Windows updates are released as packages with the MSU or CAB extensions. If Windows Update service is not working (or specifically disabled), you can manually download and install the necessary cumulative or security updates for your system. In this article we’ll show how to download and offline install updates in the MSU or CAB file formats in Windows 10.

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How to Manually Download the MSU Windows Update File

Dec 23, 2014  I am looking for some kind of documentation or guide on creating a language pack package, and adding it to the task sequence for deploying Windows 8.1. I have the language pack Cab file, and a custom HTA for creating a variable that I know works, but I cannot get the language pack to actually install. How to install a language pack on Windows Server 2008 (R2). Next, click on the Browse button and select the lp.cab file. Click on Next when the lp.cab file is loaded. Accept the license terms and click Next. The selected language pack is being installed. Click on Finish and then select the new language to display. Microsoft Discontinues Local Experience Packs as CAB Files for Windows 10 'Starting in Windows 10 version 1809 'October 2018 Update', Microsoft will discontinue language packs in the CAB format. As you may already know, Windows 10 version 1803, which is the latest stable version of the OS as of this writing, has introduced Local Experience Packs, also referred to as LXPs.

Initially, Microsoft released security updates and patches in the CAB (Windows cabinet) file format. This is how your computer receives updates from Microsoft update servers or a local WSUS server. To make manual distribution of separate updates using Microsoft Update Catalog more convenient, these CAB files are packed in a special MSU format (Microsoft Update Standalone Installer Package).

You can download MSU Windows updates files (sometimes also CAB files) or files for other Microsoft products from Microsoft Update Catalog (https://www.catalog.update.microsoft.com/). Go to Microsoft Update Catalog, find and download the update you need. For example, I want to install an Adobe Flash Player security update for Windows 10 x64 1507 – KB4056887. Click Download.

Move the file windows10.0-kb4056887-x64_fca8a311f0495e669715ae5aa0e0d8720f945049.msu you have downloaded to the C:temp folder. Rename it, to get a shorter name: windows10.0-kb4056887-x64.msu

Installing MSU Update File in Windows

To start the installation of a Windows update package, just double-click the MSU file you have downloaded. If the update is applicable to this computer, a Windows Update Standalone Installer window will open, where you will be prompted to confirm the update installation.

You can also install an MSU update package using wusa.exe in the command prompt.

To install the update in a silent mode (a user won’t see any pop-up windows) with a later restart, open the command prompt as administrator and run the following command:

wusa.exe c:Tempwindows10.0-kb4056887-x64.msu /quiet /norestart

In some time make sure that the update has been installed successfully by running this command:

wmic qfe list findstr 4056887

Or in the Setup event log, find an entry with the Event ID 2 from the source WUSA and the following message:

Windows update “Security Update for Windows (KB4056887)” was successfully installed. (Command line: “wusa.exe c:Tempwindows10.0-kb4056887-x64.msu /quiet /norestart”)

How to Extract a CAB File from an MSU Update Package

In some cases when Windows Update that is used by wusa works incorrectly (try to reset Windows Update agent settings first), you can’t install an update in the MSU format. In this case you can unpack MSU package manually, extract a CAB file from it and install it manually in your system.

To unpack an MSU package to C:Tempkb4056887 (you have to create this folder in advance), run this command:

expand _f:* “C:Tempwindows10.0-kb4056887-x64.msu” C:Tempkb4056887

Microsoft (R) File Expansion Utility Version 10.0.10011.16384
Copyright (c) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
Adding C:Tmpkb4056887WSUSSCAN.cab to Extraction Queue
Adding C:Tmpkb4056887Windows10.0-KB4056887-x64.cab to Extraction Queue
Adding C:Tmpkb4056887Windows10.0-KB4056887-x64-pkgProperties.txt to Extraction Queue
Adding C:Tmpkb4056887Windows10.0-KB4056887-x64.xml to Extraction Queue
Expanding Files ….
Expanding Files Complete …
4 files total.

As you can see, 4 file types have appeared in the folder:

• An .xml file (Windows10.0-KB4056887-x64.xml) that contains MSU package metadata and used by wusa.exe;
• A .cab file (Windows10.0-KB4056887-x64.cab — one or more) is an archive with Windows update;
• *pkgProperties.txt file (Windows10.0-KB4056887-x64-pkgProperties.txt) that contains package properties (release date, architecture, package type, a link to the KB, etc.).

Installing a CAB Update File in Windows 10

You can install a CAB update file obtained from an MSU package in two ways.

