Microsoft KB Archive/313421

= HOW TO: Configure a Remote Installation Services Server to Support Multiple-Language Deployments in Windows 2000 =

PSS ID Number: 313421

Article Last Modified on 10/30/2003

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The information in this article applies to:


 * Microsoft Windows 2000 Server
 * Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server

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This article was previously published under Q313421



IN THIS TASK

 * SUMMARY
 * ** To Enable Language Selection in the Client Installation Wizard
 * Restrictions for Using a Multilanguage RIS Server
 * REFERENCES



SUMMARY
To support multiple languages on a single Remote Installation Services (RIS) server, modify the Welcome.osc file that is included in the default RIS installation. This article contains an example of how to customize the Welcome.osc file so that the first screen that is displayed provides a list of supported languages for users to select. Note that if only one language option exists on your server, this screen is not displayed.

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To Enable Language Selection in the Client Installation Wizard
 Using a text editor such as Notepad, open the Multilng.osc file in the OSChooser folder. Modify the  tags to match the languages that are supported by the server. Save the modified Multilng.osc over the Welcome.osc file. (A copy of the original Welcome.osc file is located in the language-specific folder. For example, the English-language folder is named OSChooser\English.) Create folders for each supported language in the OSChooser folder. Create the Client Installation Wizard screens that are required for each language. If you want to, you can copy these directly from the supplied OSChooser\English folder. This is a sample screen:





<META KEY=F3 ACTION=&quot;REBOOT&quot;>

<TITLE> Client Installation Wizard Multilanguage Welcome Example </TITLE>

<FOOTER> Select a language and press [ENTER] to continue </FOOTER>

<BODY left=5 right=75>

<BR>

<BR>

Select a language from the list below. The language you select determines which language-specific operating system choices and tools are offered for installation.

<BR>

<FORM ACTION=&quot;WELCOME&quot;>

<SELECT NAME=&quot;LANGUAGE&quot; SIZE=4>

<OPTION VALUE=&quot;ENGLISH&quot;> English

<OPTION VALUE=&quot;GERMAN&quot;> Deutsch

<OPTION VALUE=&quot;SPANISH&quot;> Espanol

<OPTION VALUE=&quot;FRENCH&quot;> Francais

</SELECT>

</FORM>

<BR>

NOTE TO ADMINISTRATORS: This file is an example of a multilanguage Welcome screen. By using a multilanguage Welcome screen, you can host multiple languages of an operating system (OS) on a remote installation server, yet present only the language-specific OS options. When a user selects a language, the remote installation service presents a list of operating systems that match the chosen language. You need to ensure that the languages listed above are available as images on the remote installation servers on your network.

</BODY>

</OSCML>

</li></ol>

After you follow these steps, users who perform a network-service boot receive the multilanguage welcome screen. Subsequent Client Installation Wizard screens are obtained from the OSChooser\ folder that matches the selected language. The selected language limits the list of image options that are displayed to the user.

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Restrictions for Using a Multilanguage RIS Server
The Client Installation Wizard does not support non-101 keyboards, non-OEM fonts, or Multi-Byte Character Set (MBCS)/Unicode character sets. These limitations apply to data that is used in the Client Installation Wizard, such as computer names, domain names, and file and folder names (such as answer files).

These limitations also restrict information that can be displayed to users, such as sample or descriptive text, and information that users can enter in the Client Installation Wizard, such as user names, passwords, and domain names.

Because of these restrictions, make sure that the common strings for users who use RIS servers, such as domain names, user names, and user passwords, do not contain characters that cannot be used in the Client Installation Wizard.

In addition, even though you can use a different set of Client Installation Wizard screen files for the language that is selected, creating screens that are fully localized for the selected language is not possible by using the available character sets in many cases.

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