changing language of operating system

[renatahabdas]

Hi
I'm polish but I live in england. I have bought the computer with vista in
english version for my brother as a present. unfortunately he doesn't speak
english. How can I change the operating systme language from english to
polish.

 

[Carey Frisch [MVP]]

You can only do this if you have Vista Ultimate or Enterprise.

With Ultimate, you can download the language packs for free.
Just open Windows Update, choose "view available updates",
and check the language pack you want.


Afterwards, from Control Panel (categories view), just choose
"Change display language" under "Clock, Language and Region".
Pick your language, log off, log on, and done.


If you have another version of Vista other than those two,
you'll need to purchase a "full version" of Windows
Vista in your desired language and perform a "clean install"
or install it on a separate hard drive or partition.



--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows Desktop Experience -
Windows Vista Enthusiast

---------------------------------------------------------------

Hi
I'm polish but I live in england. I have bought the computer with vista in
english version for my brother as a present. unfortunately he doesn't speak
english. How can I change the operating systme language from english to
polish.

 

[Tim Slattery]

Hi
I'm polish but I live in england. I have bought the computer with vista in
english version for my brother as a present. unfortunately he doesn't speak
english. How can I change the operating systme language from english to
polish.

Only Vista Ultimate supports switching languages. So you'd have to
upgrade whatever version you're using to Ultimate (unless you're
already there), then apply an English language pack.

Two ways around this have recently come to light. Microsoft has
recently released language packs for all versions of Vista at the
download center: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/. Apparently these
don't translate quite *everything* in the UI, and it may take a bit of
searching to find the one you need, if it exists at all.

Another possibility is http://www.froggie.sk/, which claims to allow
you to use the Ultimate language packs with any version of Vista. I
have no experience with this myself.

 

[Terry R.]

The date and time was 5/9/2008 12:51 PM, and on a whim, Carey Frisch
[MVP] pounded out on the keyboard:

You can only do this if you have Vista Ultimate or Enterprise.

With Ultimate, you can download the language packs for free.
Just open Windows Update, choose "view available updates",
and check the language pack you want.


Afterwards, from Control Panel (categories view), just choose
"Change display language" under "Clock, Language and Region".
Pick your language, log off, log on, and done.


If you have another version of Vista other than those two,
you'll need to purchase a "full version" of Windows
Vista in your desired language and perform a "clean install"
or install it on a separate hard drive or partition.

Unless it's an error, it doesn't state that here:
http://windowshelp.microsoft.com/Windows/en-US/help/2bac0e03-c331-48fc-8b7e-b66b8007512d1033.mspx

--
Terry R.

***Reply Note***
Anti-spam measures are included in my email address.
Delete NOSPAM from the email address after clicking Reply.

 

[Terry R.]

The date and time was 5/9/2008 1:10 PM, and on a whim, Tim Slattery
pounded out on the keyboard:

Only Vista Ultimate supports switching languages. So you'd have to
upgrade whatever version you're using to Ultimate (unless you're
already there), then apply an English language pack.

Two ways around this have recently come to light. Microsoft has
recently released language packs for all versions of Vista at the
download center: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/. Apparently these
don't translate quite *everything* in the UI, and it may take a bit of
searching to find the one you need, if it exists at all.

Another possibility is http://www.froggie.sk/, which claims to allow
you to use the Ultimate language packs with any version of Vista. I
have no experience with this myself.

Unless it's an error, it doesn't state that here:
http://windowshelp.microsoft.com/Windows/en-US/help/2bac0e03-c331-48fc-8b7e-b66b8007512d1033.mspx

--
Terry R.

***Reply Note***
Anti-spam measures are included in my email address.
Delete NOSPAM from the email address after clicking Reply.

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Hi
I'm polish but I live in england. I have bought the computer with vista in
english version for my brother as a present. unfortunately he doesn't speak
english. How can I change the operating systme language from english to
polish.

Unless you have Vista Ultimate or Enterprise, you'd have to
purchase and install an English version of Vista. MUI (Multilingual
User Interface) packs are only available in Windows Vista Ultimate and
Windows Vista Enterprise.


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:


http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/555375

They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. ~Benjamin Franklin

Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. ~Bertrand Russell

The philosopher has never killed any priests, whereas the priest has
killed a great many philosophers.
~ Denis Diderot

 

[Tim Slattery]

Unless it's an error, it doesn't state that here:
http://windowshelp.microsoft.com/Windows/en-US/help/2bac0e03-c331-48fc-8b7e-b66b8007512d1033.mspx

That page talks about switching Vista's display language and says that
it applies to *all* versions of Vista. It shows no date other than the
year (2008). I wonder if that has to do with the second paragraph in
my post, about MS recently releasing language packs for all versions.

Thanks for the pointer, anyway. Something else to figure out!

 

[Terry R.]

The date and time was 5/9/2008 6:06 PM, and on a whim, Bruce Chambers
pounded out on the keyboard:

Unless you have Vista Ultimate or Enterprise, you'd have to
purchase and install an English version of Vista. MUI (Multilingual
User Interface) packs are only available in Windows Vista Ultimate and
Windows Vista Enterprise.

Unless it's an error, it doesn't state that here:
http://windowshelp.microsoft.com/Windows/en-US/help/2bac0e03-c331-48fc-8b7e-b66b8007512d1033.mspx


--
Terry R.

***Reply Note***
Anti-spam measures are included in my email address.
Delete NOSPAM from the email address after clicking Reply.

 

[Earle Horton]

That page talks about switching Vista's display language and says that
it applies to *all* versions of Vista. It shows no date other than the
year (2008). I wonder if that has to do with the second paragraph in
my post, about MS recently releasing language packs for all versions.

Thanks for the pointer, anyway. Something else to figure out!

Many of the more obscure features mentioned on Microsoft.Com are little more
than vaporware, the result of good intentions at the program manager stage.
Remember that although user interface data is and has been for some time
kept in distinct files from program code, changing it can and does introduce
or reveal bugs. All localized versions have to be tested, or they won't
work right. Those of us who are multilingual should be grateful for the
existence of Office Language Packs, which are readily available and better
than nothing. If you try to follow the link above towards actually
installing a MUI or even an LIP, it really leads nowhere except perhaps to
the purchase of Vista Ultimate.

Those who are perhaps worse off are English speakers who find themselves
purchasing a version localized in another language, because they live there.

I should be able to walk into Office Depot or Walmart in the United States
and purchase a Spanish language version of Vista right off the shelves. In
the Northeast you should be able to buy a French one. You should be able to
buy an English version in Spain, Mexico or Germany. Students should be sold
Vista Ultimate instead of Business in the college bookstore. It's an
international, multilingual world out there.

Cheers,

Earle

 

[Bruce Chambers]

The date and time was 5/9/2008 6:06 PM, and on a whim, Bruce Chambers
pounded out on the keyboard:


Unless it's an error, it doesn't state that here:
http://windowshelp.microsoft.com/Windows/en-US/help/2bac0e03-c331-48fc-8b7e-b66b8007512d1033.mspx

You're quite correct. That link *doesn't* say anything pertinent to
the use of MUIs. What's your point?


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:


http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/555375

They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. ~Benjamin Franklin

Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. ~Bertrand Russell

The philosopher has never killed any priests, whereas the priest has
killed a great many philosophers.
~ Denis Diderot