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I'm trying to deploy a Windows Embedded 7 Standard (WE7S) image, which was created with the Image Creation Editor (ICE). I achieved a working hands-free installation from a USB-Flash-Drive of this image (based on this article).

Now I would like to deploy the created image using the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit, but the installation always stucks at the same screen: Language and other preferences. The field "Language to install:" contains no data and because of this i can't proceed the installation (See attached screenshot).

I tried three different ways of adding the image:

  1. Import the OS with the option "Full set of source files", pointing at the folder, containing the installation files created by ICE
  2. Importing the OS with "Custom image file", pointing at the created *.wim file, adding additional Setup files via the "Copy Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, or later setup files from the specific path." pointing at the from ICE created folder.
  3. Adding the Language Packs via "Packages > Import OS Packages", pointing at the ICE Distribution Share. 6 Language Packs have been imported (en-US, de-DE, es-ES, ...)

(I also tried the same with the new MDT 2012 - but I'm getting the same error...) How can I solve this problem? Please post, if you need any further information!

Thanks in advance, Birgit

Update: It seems, the created Windows Embedded 7 Standard Image has the language packages not integrated in a form, MDT can handle. The "Properties"-Form of the OS shows a blank field for "Language(s)"... (See second screenshot)

Screenshot - Deployment Wizard, Missing Languages

Screenshot - OS Properties, Empty Language(s) field

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I believe you should be using ICE/IBW for creating unattended installers of Windows Embedded Standard 7 (the article you are referring to should apply to Windows Embedded Standard 2011 instead).

Here is a working process which I currently use:

  1. Connect ICE to a distribution share containing the required language packs.
  2. In ICE, create an answer file.
  3. Add the Language Packs you need to that answer file.
  4. Specify the default UI language and locale in the answer file. You do that by modifying settings such as InputLocale, SystemLocale, UILanguage and UILanguageFallback in a package such as International-Core_amd64. Remember that you can F1 on any setting and package to get online help.
  5. Make other adjustments as your project requires. For a completely unattended installation you will need to specify additional parameters, such as the license key, time zone, network preference, etc. All of this you can do in the answers file, of course.
  6. From the ICE main menu, select Tools > Create Media > Create IBW image from answer file. When prompted, select an empty folder; for example, C:\UnattendedIBW. Click OK. After the process finishes, create an ISO from the IBW image source in C:\UnattendedIBW.
  7. To do so, perform the following (note, the command is for x64 distribution shares only, you have to modify it accordingly to use x86 counterparts of oscdimg and etfsboot.com) from the command line:

    Set %WES7_DIR% to point to "C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Embedded Standard 7\Tools"
    

    then

    "%WES7_TOOLS%\AMD64\oscdimg" -n -m -b"%WES7_TOOLS%\PETools\AMD64\boot\etfsboot.com" "C:\UnattendedIBW" "C:\UnattendedIBW.iso"
    

This results in an ISO you can burn or connect to a virtual machine for testing (C:\UnattendedIBW.iso).

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