How to change the language of a Windows Server 2016 core?

Question

Hello,

We have installed an ADFS in an Azure VM to provide redundancy with our already existing on-premise ADFS.

However, Azure's Windows Server images are in en-US. This cause issue with the web pages of the ADFS being displayed to end-users in English if they hit the ADFS hosted in Azure (we are a french company).

So, I need to switch the language of this server to fr-FR, but I'm unable to install the required language pack. I've found this documentation, but it requires a .cab file that I'm unable to find. I've an ISO of Windows Server 2016 in French (that we use to install all of our on-premise servers), but I didn't find the .cab file in it either.

Where can I find this .cab file? Or is there any other way to install the fr-FR language pack on a 2016 core?

Answer 1

To change the language of a Windows Server 2016 Core installation, such as an Azure VM, you can follow these steps:  

1. Obtain the language pack: 

 Download the fr-FR language pack for Windows Server 2016 from official sources like the Microsoft Volume Licensing Service Center (VLSC) or the Microsoft Visual Studio Subscription portal. Ensure you select the correct language pack for your Windows Server edition and architecture.  

2. Mount the ISO:  

If you have the ISO file for the French version of Windows Server 2016, mount it on the server. This will create a virtual DVD drive with the ISO contents.  

3. Locate the language pack .cab file:  

Within the mounted ISO, navigate to the "Language Packs" folder and find the fr-FR language pack .cab file. It should have a filename starting with "lp" and ending with ".cab". If you cannot find the file, double-check the ISO, or consider obtaining the language pack from a reliable source.  

4. Install the language pack: 

 Open an elevated Command Prompt on the Windows Server 2016 Core installation. Use the following DISM command to install the language pack:  

dism /online /add-package /packagepath:<path-to-cab-file> /norestart  
  

Replace <path-to-cab-file> with the full path to the fr-FR language pack .cab file you found earlier.  

5. Set the system language:  

After installing the language pack, execute the following command to set the system language to fr-FR:  

dism /online /set-syslocale:fr-FR /norestart  
  

6. Restart the server:  

Restart the Windows Server 2016 Core VM to apply the language pack and system language changes.  

Once the server restarts, it will be running in the fr-FR language, and the ADFS web pages will be displayed in French to end-users accessing it in Azure.  

Let me know if this works.