The most common way to install an update from a CAB file is using DISM.exe. The installation command can look like this:

DISM.exe /Online /Add-Package /PackagePath:c:Tempkb4056887Windows10.0-KB4056887-x64.cab

Deployment Image Servicing and Management tool
Version: 10.0.10240.16384
Image Version: 10.0.10240.16384
Processing 1 of 1 — Adding package Package_for_KB4056887~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~10.0.1.0
[100.0%]
The operation completed successfully.

If you have to install a CAB package in a silent mode with a later restart, use the following DISM command:

start /wait DISM.exe /Online /Add-Package /PackagePath: c:Tempkb4056887Windows10.0-KB4056887-x64.cab /Quiet /NoRestart

In Windows 8 and Windows 7, you can install an update using Pkgmgr. The command is:

start /w Pkgmgr /ip /m:c:'c:Tempkb4056887Windows10.0-KB4056887-x64.cab'

Note: The PkgMgr.exe has been deprecated. Please update your scripts to use dism.exe to extract, install, uninstall, configure and update features and packages for Windows.

This guide on manual installation of cumulative or any other Windows updates is applicable to all supported Windows OS versions: Windows 10 / 8.1 / 7 and Windows Server 2016 / 2012 / R2 / 2008 / R2.

Managing Windows languages and language packs on Windows 10 and Server 2016 can be a bit of a daunting task. This article aims to clarify most issues.

An introduction to language packs

A language pack allows you to display Windows in a different language besides English. All windows and menus are displayed in your locale language.

This is not the same as configuring local settings such as keyboard layout, date, time and number formatting. You can configure these locale settings without changing the Windows language. See also some of my other articles:

As far as I can tell, language packs are available for all editions of Windows 10 and Windows Server 2016. To help you reduce the size of your image, language packs in Windows 10 are split into the following language components and Features On Demand:

• Language (interface) pack
  • UI Text (this includes language packs, language interface packs and WinPE language packs which are all available in one download source)
• Features on Demand (additional language packs)
  • Basic (spell check, typing)
  • Fonts
  • Handwriting (for devices with pen inputs)
  • Optical character recognition
  • Text-to-speech (required for Cortana)
  • Speech (required for Cortana)
  • Retail Demo experience

Reference:Language Packs in Windows 10 (microsoft.com)

A language (interface) pack, named UI Text in the above list, changes the display language for the following components:

• The operating system (all text in windows and menus)
• Windows apps and Windows Store
• Internet Explorer
• Edge (applies to Windows 10 only since Windows server has no Edge)
• WinPE (included in the same download source, but has to be used in a WinPE image)

Additional language packs, the so-called Features on Demand, are available for example for spelling, handwriting and speech recognition (Cortana) and more. These have to be downloaded separately and are available for Windows 10 only. They are NOT included within the source files of a language pack. More details are provided later on in this section.

Besides language packs for the operating system, Microsoft offer language packs for applications such as Microsoft Office. These have to be downloaded separately. The availability of language packs for third-party software depends on the vendor. Acrobat Reader for example support more than 30 languages. These are not within the scope of this article. In this article I only deal with language packs and the Features on Demand.

Please be aware that the list of available languages can differ for individual components. For example, the available language packs for Windows and for Office do not have to match. The same goes for third-party software. When planning your language strategy you should count with the fact that you will not find all languages for all products.

By default, when you add a language in Windows, only the keyboard layout is added. The actual Windows display language (the language (interface) pack) has to be downloaded separately. The same goes for additional language packs for handwriting, speech and so forth.

Take a look at the following screenshot. For English and German, the Windows display languages are available (English is currently enabled). For French however, only the keyboard layout is available, not the Windows display language.

Microsoft separates between a language pack (LP) and a language interface pack (LIP). As per Microsoft, a LIP is a 'high-quality, localized 'skin' for emerging or minority language markets. [...] A LIP provides the desktop user with an approximately 80% localized user experience by translating a reduced set of user interface (UI) elements. A LIP [...] has a dependency on a base language pack of Windows.
The difference between an LP and a LIP is 'the level of localization in comparison to language pack (LP) packages: LIP packages provide the desktop user with the most frequently accessed user interface and basic user assistance support (help files). In addition, a LIP is installed as a language add-on on top of an existing LP with base language dependency (Catalan LIP can only be installed on top of the Spanish or French LP, Welsh LIP can only be installed on top of the English LP). In addition, once a LIP is installed, switching the user interface between the LIP language and the LP base language is possible for users on all versions of Windows.

Also, as per Microsoft; 'Windows Server and Windows 10 language packs are not interchangeable. Windows Server language packs cannot be used on Windows 10, and Windows 10 language packs cannot be used on Windows Server.'

