Windows XP - German / English language settings

Right, need to tap into the brains of the assorted intelligencia out there.

I've got a flaptop running Windows XP which is in German. I want it to be in English. Apart from buying a new version of XP in English and reinstalling the beast, does anyone know another way around this problem?

I did try borrowing a DVD with various Windows versions from a friend but it didn't work out as you need to go online to get the product key and Mr. Mircosoft wasn't having any of it.

So, any advice or suggestions about what I can do would be more than welcome.

Keydeck,

Sadly I don't think there is anything you can do. There is a "Multilingual User Interface Pack" for the English version of XP Pro which should then allow you to switch all your menus/windows into German (and other languages) but you don't seem to be able to get this pack for a German version. I have heard though that this pack is only available to those with corporate licenses.

The article below should help explain things a little better

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertz...t/03april28.asp

Paul

Thanks Paul.

Guess I'll just have to go buy an English version. Pretty fucking annoying though. I bought the flaptop in Saturn and they gave their usual level of bugger all service when I asked about it. For the most part it doesn't matter as my applications are in English but it'd make life a lot simpler if the OS wasn't German. Mr. Microsoft being a twat as usual I guess.

Anyways, thanks for the input.

I think you might have only two options really. Installing English XP over the German one, or creating a partition and having a dual boot system, which would be pointless (unless you are a sadist who actually wants to see foul german words on your machine from time to time).
I dunno about this 'buying' software business though. Can't you borrow windows XP from someone who has a version WITH a license key? I got a DEll PC, and it was all preinstalled in bloody German, with loads of crap unwanted software. Borrowed a friends English XP CD, and that was that.
One bit of advice, I would do (or get a techy friend to do) a total format of the harddrive and install English XP from scratch rather than install over the German one. Also bear in mind that if you bought the laptop with everything preinstalled that you'll have the 'fun' of having to locate and install all the drivers for bloody everything. If you have the German XP cd, with all the holograms and license stuff on it, perhaps Microsoft would swap it for you? Yeah, a long shot I know.

Thanks Don,

I don't intend buying it if I don't have to. Hopefully get something sorted in the next week or two, fingers crossed and thumbs firmly pressed.

erpp- wait before you buy. when I arrived here, the entire windows setup including MS office was in german, meaning I was all of a sudden excel-illiterate since these idiots translate all of the functions as well

a friendly man from helpdesk then flipped a switch and I was back among the living within a matter of minutes. let me try and find out what he did and revert if I come up with anything

J

ok try this for starters: start menu, settings, control panel, "regional and language options", then do the following

1/ in the tab "languages" (middle tab) at the bottom there is a drop down "language used in menus and dialogs" - select english

2/ in the tab "advanced" (right-hand tab) at the top in the section "language for non-unicode programs" select "english" from the drop down

then re-boot

I think that may do the job

J

Thanks Jordi,

I tried but the middle tab only has Deutsch in the drop-down and in the last tab if I select English it's looking for the installation disk.

Will give it another go at the weekend.

You have to be carefull on two counts here. If you borrow a version of XP you may find it needs to activated after a certain lenght of time. The means it phones home and says "Heyyywweeee... Here I am and this is the specifation of the computer I now exist on.." Trouble is, that if this changes too much from the original time it was registered, ie if your hardware setup is different in more than three ways, it might start to complain.

This does not apply to a "Mutli Volume" install of XP... Ask your freindly company Admin if he has such a CD.

Next you need to know if you can install all the drivers needed to get this laptop working. Most manufactors run websites with copies of the drivers hanging around somewhere... Make sure you download these and keep them somewhere safe.. A burnt CD for example.

Next, make sure your laptop came with a "Recovery CD" so that if it all goes tits up you can revert back (theorticaly) to how it all used to be.. The way we were so als sagen...

I too have a laptop, but face with the possible diasaters above I decided to leave the OS as German. I have set the preferences to English, which means most programmes intall in English if they have that option.

Good luck. Set phasors to stun, kirk out!

