Sysprep removes all SQL users

I have two instances running on SQL Server (2017) – SQLEXPRESS and MYINSTANCE

I've added a few users to MYINSTANCE

However when I run Sysprep on the device, it deletes all but sa and Builtin\Users.

It appears to leave the users on SQLEXPRESS alone however.

How can I prevent this removal?

Here is my unattend file: (some redacted for security)

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<unattend xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:unattend">
    <servicing>
        <package action="configure">
            <assemblyIdentity name="Microsoft-Windows-EnterpriseSEdition" version="10.0.14393.0" processorArchitecture="amd64" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="" />
            <selection name="Microsoft-Hyper-V-ClientEdition-Package" state="false" />
        </package>
    </servicing>
    <settings pass="specialize">
        <component name="Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup" processorArchitecture="amd64" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
            <AutoLogon>
                <Password>
                    <Value>#####################################</Value>
                    <PlainText>false</PlainText>
                </Password>
                <Username>#########</Username>
                <LogonCount>4294967290</LogonCount>
                <Enabled>true</Enabled>
            </AutoLogon>
            <ComputerName>COMPACT-PC</ComputerName>
            <ProductKey>###########################</ProductKey>
            <TimeZone>GMT Standard Time</TimeZone>
        </component>
        <component name="Microsoft-Windows-SystemRestore-Main" processorArchitecture="amd64" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
            <DisableSR>1</DisableSR>
        </component>
    </settings>
    <settings pass="oobeSystem">
        <component name="Microsoft-Windows-International-Core" processorArchitecture="amd64" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
            <InputLocale>en-GB;</InputLocale>
            <SystemLocale>en-GB</SystemLocale>
            <UILanguage>en-GB</UILanguage>
            <UILanguageFallback>en-GB</UILanguageFallback>
            <UserLocale>en-GB</UserLocale>
        </component>
        <component name="Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup" processorArchitecture="amd64" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
            <AutoLogon>
                <Password>
                    <Value>##################################</Value>
                    <PlainText>false</PlainText>
                </Password>
                <LogonCount>4294967290</LogonCount>
                <Username>#########</Username>
                <Enabled>true</Enabled>
            </AutoLogon>
            <FirstLogonCommands>
                <SynchronousCommand wcm:action="add">
                    <Order>9</Order>
                    <CommandLine>powercfg.exe -setactive 8c5e7fda-e8bf-4a96-9a85-a6e23a8c635c</CommandLine>
                </SynchronousCommand>
                <SynchronousCommand wcm:action="add">
                    <CommandLine>powercfg.exe  -SETACVALUEINDEX ########################## #################### #####################</CommandLine>
                    <Order>10</Order>
                </SynchronousCommand>
                <SynchronousCommand wcm:action="add">
                    <Order>1</Order>
                    <Description>bcdedit.exe /set {current} bootstatuspolicy ignoreallfailures</Description>
                </SynchronousCommand>
                <SynchronousCommand wcm:action="add">
                    <CommandLine>&quot;C:\Windows\System32\sysprep\sidFoldRename.vbs&quot;</CommandLine>
                    <Order>12</Order>
                </SynchronousCommand>
            </FirstLogonCommands>
            <OEMInformation>
                <Manufacturer>###########</Manufacturer>
                <SupportURL>####################</SupportURL>
                <Model>#################</Model>
            </OEMInformation>
            <OOBE>
                <NetworkLocation>Home</NetworkLocation>
                <ProtectYourPC>3</ProtectYourPC>
                <HideEULAPage>true</HideEULAPage>
                <HideWirelessSetupInOOBE>true</HideWirelessSetupInOOBE>
                <SkipUserOOBE>true</SkipUserOOBE>
                <SkipMachineOOBE>true</SkipMachineOOBE>
            </OOBE>
            <UserAccounts>
                <LocalAccounts>
                    <LocalAccount wcm:action="add">
                        <Password>
                            <Value>#############################</Value>
                            <PlainText>false</PlainText>
                        </Password>
                        <Group>Administrators</Group>
                        <Description>######</Description>
                        <DisplayName>######</DisplayName>
                        <Name>#####</Name>
                    </LocalAccount>
                </LocalAccounts>
            </UserAccounts>
            <WindowsFeatures>
                <ShowMediaCenter>false</ShowMediaCenter>
                <ShowWindowsMail>false</ShowWindowsMail>
                <ShowWindowsMediaPlayer>false</ShowWindowsMediaPlayer>
                <ShowInternetExplorer>true</ShowInternetExplorer>
            </WindowsFeatures>
            <BluetoothTaskbarIconEnabled>true</BluetoothTaskbarIconEnabled>
        </component>
    </settings>
    <settings pass="generalize">
        <component name="Microsoft-Windows-PnpSysprep" processorArchitecture="amd64" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
            <PersistAllDeviceInstalls>true</PersistAllDeviceInstalls>
            <DoNotCleanUpNonPresentDevices>true</DoNotCleanUpNonPresentDevices>
        </component>
    </settings>
    <cpi:offlineImage cpi:source="wim:e:/sources/install.wim#Windows 10 Enterprise 2016 LTSB" xmlns:cpi="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:cpi" />
</unattend>

(The username & password are the same in each section)

Here is the command used to run sysprep…

c:\windows\system32\sysprep\sysprep.exe /generalize /oobe /shutdown /unattend:c:\windows\system32\sysprep\myAnswerFile.xml

But it even does this in audit mode without an answer file.

Thanks for any help…

Edit

I've just noticed something strange – if I start the service Single User Mode, the users all come back!