What are you using to deploy Windows 11 25H2 to laptops?

Configuration Manager is worth a look if you want to keep a traditional PXE and task sequence workflow. It's a mature, flexible option for operating system deployment, though moving to it is a bigger project than swapping out a boot image.

Before pivoting, I'd also separate the two problems. A laptop not finding a PXE profile and a reference image failing Sysprep may need different fixes. A new deployment product might not eliminate both.

If you don't actually need a custom image, look at Windows Autopilot with Intune. The idea is to provision and configure the Windows installation rather than capture and deploy your own image.

That changes the workflow quite a bit, so check it against your timeline and management setup. Autopilot can be harder to troubleshoot and may not be the best fit for every large batch deployment.

SmartDeploy is another product to evaluate. It supports network and offline deployment and uses hardware-independent images with driver packs, which may be useful if you have several laptop models. Verify support for your exact EliteBook models and 25H2 before committing.

You can keep the image pretty lean. One option is to boot WinPE through Netboot.xyz, install Windows with an autounattend.xml file, then handle applications and configuration separately with a management tool. A fresh Windows image plus a remote management workflow is another variation.

That gives you more pieces to put together, but it avoids making every application change part of a captured reference image.

If you stick with a custom image, build the reference image in a VM and use checkpoints before changes that might upset Sysprep. Keeping the build to one account can also make it easier to track down Store app errors. MDT and PowerShell-based deployment workflows are options to investigate, though changing the tool won't automatically fix a broken reference image.