You Cannot Change the Default User Interface Language After You Run Sysprep (309433)

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256986 Description of the Microsoft Windows Registry

SYMPTOMS

After you run the Sysprep tool on a Windows XP-based computer, the default system user interface language cannot be changed by modifying the Default user account settings value on the Advanced tab in the Regional and Language Options tool in Control Panel. The default system user interface language is the language that is used during the startup process, when no one is logged on, or while you are logging on. This problem occurs under the following conditions:

The computer is running Windows XP Professional with Windows XP Multilingual User Interface Pack installed.
You prepared the computer for imaging by using a Sysprep image.
During the Sysprep mini-Setup process, a user interface language was selected.

CAUSE

Sysprep mini-Setup runs in the context of the local system and uses the user profile that is used by Windows after Sysprep finishes. The registry key that is used during Sysprep for the system profile is HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT. Changing the user interface selection during Sysprep causes a registry value named HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Desktop\MUILanguagePending to be created, which specifies the user interface language that will be used the next time a user logs on to the computer. Typically, this occurs in the profile of the logged-on user, but there is no logged-on user context during Sysprep mini-Setup. Therefore, this value applies to the default system profile.

The default system profile is unlike any other user profile because the MUILanguagePending entry that is created during Sysprep is never deleted. When the Default user account settings setting in the Regional and Language Options tool in Control Panel is used, the HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Desktop\MUILanguage registry key is updated to reflect the new choice. However, this setting is always overwritten by the value that remains in the HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Desktop\MUILanguagePending setting. Under normal operation, the default user profile does not make use of the MUILanguagePending value. The MUILanguage is modified directly instead.

RESOLUTION

WARNING: If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

To work around this behavior, delete the following registry value: