Cannot skip language selection during deployment

[Lagamorph]

Hi all,

I've managed to resolve language pack problems I've been having with 2008R2 and 2012R2 deployments, but just cannot get past the issues I'm having when attempting to deploy 2008 SP2 (x86).

All attempts to install the language packs during the task sequence ended in failure (including trying to use a DISM command during the task sequence), and even attempting to manually install the language pack on a deployed image also failed (the language pack was reported as compatible, the installation just failed with a generic error and no further information). Eventually I used DISM to add the language pack package to the image offline before deployment, and this completed successfully. However, now upon attempting any deployment using the image, I'm presented with the below screen,

If I select English and then hit next, I get a "Thank you" screen and also have to click 'Start', before the deployment then proceeds as normal.

I've got the below Customsettings.ini configured to try and skip this, but to no effect,

[settings]

Priority=Default

Properties=MyCustomProperty

[Default]

OSInstall=Y

SkipCapture=YES

SkipAdminPassword=NO

SkipProductKey=YES

SkipLocaleSelection=YES

SystemLocale:en-gb

InputLocale:en-gb

KeyboardLocale=0809:00000809

UserLocale=en-GB

UILanguage=en-GB

SkipTimeZone=YES

TimeZoneName=GMT Standard Time

SkipSummary=Yes

The part in bold is what I have added in addition to the default Customsettings.ini

I think the reason for this is because I'm using an image that's originally en-us, then have applied a German Language pack, and am then trying to configure en-GB Timezone/keyboard/language. However even if I use the original customsettings.ini file, so not attempting to configure en-GB and just leaving the en-US defaults alone, I still get the same issue and the deployment stops on that screen.

I have attempted to use DISM on the image to run /Set-SKUIntlDefaults:en-gb but this ends in a failure that DISM isn't supported on the target image, likely because it's 2008SP2 x86.

If anyone has any suggestions I'd very much love to hear them

[NickolajA]

This appears when the unattend.xml contains empty or invalid rules during the Specialize step if I'm not mistaken. I've had that a few times in the past. Have a look at your unattend.xml and verify that you've provided correct values.

[Lagamorph]

Hi,

 

I've located the Specialize step in my Unattend.xml, however within that I have specified the settings in the "Microsoft-Windows-International-Core" area, which is the only place I can find to configure location options that would seem to influence this.

 

Below is the specialize step from my xml file,

 

 

<settings pass="specialize">

<component name="Microsoft-Windows-UnattendedJoin" processorArchitecture="x86" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State">

<Identification>

<Credentials>

<Username>

</Username>

<Domain>

</Domain>

<Password>

</Password>

</Credentials>

<JoinDomain>

</JoinDomain>

<JoinWorkgroup>

</JoinWorkgroup>

<MachineObjectOU>

</MachineObjectOU>

</Identification>

</component>

<component name="Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup" processorArchitecture="x86" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State">

<ComputerName>

</ComputerName>

<ProductKey>

</ProductKey>

<RegisteredOrganization>

</RegisteredOrganization>

<RegisteredOwner>

</RegisteredOwner>

<DoNotCleanTaskBar>true</DoNotCleanTaskBar>

<TimeZone>Pacific Standard Time</TimeZone>

</component>

<component name="Microsoft-Windows-IE-InternetExplorer" processorArchitecture="x86" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State"xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">

<Home_Page>http://www.microsoft.com/</Home_Page>

<DisableWelcomePage>true</DisableWelcomePage>

<DisableFirstRunWizard>false</DisableFirstRunWizard>

</component>

<component name="Microsoft-Windows-Deployment" processorArchitecture="x86" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State"xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">

<RunSynchronous>

<RunSynchronousCommand wcm:action="add">

<Description>EnableAdmin</Description>

<Order>1</Order>

<Path>cmd /c net user Administrator /active:yes</Path>

</RunSynchronousCommand>

<RunSynchronousCommand wcm:action="add">

<Description>UnfilterAdministratorToken</Description>

<Order>2</Order>

<Path>cmd /c reg add HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System /v FilterAdministratorToken /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f</Path>

</RunSynchronousCommand>

<RunSynchronousCommand wcm:action="add">

<Description>disable user account page</Description>

<Order>3</Order>

<Path>reg add HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Setup\OOBE /v UnattendCreatedUser /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f</Path>

</RunSynchronousCommand>

</RunSynchronous>

</component>

<component name="Microsoft-Windows-International-Core" processorArchitecture="x86" 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>0809:00000809</InputLocale>

<SystemLocale>en-GB</SystemLocale>

<UILanguage>en-GB</UILanguage>

<UserLocale>en-GB</UserLocale>

</component>

<component name="Microsoft-Windows-TapiSetup" processorArchitecture="x86" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State"xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">

<TapiConfigured>0</TapiConfigured>

<TapiUnattendLocation>

<AreaCode>""</AreaCode>

<CountryOrRegion>1</CountryOrRegion>

<LongDistanceAccess>9</LongDistanceAccess>

<OutsideAccess>9</OutsideAccess>

<PulseOrToneDialing>1</PulseOrToneDialing>

<DisableCallWaiting>""</DisableCallWaiting>

<InternationalCarrierCode>""</InternationalCarrierCode>

<LongDistanceCarrierCode>""</LongDistanceCarrierCode>

<Name>Default</Name>

</TapiUnattendLocation>

</component>

<component name="Microsoft-Windows-SystemRestore-Main" processorArchitecture="x86" 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>

Is there something there that's missing?

Or could the issue be down to me setting en-GB in everything even though I'm using an en-US image?

[NickolajA]

Looks right to my eyes, how about the oobeSystem phase?

[Lagamorph]

Looks right to my eyes, how about the oobeSystem phase?

They were the same, en-GB and 809 keyboard code, same with the windowsPE phase.

 

I've done some further reading and found one post on Technet that suggested only changing the SystemLocale, UserLocale and UILanguageFallback to en-GB, leaving everything else (such as UILanguage and InputLocale) as the default en-US in all phases of the unattend.xml. I've given this a try and the build does appear to have now been successful.

Going to do a few more tests, including a build with the Enterprise index, but so far so good. It looks like the cause of the issue may have been a conflict in the unattend.xml between the languages I was trying to set and the language of the base image after all. I'm also going to try changing the InputLocale but leave the UILanguage alone at en-US, since the deployed image still has american keyboard layout and date formatting. If that causes the selection screen to come back up again though, I may have to admit defeat on that one for the time being and perhaps look to have those set by GPO.

 

Thanks very much, looks like you were right about the unattend.xml being the cause of the problem