25H2 does not accept keyboard settings

[wininstaller]

First I want to thank you for you're tool! Was thinking about creating something similar when I found it.

The autounattend.xml file is working verry well but recently I have upgraded my installation stick to 25H2. Ever since the keyboard settings are not set to the installation, instead the keyboard setting of the installation language are used. Everything else, like regional settings, is still working.

Any ideas what to do?

[stimpy81]

I think this is a bug in Windows Setup. Since forever, even just installing Windows on an untouched ISO with no mods, if I tell OOBE that my keyboard is Danish, but my language is English, it always installs the English keyboard and not the Danish one. It was the same when I used this Autounnattend about 10 months ago, so I tried adding a second language and keyboard layout during setup, and that worked, but it still set the keyboard layout to UK, but at least the Danish keyboard was installed, so I just removed the English UK keyboard, so it was still the same amount of manual work to get it using the Danish keyboard layout with the English UK language.

[cschneegans]

I did modify code related to language and keyboard settings a while ago, but this only affected the Windows PE stage.

Please attach your autounattend.xml file and state what image you are using.

[wininstaller]

I did modify code related to language and keyboard settings a while ago, but this only affected the Windows PE stage.

Please attach your autounattend.xml file and state what image you are using.

Thanks for the reply

In attachement, you can find my XML file. The image I use to create a USB-stick is 25H2. (created with Rufus or Microsoft media creation tool makes no difference.

autounattend_blankedWiFi.xml

[wininstaller]

I think this is a bug in Windows Setup. Since forever, even just installing Windows on an untouched ISO with no mods, if I tell OOBE that my keyboard is Danish, but my language is English, it always installs the English keyboard and not the Danish one. It was the same when I used this Autounnattend about 10 months ago, so I tried adding a second language and keyboard layout during setup, and that worked, but it still set the keyboard layout to UK, but at least the Danish keyboard was installed, so I just removed the English UK keyboard, so it was still the same amount of manual work to get it using the Danish keyboard layout with the English UK language.

It is indeed possible it's a Windows Setup - bug. Everything was working with a 23H2 installation ISO.

[wininstaller]

Little update. Tested with installation media with 24H2, which is also working. Probably a 25H2 thing.

[cschneegans]

autounattend_blankedWiFi.xml

That file looks fine to me. Please also post the contents of the \sources\lang.ini file from your USB thumb drive – it should look similar to this:

[Available UI Languages]
en-us = 3

[Fallback Languages]
en-us = en-us

[wininstaller]

The content of my lang.ini:

[Available UI Languages]
en-us = 3

[Fallback Languages]
en-us = en-us

[cschneegans]

That lang.ini file does not match the <UILanguage>en-GB</UILanguage> element from your autounattend.xml file.

Note that Microsoft associates the label English International with the en-GB language tag, and English with the en-US language tag. This means that you need to select English International when you download an .iso file or run the Media Creation Tool.

[wininstaller]

My mistake. I have both versions of the ISO on a thub-drive, because I have tested with both versions ("English" and "English international")

[Available UI Languages]
en-gb = 3

[Fallback Languages]
en-gb = en-us

edit:
This is the lang.ini I used with the unattend file

[cschneegans]

Using the Win11_25H2_EnglishInternational_x64.iso image and your .xml file, Windows Setup runs unattendedly from start to finish and sets all language and locale settings as requested. Are you sure that your autounattend.xml file is applied at all? For example, Rufus is known to insert its own file. When in doubt, prepare your USB drive without third-party tools.

[wininstaller]

Yes I'm sure the autounattend.xml file is used. Things like wifi-profile are implemented without any problem. It's just the keyboard layout that is not implemented. The default eng-GB is implemented instead of nl-BE.

I've created a USB-drive using and not-using third-party tool. Makes no difference.

I'm testing some some more stuff, and wil post my findings.

[stimpy81]

Yes I'm sure the autounattend.xml file is used. Things like wifi-profile are implemented without any problem. It's just the keyboard layout that is not implemented. The default eng-GB is implemented instead of nl-BE.

I've created a USB-drive using and not-using third-party tool. Makes no difference.

I'm testing some some more stuff, and wil post my findings.

This is how Windows setup has been for years. I muse International English, but have a Danish keyboard. Windows has never set the Danish keyboard as the default, even though I tell it to during setup.

[cschneegans]

This is how Windows setup has been for years. I muse International English, but have a Danish keyboard. Windows has never set the Danish keyboard as the default, even though I tell it to during setup.

I cannot reproduce this either. I have just installed Windows using the Win11_25H2_EnglishInternational_x64.iso image and set the Language setting in the form to German (Germany) and the Keyboard setting to Danish.

When the installation was complete, Windows did use the Danish keyboard as the initial setting:

In fact, typing on my keyboard produced åæø rather than üöä.

I ran this test in VirtualBox. It is possible that Windows behaves differently with physical hardware.

[wininstaller]

Did some more testing: (all autunattend.xml are created with the website/tool)

1. installation of 25H2 with empty autounanttend.xml, only language settings

		<component name="Microsoft-Windows-International-Core" processorArchitecture="amd64" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS">
			**<InputLocale>0407:00000406</InputLocale>**
			<SystemLocale>de-DE</SystemLocale>
			<UILanguage>en-GB</UILanguage>
			<UserLocale>de-DE</UserLocale>
		</component>

Keyboard is set to DEU-DA as expected.

2. installation of 25H2 with empty autounanttend.xml, only language settings

		<component name="Microsoft-Windows-International-Core" processorArchitecture="amd64" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS">
			**<InputLocale>0813:00000813</InputLocale>**
			<SystemLocale>nl-BE</SystemLocale>
			<UILanguage>en-GB</UILanguage>
			<UserLocale>nl-BE</UserLocale>
		</component>

Keyboard is set to Belgian-Point as expected.

3. installation of 25H2 with all settings we want in autounanttend.xml
   including language settings (idem as test2)

		<component name="Microsoft-Windows-International-Core" processorArchitecture="amd64" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS">
			<InputLocale>0813:00000813</InputLocale>
			<SystemLocale>nl-BE</SystemLocale>
			<UILanguage>en-GB</UILanguage>
			<UserLocale>nl-BE</UserLocale>
		</component>

Keyboard not set as expected but ENG-UK, so some other setting than the language setting is messing up the keyboard settings