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If a Windows 10 profile created from non‑en‑US installation media is missing the directory links normally found in Default User, the cause may be a Microsoft-documented setup defect rather than disk corruption. Windows 10 versions 1703, 1709, and 1803 could omit NTFS junction points from the default profile when the installation image used a base language such as French (Canada) or English (United Kingdom). Every profile created afterward inherited the omission. Microsoft says the defect was fixed in version 1809 and later. For an affected release, Microsoft’s documented workaround is to install from an en‑US image and then add the required language pack.
What are the missing junction points?
A junction point is a special NTFS directory entry that redirects one folder path to another. Windows implements it as a reparse point containing an absolute target path. Applications can follow the junction as though the target directory were located at the link’s path.
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Because a junction stores an absolute destination, it is not self-healing: moving, renaming, or deleting the target leaves a broken link. Junctions are different from ordinary shortcuts. A shortcut is a file interpreted by shell applications, while a junction participates in filesystem path resolution and is visible to software that accesses directories directly.
Windows keeps a template profile named Default User. During account creation, Windows copies that template to make the new user profile. If the template lacks its expected junctions, newly created profiles lack them too. Existing profiles created before the defective template was used are not automatically repaired.
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Why are junction points missing after installing a French or UK Windows ISO?
The defect is tied to installation media whose base language is not en‑US. On affected Windows 10 releases, setup could create a Default User profile without its directory-link entries. The omission was reported for both a clean installation and an in-place upgrade, so changing from one installation method to the other does not by itself avoid the problem.
The language shown to users is not the only variable. The important distinction is the base language of the Windows image used by setup. An en‑US image with an additional language pack follows a different path from an image whose servicing and setup language is natively fr‑CA, en‑GB, or another non‑en‑US locale.
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Microsoft Knowledge Base article 4132810 lists these releases as affected:
- Windows 10 version 1703
- Windows 10 version 1709
- Windows 10 version 1803
Microsoft’s published boundary is explicit: “This issue was fixed in Windows 10, version 1809 and later versions.” A machine running 1809 or a newer Windows 10 release should therefore be evaluated for other causes if a profile lacks links; do not assume this historical defect is responsible solely because the installation language is non‑English.
The version qualification matters for deployment images as well as installed systems. An old customized install.wim based on 1703–1803 can carry the risk even when the deployment process is automated. Conversely, rebuilding media on a fixed base does not require the en‑US workaround for this specific bug, although language-pack and recovery-environment rules still apply.
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How do I verify whether a profile has the links?
Microsoft’s diagnostic procedure uses an elevated Command Prompt and the directory-link view of dir. Run it from the profile directory you want to inspect.
- Sign in with an administrator account, or open an elevated Command Prompt using Run as administrator. Do not inspect a profile while a process is actively changing its contents.
- Change to the profile directory, for example with
cd /d C:UsersUserName. ReplaceUserNamewith the account folder you are checking. - Run
dir /AL. The/Aswitch selects attributes andLlimits the result to symbolic-link and junction entries. - Read the result. On an affected profile, the Microsoft example returns no directory-link entries (its French-language example reports “File not found”). A healthy profile displays directory links.
This command is a verification step documented by Microsoft; it is not a repair command. Run it in more than one newly created profile if you are diagnosing a deployment, because the defect is inherited from the template and should appear consistently in accounts created from that template.
How does an affected image compare with the recommended en‑US approach?
The practical differences are easiest to see when the two deployment paths are compared directly.
| Deployment characteristic | Pre‑1809 non‑en‑US base image affected by the defect | en‑US base image with a required language pack |
|---|---|---|
| Windows build | 1703, 1709, or 1803 can be affected | Use a supported build; the junction defect is fixed in 1809 and later |
| Junctions in newly created profiles | Default User can omit directory links, and new profiles inherit the omission |
Microsoft’s workaround preserves the expected template links |
| Clean installation | Non‑en‑US media can produce the incomplete template | Install the en‑US image first, then add the language pack |
| In-place upgrade | The omission can persist or appear when the upgrade uses affected media | Inventory existing language components and service the upgrade image before deployment |
| Setup language metadata | Base setup language is the non‑en‑US locale | Base setup remains en‑US while the user-facing language is supplied by packages |
| WinRE localization | May not match the configured operating-system language | Update Windows Recovery Environment language resources when adding language packs |
The table describes the documented behavior and deployment guidance, not a claim that every non‑en‑US installation will show a visible failure. Applications that assume particular links exist are the most likely to expose the compatibility problem.
Should I install en‑US Windows and then add a language pack?
Yes, when you must deploy an affected Windows 10 release, Microsoft’s stated workaround is to use an en‑US installation image, complete setup, and install the language pack required by the user or organization. This is the supported documented route; manually creating links afterward has not been established as an equivalent supported fix.
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For a normal single-PC installation
- Obtain installation media whose base language is en‑US and verify that its edition, architecture, build, and license match the device and your entitlement.
- Install Windows from that image and finish the initial setup.
- Apply current servicing updates appropriate to the release.
- Open Settings > Time & language > Language (the exact page label can vary by Windows 10 release), choose Add a preferred language, and install the required language pack and any offered speech, handwriting, OCR, or text-to-speech components.
- Sign out or restart when Windows requests it, then create a test account and run
dir /ALin that profile to confirm that directory links are present.