Thanks Paul.

Kinda came to a similar conclusion last night. Figured for the time being and to avoid the risk of monumental cock-up, the wrath of Bill and/or other unforeseen events that I'd leave it in Deutsch.

I have the worst experiences with recovery-cd's...it usually installs the most worthless programs which are not easy to get rid of, plus the fact that it usually formats your whole hard drive into one partition, even when you partitioned your drive yourself. That's why I always install a fresh clean copy of Windows (anything but XP ) and set the whole thing up myself...
So watch out for your personal documents when you use a recovery cd!!

Good point. Most recovery software just replaces and Image of the partition - useful when you install something that wont go away but not much fun when you find your emails, address book, documents folder and everything else has just gone swany...

Back up, back up, back up...

When done.. Do it again.

Ugh... My laptop, just came with a German OS too.

From the tips on here, guess I have to purchase the English version.

Keydeck, you still using the German OS or did you change your mind and purchase XP in English?

If you borrow an English WinXP installation disk from a friend and copy it you can install it OVER the current German version and (legally) use the license key supplied with the original (German) version to activate it. I do it regularly and have confirmed its legallity with Microsoft. It's a good idea to do this BEFORE too much configuration on the system as you are likely to lose any data you created beforehand. You will need the support disk supplied with the original PC to install drivers, etc., which are particular to the hardware. Most support disks are multi-lingual and usually come with all the additional software (additional applications) in English too.

I've converted a number of "Aldi" PCs which are excellent value for money, and always come with support applications in English, so are easy to do...

YorkshireLad6

I am running Windows Extra Problems here at home.

It is in Deutsch.

How do I switch it to English? I have no prob with Deutsch on my PC but my Cubase music software has switched to Deutsch. Evidently it has found something in the regitry which says Deutsch!

How do I change it?

By formatting the harddrive and put an English version on it... Maybe there's a language option specifically for Cubase in the preferences (before you have to reserve the whole day for restoring windows, programs and data).

Sparty,

I've borrowed a copy of the English version XP just today, to replace the deutsch on a laptop...

Do you mean I have to completely start again?? You can't just do a part install?

I'm a bit of a novice with dos/windows to be honest.. But I remember formatting a pc years back and having problems cos I didn't have a boot disk..

What's the best way to do it, wise one??

cheers

If you wanted Bulgarian, Hindi or Thai you could simply install a freely downloadable language pack over the top, but Microsoft dont offer an English one, so you have to reinstall, (or manually copy over certain DLLs etc but that creates more problems than it solves)

Because Windows sucks extremely much, you will also have to reinstall all your apps. You dont want to reformat though, just reinstall, that way your data files will be preserved, (but if they are in the windows directory, such as Eigene Dateien, and Desktop etc, you will need to copy them over).

Just think... With linux you would just have to change a single, per user setting, and your language instantly changes... Might be worth giving up on XP eh?

Also be careful "borrowing" a copy, your own license number might not work with a different language version, and even if it does you might have trouble activating.

Full disk format & reinstall is best, but chuckin an English XP disk in and just doing a reinstall will also work. All programs need to be re-installed though.


Then you can also give up on alot of your software too though Jeremy.

Hello,

Recently I bought a laptop in Germany. It has Windows as OS in German langauge. I would like to change that OS to English version.
Is it possible?
Pl let me know details you have

Regards
anand

Topics merged by admin

@anand
Yes, it is possible, but you must get an english CD from somebody,
format/reinstall with the English CD and use the License key supplied
with your notebook when asked.

@kza
MS doesn't offer "freely downloadable language packs" for windows XP.
The language pack are only avail. for MSDN and Corp. customers and are NOT avail for Free/Download...

Thanks for your information.

Does anyone have english version of WINDOWS XP HOME EDITION

OR Any idead where can i get it

Regards
Anand

You can get the OEM english version at Litec Computer. Not sure how strict they are with making you buy hardware at the same time, though.

hey there, just got a new German laptop and want to change the OS from German to English!?? Has anyone done this and if so is it quite problematic?

thanks

Marcus

Topics merged by admin

Only by re-installing the OS. There's no magical switch. You may be able to get the dealer or manufacturer to swap the copies.

woof.

need to get a new version of the OS and install it.

