The Microsoft Systems Preparation Tool May Reset the Computer Back to Its Default Regional Settings

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This article was previously published under Q284962

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SYMPTOMS

When you create an image with the Microsoft System Preparation (Sysprep) tool, you can use an English-based (United States) version of Windows 2000 to build a master image and you can add support for additional languages as well as change the default language setting to another language by using the Regional Settings tool in Control Panel. However, after you run the Sysprep tool and copy the image to a target computer, the language settings on your computer may have been set back to their default settings.

For example, if you used an English (United States) version of Windows 2000 to create a master image and the default language locale had been changed to French, after Sysprep is finished, your computer may have been set back to English (United States).

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CAUSE

This behavior can occur because of a missing or incorrect [regionalSettings] section in the Sysprep.inf file.

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RESOLUTION

To resolve this behavior, use the [RegionalSettings] section in the Sysprep.inf file. The following example demonstrates how you can retain French (standard) as the default language on a computer that uses the Sysprep tool:

[Unattended] 
...
InstallFilesPath = C:\Sysprep\I386 
...

[RegionalSettings] 
LanguageGroup = 1 
Language = 0000040c

NOTE: The InstallFilesPath folder must be present and the Lang folder (located on the Windows 2000 CD-ROM) must be copied under the folder that is specified by the key, otherwise the computer reverts back to the default language locale.

A detailed list of regional settings is located in the Unattend.doc file, which can be located on the Windows 2000 Server CD-ROM in the \Support\Tools\Deploy.cab folder.

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MORE INFORMATION

When Setup is run, the languages must be reinstalled. This reinstallment of the languages can increase the flexibility of the process because you are not required to have the language or locale installed before you run the Sysprep tool. For example, if you required the default language or locale to be set, you are required to have one image for each language, such as, French or English (United Kingdom). When you reinstall the languages, however, you can change the settings in the Sysprep.inf file provided that the required language files are present, under the InstallFilesPath folder.

Some of the settings in the [regionalSettings] section are user specific, not network wide:

Input locale - This setting is user specific.
Language - This setting is for the language that is specified and it must be one that is installed by the Language group key.
LanguageGroup - This setting installs only the language on the computer, it does not set it active.
SystemLocale - This setting is for the language specified and it must be one that is listed or installed by the LanguageGroup key, or the default language is used.
Userlocale - This setting is user specific.

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