Troubleshooting › Windows Detects Error while Installing Boot Image

Windows Detects Error while Installing Boot Image

Valid on Windows 8 and later, Windows 2012, Windows 2012 R2

Symptom:

When I install a Windows boot image, I get the following error message on a “Windows Setup” message box during OS installation:

Windows could not parse or process the unattend answer file for pass [specialize]. The settings specified in the answer file cannot be applied. The error was detected while processing settings for component {Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup].

Solution:

This happens for one of the following two reasons:

1. Primary reason is incorrect value for "Windows TypeWindowsType" and "ProductId" boot parameters:

   For installation, "ProductId" is the valid Windows product key corresponding to the supplied "WindowsType". We support key-less installation for the Specific Editions of Windows Images such as Volume licensing image and Enterprise image. Key-less installation does not hold true for all Windows Images. For more information, see section “Windows Key-less Installation” Chapter 9 Windows OSIM OS Images.

2. Secondary reason is incorrect value for boot parameters such as "HostName", "TimeZone", and "OSUser".

To avoid this error, provide the correct value for the above mentioned boot parameters.