Prior to using sysprep, it is first best to fully understand what sysprep is, what its purpose is for and how it works.
When editing the unattend.xml file it might also be a good idea to validate the file using Windows System Image Manager (Windows SIM) which is a component of the Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit (Windows ADK). Validation via Windows SIM will ensure that there aren’t any errors in the unattend file prior to use with sysprep and / or deployment.
Next, you might try to run a sysprep and capture task sequence (TS) from within MDT to capture your image, unless you have already done so. Next, you could take the captured image, import it into MDT, create a new TS, and add the drivers needed for the RAID configuration as part of the TS. More information on adding drivers, as well as applications (if necessary), can be found in this TechNet forums thread. Also, as suggested in this Microsoft KB article for the error you are receiving, it is suggested to ensure you are using the proper installation media. I.E. Ensure that you are not using the RTM or OEM media to create the image. It would also be a good idea to ensure the BIOS for each system (reference machine and deployment machine) is up-to-date.
One question, when you add the PersistAllDeviceInstalls=True to your unattend.xml file, are you then running sysprep with that unattend.xml file specified? Or are you using the unattend.xml file with your deployment? If you are doing the latter, you will want to actually use the unattend.xml file with your sysprep command. Example:
sysprep /generalize /unattend:answerfile (the answerfile part would be the name / file path of where your unattend.xml file is located) More information on this can be found in the How Sysprep Works TechNet library article referenced above.
As a side note, it is important to note that each time you run the sysprep command with the /generalize switch, the licensing state of the Windows is reset, otherwise known as rearmed. If your intention is to transfer a Windows image to different hardware, you will want to use the /generalize switch only once and then capture the image. Since you will be transferring your image, you will definitely want to prepare your image with Sysprep. In the event that you do have to run sysprep multiple times prior to capture, you would run sysprep with an answer file that has the SkipRearm setting enabled. You can review the number of times you can use the SkipRearm setting by running the Slmgr.vbs /dlv command in an elevated command prompt. Bear in mind, that by using the SkipRearm setting, you are not resetting the licensing state of the Windows installation.
I hope this helps and keep me posted on your progress!
Jessica
Windows Outreach Team – IT Pro