@BD
In a perfect world perhaps, but dealer only cares about selling notebooks and software, the Manufacturer couldn't be bothered or care less and
prob. won't even talk to you about it.. (Been There Done That)

@6784ke
He doesn't need to buy anything again.. He's already licensed for a copy of XP, only needs to get/borrow an English CD
It's easier to pay for the CD than to pay 140 Eur for another cd/license you don't need.

Darkknight : Isn't the license 'language' specific ? Does the 'key' work independant of the language ?

According to our man YL6 who has his hands/ears deep in the license workings of Microsoft.. This is nolonger the case since Win2k..
.
I didn't believe it either, but in the end decided to contact MS directly and after getting different answers from differnet people
asked to be put in contact with somebody high-up who knew for sure. The license is tied to the product AKA:"Windows XP" and
the Hardware..

So as long as you are licensed for Windows XP (What NB now adays isn't) Then you can install it in any Lang. you want.
Without having to go out and buy another CD/License sticker. The only limit is that you can NOT upgrade XP during the
reinstall. If your licensed for XP Home, you must install XP Home, not XP PRO... If you want XP Pro THEN you would need
to buy another CD/License Sticker Package for 140 Eur.

@ Darknight - before leaving the UK, my company sent me on that horrible FAST (Fedaration Against Software Theft) training course, so generally if you have a license for the version, whether the bought version is English, German Spanish, or hebrew, any installation can be used with this license code. I am guessing this law has not changed, as long as there is only one installation with this software code.

@Pepper
Perhaps, but this depends on the company that makes the product and
there licensing agreements. Some companies will charge you again for
something you have if you want another lang. as the Key code maybe different. MS's XP keys are not genned to any Specific Lang. of XP

DK is correct that the keys generated aren't language specific but they are tied to the release/version. Compaq OEM keys won't work on non-Compaq machines. Standard, OEM, MSDN and POS keys are all different and can't be substituted for each other. In most cases, laptops are sold with the OS pre-installed. The actual WinXP installation CD is not delivered; it's only available through the system restore CD which most of the time completely re-image the C: drive.

Yes, he has a license for XP home and yes he'd be able to install the same version of Windows in a different language according to MS licensing terms, but where's he going to get the CD? And will his license key work? I have MSDN DVDs and could give him the physical install CD but I can't give him my MSDN keys (which ARE tied to language as well as version).

If it's a computer like a Medion or AldiPC, they sell throughout the EU and britboy could get a swap through them. They may tack on a charge for it.

woof.

@BD
He can get the CD From Me

Also if you have access to MSDN or your company is Enterprise licensed, you can get an XP replacement CD for like 20 Eur.

OEM keys are tied to the OEM Ver. of XP, not to who makes the PC. A DELL OEM Key will work just fine on a COMPAQ Laptop if the OEM
ver. of XP is used to install. This setup however is not inline with MS Licening terms, and will make you "Out of compliance" and open to much bigger problems.

Just wanted to post a followup, you can install language packs into XP, I downloaded this:

http://thepiratebay.org/torrent/3892039/Mu..._For_windows_XP

and was able to add German and Spanish to my English version of XP.

The prob. was not that you couldn't install Lang. Packs on XP Pro, but that the packs are not avail. for the avg. user.
(Only Avail to MSDN and Enterprise/Volume License Customers) Some stores sell an "International Edition", which
includes XP Pro English, and 4-5 CD's of the various Lang. Packs, however this ver is usually 80-120 Eur more expensive.

As you had to get the Lang packs Illegally from a P2P network it just goes to prove what has already been said.

Pop along to us, we should be able to help.

Buy a Mac. No problems with what ever language you would like. Loaded MS Office for MAc and it is langauge specific GRRRRRRR