Add languages to Windows Setup

Article
04/05/2022

To support multiple languages with Windows Setup:

Add languages to the Windows Setup image (boot.wim index:2) to help technicians or users install Windows images through Windows Setup.
When you add languages to a Windows image (install.wim), add a list of languages (lang.ini) so that during installation, the technician or user can select which language is installed as the default language.

You can include a different set of languages for your Windows images and Windows Setup.

Prerequisites

A technician computer that has the Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit (Windows ADK) and Windows PE add-on installed.

If you're using the ADK for Windows 10, version 1803 or earlier, Windows PE is part of the ADK and doesn't require the Windows PE add-on.
Windows installation media for all languages that you are creating media.
The Windows language pack ISO.

A technician computer that has the Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit (Windows ADK) and Windows PE add-on installed.
Windows installation media for all languages that you are creating media.
The Languages and Optional Features ISO.

Step 1. Copy installation files to a working folder

On your technician PC, copy the Windows installation files from the Windows installation media to a local directory.

If you are creating media for use with a customized image, you must use the Windows media that corresponds to the version of your customized image. For example, if you are building a custom Windows 11 Setup image, you must use the original Windows 11 product media.

md C:\my_distribution
xcopy /E D: C:\my_distribution

Where D: is the location of the Windows installation media.

Step 2. Add languages to the default Windows Setup boot image (index:2)

Click Start, and type deployment. Right-click Deployment and Imaging Tools Environment and then select Run as administrator.

Mount the second image (index 2) in Boot.wim.

md C:\mount\boot
Dism /mount-image /imagefile:C:\my_distribution\sources\boot.wim /index:2 /mountdir:C:\Mount\boot

Add language packs from the Windows ADK into your mounted image using Dism /Add-Package for each language you want to support. Add lp.cab, WinPE-setup_<language>.cab. Also add WinPE-Setup-client_<language>.cab. For Windows Server, also add WinPE-Setup-server_<language>.cab

Windows PE language packs are available in the Windows ADK.

Example for Windows desktop editions using fr-FR:

Dism /image:C:\mount\boot /add-package /packagepath:"C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\10\Assessment and Deployment Kit\Windows Preinstallation Environment\amd64\WinPE_OCs\fr-fr\lp.cab"

Dism /image:C:\mount\boot /add-package /packagepath:"C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\10\Assessment and Deployment Kit\Windows Preinstallation Environment\amd64\WinPE_OCs\fr-fr\WinPE-Setup_fr-fr.cab"

Dism /image:C:\mount\boot /add-package /packagepath:"C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\10\Assessment and Deployment Kit\Windows Preinstallation Environment\amd64\WinPE_OCs\fr-fr\WinPE-Setup-Client_fr-fr.cab"

Example for Windows Server using fr-FR:

Dism /image:C:\mount\boot /add-package /packagepath:"C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\10\Assessment and Deployment Kit\Windows Preinstallation Environment\amd64\WinPE_OCs\fr-fr\lp.cab"

Dism /image:C:\mount\boot /add-package /packagepath:"C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\10\Assessment and Deployment Kit\Windows Preinstallation Environment\amd64\WinPE_OCs\fr-fr\WinPE-Setup_fr-fr.cab"

Dism /image:C:\mount\boot /add-package /packagepath:"C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\10\Assessment and Deployment Kit\Windows Preinstallation Environment\amd64\WinPE_OCs\fr-fr\WinPE-Setup-Server_fr-fr.cab"

For Japanese (ja-JP), Korean (ko-KR), and Chinese (zh-HK, zh-CN, zh-TW), add font support to your image. For example, to add Japanese font support:

Dism /image:C:\mount\boot /add-package /packagepath:"C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\10\Assessment and Deployment Kit\Windows Preinstallation Environment\amd64\WinPE_OCs\WinPE-FontSupport-JA-JP.cab"

For Thai (th-TH), add the WinPE-FontSupport-WinRE package to your image.

Dism /image:C:\mount\boot /add-package /packagepath:"C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\10\Assessment and Deployment Kit\Windows Preinstallation Environment\amd64\WinPE_OCs\WinPE-FontSupport-WinRE.cab"

For more information about specifying different international settings, see DISM Languages and International Servicing Command-Line Options.

Step 3: Add localized Windows Setup resources to the Windows distribution

In this step you copy the language-specific Setup resources from each language-specific Windows distribution to the Sources folder in your Windows distribution. For example, mount the fr-FR Windows installation media as drive E: and copy the Fr-FR sources folder to your Windows distribution.

Note

Language interface packs (LIP) are not supported on Windows Setup.

Copy the localized Windows Setup files to your Windows distribution.
```
xcopy E:\sources\fr-fr C:\my_distribution\sources\fr-fr /cherkyi
```
Where E: is the location of the Windows installation media that contains the localized Windows Setup resources.

Step 4. Add language packs to the Windows image

To modify the languages in the Windows image, see Add Language Packs to Windows.

After you do this, update the list of available Windows languages (Lang.ini):

Recreate the Lang.ini file to reflect the additional languages.

Dism /image:C:\mount\windows /gen-langINI /distribution:C:\my_distribution

Change the Windows Setup default language:

Dism /image:C:\mount\boot /Set-SetupUILang:fr-FR /distribution:C:\my_distribution

Copy the lang.ini file in the Windows distribution to the boot folder.

Xcopy C:\my_distribution\sources\lang.ini C:\mount\boot\sources\lang.ini

Step 5: Commit the changes to the Windows images

Dism /unmount-image /mountdir:C:\mount\boot /commit
Dism /unmount-image /mountdir:C:\mount\windows /commit

Step 6: Create the media

USB flash drive

Use MakeWinPEMedia with the /UFD option to format and install Windows PE to the USB flash drive, specifying the USB key's drive letter:

MakeWinPEMedia /UFD C:\my_distribution F:

To learn more, see WinPE: Create USB Bootable drive.

DVD or CD

Create a boot order file. This is required for DVD or CD images larger than 4.5 GB to make sure that boot files are located at the beginning of the image.

For example, copy this into a text file called C:\Temp\BootOrder.txt:

boot\bcd
boot\boot.sdi
boot\bootfix.bin
boot\bootsect.exe
boot\etfsboot.com
boot\memtest.efi
boot\memtest.exe
boot\en-us\bootsect.exe.mui
boot\fonts\chs_boot.ttf
boot\fonts\cht_boot.ttf
boot\fonts\jpn_boot.ttf
boot\fonts\kor_boot.ttf
boot\fonts\wgl4_boot.ttf
sources\boot.wim

Create the ISO file, using the boot order file:

Oscdimg -m -n -yo C:\temp\BootOrder.txt -bC:\winpe_amd64\Efisys.bin C:\winpe_amd64\winpeamd64.iso

In File Explorer, right-click the ISO file and select Burn disc image.

Windows Setup Technical Reference

DISM Image Management Command-Line Options

DISM Windows PE Servicing Command-Line Options

Oscdimg Command-Line Options

WinPE: Mount and Customize

WinPE: Install on a Hard Drive (Flat Boot or Non-RAM)