diff --git a/nixos/lib/make-disk-image.nix b/nixos/lib/make-disk-image.nix
index 9f8ec4192564..58d0cb38d75f 100644
--- a/nixos/lib/make-disk-image.nix
+++ b/nixos/lib/make-disk-image.nix
@@ -67,40 +67,24 @@ pkgs.vmTools.runInLinuxVM (
       mkdir /mnt
       mount $rootDisk /mnt
 
-      # The initrd expects these directories to exist.
-      mkdir /mnt/dev /mnt/proc /mnt/sys
-
-      mount -o bind /proc /mnt/proc
-      mount -o bind /dev /mnt/dev
-      mount -o bind /sys /mnt/sys
-
-      # Copy all paths in the closure to the filesystem.
-      storePaths=$(perl ${pkgs.pathsFromGraph} /tmp/xchg/closure)
-
-      mkdir -p /mnt/nix/store
-      echo "copying everything (will take a while)..."
-      set -f
-      cp -prd $storePaths /mnt/nix/store/
-
       # Register the paths in the Nix database.
       printRegistration=1 perl ${pkgs.pathsFromGraph} /tmp/xchg/closure | \
-          chroot /mnt ${config.nix.package.out}/bin/nix-store --load-db --option build-users-group ""
+          ${config.nix.package.out}/bin/nix-store --load-db --option build-users-group ""
 
       # Add missing size/hash fields to the database. FIXME:
       # exportReferencesGraph should provide these directly.
-      chroot /mnt ${config.nix.package.out}/bin/nix-store --verify --check-contents
+      ${config.nix.package.out}/bin/nix-store --verify --check-contents --option build-users-group ""
 
-      # Create the system profile to allow nixos-rebuild to work.
-      chroot /mnt ${config.nix.package.out}/bin/nix-env --option build-users-group "" \
-          -p /nix/var/nix/profiles/system --set ${config.system.build.toplevel}
+      # In case the bootloader tries to write to /dev/sda…
+      ln -s vda /dev/xvda
+      ln -s vda /dev/sda
 
-      # `nixos-rebuild' requires an /etc/NIXOS.
-      mkdir -p /mnt/etc
-      touch /mnt/etc/NIXOS
-
-      # `switch-to-configuration' requires a /bin/sh
-      mkdir -p /mnt/bin
-      ln -s ${config.system.build.binsh}/bin/sh /mnt/bin/sh
+      # Install the closure onto the image
+      USER=root ${config.system.build.nixos-install}/bin/nixos-install \
+        --closure ${config.system.build.toplevel} \
+        --no-channel-copy \
+        --no-root-passwd \
+        ${optionalString (!installBootLoader) "--no-bootloader"}
 
       # Install a configuration.nix.
       mkdir -p /mnt/etc/nixos
@@ -108,12 +92,9 @@ pkgs.vmTools.runInLinuxVM (
         cp ${configFile} /mnt/etc/nixos/configuration.nix
       ''}
 
-      # Generate the GRUB menu.
-      ln -s vda /dev/xvda
-      ln -s vda /dev/sda
-      ${optionalString installBootLoader "chroot /mnt ${config.system.build.toplevel}/bin/switch-to-configuration boot"}
+      # Remove /etc/machine-id so that each machine cloning this image will get its own id
+      rm -f /mnt/etc/machine-id
 