In total, there are 38 language packs available for Windows 10 and Windows Server 2016. In comparison, for Windows Server 2012 R2, only 18 language packs are available.
In total, there are 72 language interface packs (LIPs) available for Windows 10. LIPs are not supported on Windows Server. So keep this in mind when you have both notebooks/desktops and for example Microsoft Remote Desktop Services or Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops (previously known as XenApp or XenDesktop) in your organization. You may not be able to install the same languages on all your workers!

A language pack is installed in the directory %SystemRoot%System32%Language-ID%, so for example C:WindowsSystem32es-ES. The size of a language pack is about 50 MB. In case you want to install all 38 language packs, you increase the size of you image with about 2 GB. Language interface packs only use up around 10 MB of space. Features on Demand are between 5 and 70 MB in size. Most of them are around 10 to 20 MB though.

For a complete list of available LPs and LIPs for Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows 10 and Windows Server 2016 see the Microsoft article Available Language Packs for Windows.

How to obtain a language pack

There are four ways how to get a language (interface) pack and the Features on Demand:

• For offline use:
  • OEMs and system builders with Microsoft Software License Terms can download language packs and LIPs from the Microsoft OEM site or the OEM Partner Center.
  • IT professionals can download language packs from the Microsoft Volume Licensing Site.
  • IT professionals can download language packs from Visual Studio Subscriptions (previously MSDN).
• Manually:
  • After Windows is installed, end users can download and install additional language packs in Settings > Time & language > Region and language > Add a language (under Options).

Reference:Where to get language packs and LIPs (microsoft.com)

IT professionals require the offline installation sources to be able to deploy the language packs using the software deployment tool of their choice (e.g. MDT, SCCM, Citrix App Layering). To download the language packs I used my Visual Studio Subscription (MSDN). Select one of the links below for more details:

Windows Server 2016 Language Pack

The download for Windows Server 2016 Language Pack is a single ISO file (about 2,6 GB in size) that contains all 38 languages. On the Microsoft Volume License Site or on the Microsoft Visual Studio Subscription website, search for language pack and you will find all language packs for all supported operating systems.

To extract the ISO file, use your favorite file archiving tool (e.g. 7-ZIP).

The ISO file for Windows Server 2016 contains two root folders:

• langpacks
• Windows Preinstallation Environment

The folder langpacks contains the language packs that need to be installed on Windows. The language files in the folder Windows Preinstallation Environment are used to localize your WinPE image. Within the folder langpacks, each language has its own subfolder.

These subfolders contain the source files we need for the unattended installation (deployment) of the language packs. The file name for each language pack is:

x64fre_Server_%language%_lp.cab

For example:x64fre_Server_de-de_lp.cab

Windows 10 version 1803 Language Pack

The language pack for Windows 10 is also a single ISO file, but much larger (more than 7 GB) compared to the one for Windows Server 2016. The reason for this is that the download for Windows 10 includes more source files. Besides the 38 language packs (LPs) also included in the ISO file for Windows Server 2016, the Windows 10 ISO file also includes 72 language interface packs (LIPs) and includes both 32-bit and 64-bit source files.

On the Microsoft Volume License Site or on the Microsoft Visual Studio Subscription website, search for language pack and you will find all language packs for all supported operating systems.

To extract the ISO file, use your favorite file archiving tool (e.g. 7-ZIP).

The folder structure for the Windows 10 language packs is slightly different compared to the one for Windows Server 2016:

• arm64
• Windows Preinstallation Environment
• x64
• x86

Each architecture has its own langpacks folder containing both the language packs and language interface packs. The file name for each language pack is:

Microsoft-Windows-Client-Language-Pack_%architecture%_%language%.cab

For example:Microsoft-Windows-Client-Language-Pack_x64_de-de.cab

The file name for each language interface pack is:

Microsoft-Windows-Client-Language-Interface-Pack_%architecture%_%language%.cab

For example:Microsoft-Windows-Client-Language-Interface-Pack_x64_ca-es.cab

Windows 10 version 1803 Features on Demand

The Features on Demand consists of two ISO files (between 3,5 and 4,5 GB in size). You can download either the 32-bit or 64-bit source files. For each version of Windows 10, the download consists of two parts (one ISO file per part). The languages for handwriting, speech, etc. are included in Part 1.

On the Microsoft Volume License Site or on the Microsoft Visual Studio Subscription website, search for features on demand and you will find the available downloads for all Windows 10 versions.

To obtain the language files you only need to download Part 1.