The language pack changes the operating-system language available to users; it does not change the fact that setup began from an en‑US base image. Keep the original media and package versions documented so a future feature update can be serviced consistently.
How do I build a customized image with DISM?
Organizations that maintain deployment images should service the image rather than repeatedly installing a language manually. Microsoft’s language-image procedure uses Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM).
- Copy the Windows source files locally and identify the edition index in
install.wim. Mount the selected image with DISM, for example:DISM /Mount-Wim /WimFile:C: sourcesinstall.wim /index:1 /MountDir:C:Mount. Use paths appropriate to your build system and confirm the index before servicing. - Add the client language pack for the target locale to the mounted image. The language-pack file must match the Windows release and architecture.
- Add the Features on Demand required by the deployment. Depending on the language and user requirements, these include Basic, Fonts, OCR, Text-to-speech, Speech recognition, and handwriting capabilities.
- Verify the mounted image’s packages and capabilities with DISM queries. Check that the language pack and each requested capability is installed for the intended architecture and release.
- Commit and unmount the image, then validate it by deploying to a test machine, creating a new account, and checking the profile with
dir /AL.
Package matching is strict. Mixing language components from a different Windows release, architecture, or servicing level can cause installation failures or leave an image that appears localized but is incomplete. Keep the base image, language packs, and Features on Demand from the same release family.
How do I preserve language packs during an in-place upgrade?
Before upgrading a running device, inventory its current language configuration and capabilities. Open an elevated Command Prompt and run:
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DISM /online /get-intl
DISM /online /get-capabilitiesThe first command reports installed and configured international settings; the second lists language-related Features on Demand and their states. Save the output as a deployment record so you know which components the new media must contain.
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Microsoft’s upgrade guidance then requires servicing the upgrade image: add the required language packs and Features on Demand to install.wim, set the media’s install language, and update Boot.wim and lang.ini where the deployment workflow calls for them. If a language component present on the device is absent from the feature-update media, Windows may not retain it after the upgrade.
- Inventory the device with the two DISM commands above.
- Match each installed language pack and capability to files from the same Windows release and architecture as the upgrade source.
- Mount and service
install.wim; add the client language packs and Features on Demand. - Update setup resources, including
Boot.wimandlang.ini, following Microsoft’s media-layout guidance. - Test the upgrade on a representative machine. Verify the user interface language, newly created profiles, and installed capabilities before broad deployment.
Do not treat a successful boot as proof that localization was retained. A feature update can complete while silently dropping an unavailable speech, OCR, handwriting, or display-language component.
What should I do about WinRE language resources?
Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) has its own language resources. When you add language packs to the operating system, Microsoft recommends updating WinRE so recovery screens and tools use the configured language rather than falling back to the base language.
Include WinRE servicing in the same deployment change as the operating-system language packages. Test entry to the recovery environment—through the advanced-startup menu or a controlled recovery boot—and check that its menus, troubleshooting tools, and prompts are localized as intended.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What if dir /AL still shows no links?
Use the following decision path before changing the image:
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- Confirm the build. Check Settings > System > About or run
winver. If the device is 1809 or later, investigate profile permissions, a damaged template, or an application-specific assumption rather than attributing the result automatically to this defect. - Check the directory. Run the command from the actual profile path, not from
C:Usersor another parent directory. An incorrect working directory can produce an empty result. - Check the template and a fresh account. Existing profiles may have a different history. Create a test account after the image is deployed and inspect that account separately.
- Review servicing logs. If language packs or capabilities were added offline, examine DISM and setup logs for package applicability or architecture mismatches.
- Do not improvise link targets. A junction points to a specific absolute path. Creating a link to a guessed destination can redirect applications incorrectly and does not reproduce Microsoft’s documented workaround.
- Rebuild affected media. For a 1703–1803 deployment, move to an en‑US base image plus the required language components, or use a fixed Windows release, then retest clean installation and upgrade scenarios.
What is the practical deployment recommendation?
For legacy Windows 10 media in the affected version range, avoid using a non‑en‑US base image as the foundation of a new deployment. Build from en‑US, add the required language packs and Features on Demand, update WinRE, and validate both a clean install and an in-place upgrade. For Windows 10 version 1809 and later, the specific missing-junction defect is documented as fixed, but the same package-inventory and WinRE checks remain important whenever you customize installation media.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I repair an existing profile without reinstalling Windows?
The Microsoft workaround addresses how the image is installed rather than prescribing a supported one-off repair for each profile. You can first determine whether the profile is affected with dir /AL; for a production repair, consult Microsoft support or your organization’s deployment procedures instead of creating junctions to guessed targets.
Will installing a display language from Settings change the original setup language?
No. Adding a language pack supplies language resources and user-facing settings, while the image’s base setup language remains the foundation of the installation. That distinction is why Microsoft’s workaround starts with an en‑US image.
Does the bug affect symbolic links created by applications?
The documented issue concerns directory junction entries in the Windows Default User profile template. It does not establish that arbitrary symbolic links created later by applications are affected; those should be diagnosed separately.
How can I test an upgrade image before deploying it widely?
Capture the output of DISM /online /get-intl and DISM /online /get-capabilities from a representative device, service the upgrade media with matching components, and run a pilot upgrade. Afterward, create a new account, inspect its links, open WinRE, and verify that required display, speech, OCR, and handwriting features remain installed.
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