Create a Server Recovery DVD for Multi-Language Support

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Updated: October 4, 2012

Applies To: Windows Server 2012 Essentials, Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials

Create a server setup and server recovery DVD for multiple language support on locally administered servers

Note

You must first create a multilingual Windows image as described in the Walkthrough: Multilingual Windows Image Creation before you add the Windows Server 2012 Essentials langauage pack into install.wim.

There are two phases of setup: the Windows Preinstallation Environment (Windows PE) and the initial configuration. By default, the language selection page in initial configuration will not be displayed.

  • For an OEM remotely administered installation or an OEM preinstallation scenario, you need to add a registry key using following command to display the language selection page in initial configuration.

    %systemroot%\system32\reg.exe add "HKLM\Software\microsoft\windows server\setup" /v ShowPreinstallPages /t REG_SZ /d true /f

Important

When OEMs create an image in the lab, they must choose English as the language during the Windows PE phase of setup.

  • For a Reseller Option Kit (ROK) scenario, customers receive a DVD, and perhaps, some hardware. The customer should able to select the language during Windows PE setup, and the language selection page is no longer displayed during initial configuration.

You may choose to ship a single dual-layer DVD that contains multiple languages.

This section describes how to add language support to Windows Setup. The primary tool for customizing Windows PE 3.0 is Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM), a command-line tool. This solution enables the following scenarios:

  1. Creating multilingual installations

  2. Creating distributable media

Prerequisites

To add multilingual support to Windows Setup, you need the following:

  • A technician computer that provides all the tools and source files necessary to create a customized WinPE image. For more information, see Prepare the Technician Computer.

  • A Windows Server 2012 Essentials DVD.

  • A Windows Server 2012 Essentials Language Pack DVD.

Adding multiple language support

To add multiple language support to Windows Setup you update the Install.wim by adding the Windows Server 2012 and the Windows Server 2012 Essentials language packs to it.

Update Install.wim

In this step, you add Windows Server 2012 and Windows Server 2012 Essentials language packs into Install.wim.

Note

Verify that you install language packs for Windows Server 2012. This assures that you get the appropriate branding. The Windows Server 2012 Multilingual User Interface Language Packs are available on Microsoft.com. Please follow the instructions as described in the Walkthrough: Multilingual Windows Image Creation on creating a multilingual on creating a multilingual Windows image before you add the Windows Server 2012 Essentials language pack into install.wim. Windows Server 2012 Essentials language packs are available in the Language pack media at \Language Packs<CultureName>.

Note

Not all language packs may not available prior to the release of Windows Server 2012.

To add language packs to Install.wim

  1. Add operating system and product language packs into the Install.wim as follows (this example uses French):

    Dism /Mount-Wim /WimFile:C:\my_distribution\sources\install.wim /index:1 /MountDir:C:\InstallMount  
Mkdir c:\temp_Scratch  
Dism /Image:C:\InstallMount /ScratchDir:C:\temp_Scratch /Add-Package /PackagePath:<path_to_OS_language_packs>\fr-fr\lp.cab  
Dism /Image:C:\InstallMount /ScratchDir:C:\temp_Scratch /Add-Package /PackagePath:<OCD\Language Packs\FR-FR\lp.cab

  2. Add Language specific files to support creating the Client Backup Restore USB flash drive, using the procedure described in Build Multi-Language Client Restore Media.

  3. Recreate the Lang.ini file in the loose media to reflect the additional language support by using the DISM /Gen-LangINI command, for example:

    Dism /image:C:\InstallMount /Gen-LangINI /distribution:C:\my_distribution

  4. Save your changes back into the image by using the DISM /unmount /commit command, for example:

    Dism /Unmount-Wim /MountDir:C:\InstallMount /Commit

See Also

Creating and Customizing the Image
Additional Customizations
Preparing the Image for Deployment
Testing the Customer Experience