To extract the ISO file, use your favorite file archiving tool (e.g. 7-ZIP).

Within the folder structure you find multiple CAB files that represent a Feature on Demand. The name of the CAB files that contain language specific features start with Microsoft-Windows-LanguageFeatures. The following categories exist:

• Microsoft-Windows-LanguageFeatures-Basic.....cab
• Microsoft-Windows-LanguageFeatures-Fonts.....cab
• Microsoft-Windows-LanguageFeatures-Handwriting.....cab
• Microsoft-Windows-LanguageFeatures-OCR.....cab
• Microsoft-Windows-LanguageFeatures-Speech.....cab
• Microsoft-Windows-LanguageFeatures-TextToSpeech.....cab

Select the feature(s) in the language(s) that you require. The next section explains how to install (add) a language pack to the operating system.

Adding a language pack to Windows

There are a couple of different ways how to install a language (interface) pack:

• You can add a language pack to Windows by using the DISM / Add-WindowsPackage tool. Add-WindowsPackage is the PowerShell equivalent of the DISM executable. How to use DISM / Add-WindowsPackage is described in detail in this article. Just keep on reading. I also recommend you to check out the following Microsoft articles on this matter:
• To deploy a multilingual version of Windows by using Windows Setup (for example, a corporate image Windows DVD or a set of images available on a corporate network), you can add language resources to the installation program. See Add Multilingual Support to a Windows Distribution. For corporate or network-based deployments, you may also need to update the Windows Preinstallation Environment (Windows PE) that users see when they choose how and where to install Windows to their PC. For more information, see WinPE: Mount and Customize.
• After Windows is installed, end users can download and install additional language packs and LIPs from the Language Control Panel. For more information, see one of the following sections in this article:

Reference: Section Add languages to Windows in the article Language Packs (microsoft.com)

My preferred silent installation method is to use DISM or the PowerShell equivalent Add-WindowsPackage (used in the installation script below).

The basic DISM command to install a language pack is:

dism.exe /online /add-package /packagepath:'C:LPde-dex64fre_Server_de-de_lp.cab' /quiet /norestart /logpath:'C:LogsMUI-de-de.log'

Also Features on Demand can be installed like that. Take for example the German handwriting package:

dism.exe /online /add-package /packagepath:'C:LPde-deMicrosoft-Windows-LanguageFeatures-Handwriting-de-de-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~.cab' /quiet /norestart /logpath:'C:LogsMUI-de-de_Handwriting.log'

On operating systems from Windows 8.1/Windows Server 2012 R2 and newer with PowerShell 5.0 and higher installed, the cmdlet Add-WindowsPackage can be used instead of using DISM.exe:

Add-WindowsPackage -Online -PackagePath 'C:LPde-dex64fre_Server_de-de_lp.cab' -LogPath 'C:LogsMUI-de-de.log' -NoRestart

Please be aware that both DISM and the PowerShell equivalent Add-WindowsPackage always generate a log file. If you do not specify a custom log file and log file location, the default log path C:WindowsLogsDISM is used.

In the following section, Complete Installation Script, you find a custom PowerShell script to install language packs including logging and error handling.

Complete installation script

The script below installs the Windows language pack using my installation template, which includes detailed logging and error handling. Also, the functions used in the scripts require my PowerShell Functions Library to be present on the local system. This means that before you can use the script, you need to copy the PowerShell module file DS_PowerShell_Function_Library.psm1 to the local system first.

In order to use this script, please follow these steps:

• Create an installation directory on the local computer or on a file share (UNC path). For example: C:TempMicrosoftLanguage Pack Spanish.
• Create a subdirectory called Files.
• Download the language pack to the folder Files in the installation directory. Include the subfolder for the language pack. The structure should be Files%LanguagePackDir%, for example Fileses-es. The CAB file, in this case for the Spanish language, is located in the directory es-es.
• Download and copy the PowerShell module file DS_PowerShell_Function_Library.psm1 to a directory on your local system.
• Copy the complete PowerShell script below to a new PS1 file (e.g. Install_Microsoft_Windows_MUI_Spanish.ps1) and add this file to the root of the installation directory (not in the subdirectory Files).
• Optional: modify the location of the log directory and log file name in lines 43 and 44.
• Enter the correct path to the PowerShell module file in line 60.
• Modify the file name in line 70. In case you want to use a different directory name instead of Files, change it in line 71.
• Execute the PowerShell script as follows:
  powershell.exe -executionpolicy bypass -file 'C:TempMicrosoftLanguage Pack SpanishInstall_Microsoft_Windows_MUI_Spanish.ps1'