XP core language: ability to change

[Jonathan Hyams]

I use XP Home and I have one computer which I want a friend to be able to
use. However he is Spanish and does not speak English. Is there anything I
can do to make XP run in Spanish instead of English or do I have to buy a
new Spanish copy of XP? If the latter will all my installed software have to
be reinstalled froms scratch?

 

[Carey Frisch [MVP]]

Windows XP is written in specific language versions, therefore one
cannot change it from one language version to another. You'll need
to purchase a "Full Version" of Windows XP in the language version
you desire, reformat your drive and install it "clean".

Or if you have an available empty drive or partition, you can install
another "Full Version" of Windows XP in a different language version
and create a dual-boot configuration.

Cannot Upgrade or Install a Different Language Version of Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;282089

Welcome to WorldLanguage.com!
http://www.worldlanguage.com/

A good third-party partitioning program is Partition Magic 8.
http://www.powerquest.com/partitionmagic/

Clean Install Windows XP
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html

[Courtesy of MS-MVP Michael Stevens]

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows XP - Shell/User

Be Smart! Protect Your PC!
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/protect/default.aspx

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:

| I use XP Home and I have one computer which I want a friend to be able to
| use. However he is Spanish and does not speak English. Is there anything I
| can do to make XP run in Spanish instead of English or do I have to buy a
| new Spanish copy of XP? If the latter will all my installed software have to
| be reinstalled froms scratch?

 

[Jim Macklin]

You need to buy a Spanish language full retail version,
there is no way to change the core language. You can create
a dual boot if you have the space on the hard drive. You'll
need a program such as Partition Magic to create a partition
on which to install the second OS.
You will need to install your applications again for the new
OS. They may or may not run because of the changed
language, depends on the application.

You might be better off to upgrade to XP Pro, since it has
language support and although you can't change the core
language it does provide for other input languages.

Multilingual support
Allows users to easily create, read, and edit documents
in many languages with the English version of Windows XP
Professional. The Multilingual User Interface Pack, an
add-on pack to the English version of Windows XP
Professional, lets you change the user interface language
for each user.
IT administrators will no longer need to deploy
multiple localized versions of the operating system. This
will speed deployments, reduce operating system images, and
lower cost of ownership




|I use XP Home and I have one computer which I want a friend
to be able to
| use. However he is Spanish and does not speak English. Is
there anything I
| can do to make XP run in Spanish instead of English or do
I have to buy a
| new Spanish copy of XP? If the latter will all my
installed software have to
| be reinstalled froms scratch?
|
|

 

[Bruce Chambers]

I use XP Home and I have one computer which I want a friend to be
able to use. However he is Spanish and does not speak English. Is
there anything I can do to make XP run in Spanish instead of English
or do I have to buy a new Spanish copy of XP? If the latter will all
my installed software have to be reinstalled froms scratch?

You cannot upgrade or convert from one language version of the OS
to another, so you'll have to purchase and use the full version of
Spanish WinXP to perform a clean installation.

Cannot Upgrade or Install a Different Language Version of Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;282089

--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:



You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on
having
both at once. - RAH

 

[Opinicus]

You might be better off to upgrade to XP Pro, since it has
language support and although you can't change the core
language it does provide for other input languages.

Am missing something here? I'm using WinXP Home and I
regularly input English, Turkish, and French by toggling
among keyboards. What would WinXP Pro allow me to do that I
can't do now?

 

[Alex Nichol]

I use XP Home and I have one computer which I want a friend to be able to
use. However he is Spanish and does not speak English. Is there anything I
can do to make XP run in Spanish instead of English or do I have to buy a
new Spanish copy of XP? If the latter will all my installed software have to
be reinstalled froms scratch?

If he needs things like menus and dialogs in Spanish then you will need
a *separate* installation of a Spanish version into a separate
partition, using a boot manager to decide which to boot on any occasion.
Or simply a complete replacement by the Spanish version after formatting
the disk