions through elmination of redundant tasks associated with maintaining a heterogeneous computing environment.

The UIU 4.0 is designed for Microsoft Windows XP (SP2 & SP3) and Vista (SP1) systems specifically (Windows 2000 is still serviced by UIU v3.7).  The developers of the UIU explain it like this:

1. When you manually install Windows from CD, the installation CD/DVD will work on nearly any system.  The UIU resets your existing Windows operating system to a similar "pre-installation" state, allowing for correct detection of different hardware platforms upon image deployment without crashing the systems.

2. UIU then runs MIMIC and, new to v4.0, a pre-deployment Discovery Tool assesses your environment, allowing you to make any necessary adjustments before continuing the process.

3. Next, a regularly updated driver database is installed, assuring greater compatibility with new hardware components.  As you acquire new hardware, with new video, network and audio components, you need not maintain the necessary drivers; Big Bang does the work for you.

Then, Microsoft Sysprep is launched. Running Sysprep helps keep you in compliance with Microsoft's standards for disk imaging, and the UIU uses it to help detect the hardware components on a machine receiving a Universal Image. Additionally, Sysprep will change the Security ID (SID) on your recipient PCs, allowing for consistent interaction with any Active Directory domain structure. The UIU handles Sysprep answer files for you, (both XP and the new Vista XML format), so there is no need to build a custom Sysprep answer file.

Finally, during Windows mini-setup, UIU detects and installs the correct HAL (ACPI, UniProcessor or MultiProcessor), and handles all hardware driver installations, now including High Definition Audio devices.

The UIU generally installs in ten minutes or less, and then you simply clone the PC using your disk imaging software.

This process is so unique, the United States Patent and Trademark Office granted the UIU a Patent in April 2009.