-      umount /mnt/proc /mnt/dev /mnt/sys
       umount /mnt
 
       # Do a fsck to make sure resize2fs works.
diff --git a/nixos/modules/installer/tools/nixos-install.sh b/nixos/modules/installer/tools/nixos-install.sh
index 758f0cdb9d3f..0c14e51336e5 100644
--- a/nixos/modules/installer/tools/nixos-install.sh
+++ b/nixos/modules/installer/tools/nixos-install.sh
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ fi
 # Parse the command line for the -I flag
 extraBuildFlags=()
 chrootCommand=(/run/current-system/sw/bin/bash)
+buildUsersGroup="nixbld"
 
 while [ "$#" -gt 0 ]; do
     i="$1"; shift 1
@@ -42,6 +43,7 @@ while [ "$#" -gt 0 ]; do
             ;;
         --closure)
             closure="$1"; shift 1
+            buildUsersGroup=""
             ;;
         --no-channel-copy)
             noChannelCopy=1
@@ -100,8 +102,8 @@ mount -t tmpfs -o "mode=0755" none $mountPoint/run
 mount -t tmpfs -o "mode=0755" none $mountPoint/var/setuid-wrappers
 rm -rf $mountPoint/var/run
 ln -s /run $mountPoint/var/run
-rm -f $mountPoint/etc/{resolv.conf,hosts}
-cp -Lf /etc/resolv.conf /etc/hosts $mountPoint/etc/
+for f in /etc/resolv.conf /etc/hosts; do rm -f $mountPoint/$f; [ -f "$f" ] && cp -Lf $f $mountPoint/etc/; done
+for f in /etc/passwd /etc/group;      do touch $mountPoint/$f; [ -f "$f" ] && mount --rbind -o ro $f $mountPoint/$f; done
 
 cp -Lf "@cacert@" "$mountPoint/tmp/ca-cert.crt"
 export SSL_CERT_FILE=/tmp/ca-cert.crt
@@ -141,7 +143,7 @@ mkdir -m 0755 -p \
     $mountPoint/nix/var/log/nix/drvs
 
 mkdir -m 1775 -p $mountPoint/nix/store
-chown root:@nixbld_gid@ $mountPoint/nix/store
+chown @root_uid@:@nixbld_gid@ $mountPoint/nix/store
 
 
 # There is no daemon in the chroot.
@@ -155,7 +157,7 @@ export LC_TIME=
 
 
 # Builds will use users that are members of this group
-extraBuildFlags+=(--option "build-users-group" "nixbld")
+extraBuildFlags+=(--option "build-users-group" "$buildUsersGroup")
 
 
 # Inherit binary caches from the host
@@ -163,11 +165,6 @@ binary_caches="$(@perl@/bin/perl -I @nix@/lib/perl5/site_perl/*/* -e 'use Nix::C
 extraBuildFlags+=(--option "binary-caches" "$binary_caches")
 
 
-touch $mountPoint/etc/passwd $mountPoint/etc/group
-mount --bind -o ro /etc/passwd $mountPoint/etc/passwd
-mount --bind -o ro /etc/group $mountPoint/etc/group
-
-
 # Copy Nix to the Nix store on the target device, unless it's already there.
 if ! NIX_DB_DIR=$mountPoint/nix/var/nix/db nix-store --check-validity @nix@ 2> /dev/null; then
     echo "copying Nix to $mountPoint...."
@@ -246,7 +243,7 @@ ln -sfn /nix/var/nix/profiles/per-user/root/channels $mountPoint/root/.nix-defex
 
 
 # Get rid of the /etc bind mounts.
-umount $mountPoint/etc/passwd $mountPoint/etc/group
+for f in /etc/passwd /etc/group; do [ -f "$f" ] && umount $mountPoint/$f; done
 
 
 # Grub needs an mtab.
diff --git a/nixos/modules/installer/tools/tools.nix b/nixos/modules/installer/tools/tools.nix
index 687a3142fa4a..fc39a653abdc 100644
--- a/nixos/modules/installer/tools/tools.nix
+++ b/nixos/modules/installer/tools/tools.nix
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ let
     inherit (pkgs) perl pathsFromGraph rsync;
     nix = config.nix.package.out;
     cacert = "${pkgs.cacert}/etc/ssl/certs/ca-bundle.crt";
+    root_uid = config.ids.uids.root;
     nixbld_gid = config.ids.gids.nixbld;
 
     nixClosure = pkgs.runCommand "closure"