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I'm not sure whether this is the best section to post this, but here goes anyway.........

My son has just bought a laptop from Amazon.fr as he wanted one with an "azerty" keyboard.  He has encountered a problem, in that Windows 7 (Home Premium 64 bit SP1) appears to offer no language option other than French.  We have bought many machines for the household over the years, but I am pretty sure that Windows normally offers a choice of language at the initial set up.......[8-)]

Any thoughts please?

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[quote user="Quillan"]

Only Wondows 7 Ultimate and Ultimate N allows you to change language.

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-GB/windows7/products/compare

 

[/quote]

Thanks for the reply.  I had a "Google around" in the meantime and thought that was probably the case, but what a rip-off! 

It may not be a huge problem as the individual software may well be usable in English.  We have a product key to activate MS Office for 3 machines, which I bought in the UK with my wife's laptop, so it will be interesting to see how that works out.

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[quote user="Alex H"]To follow on from your post - does English Windows work fully with an AZERTY keyboard?

Do the E keys with accents still work?

[/quote]

Yes, it will.  I have an AZERTY keyboard with the (UK) PC I am using.  It just needs to understand which keyboard is being used (little language bar icon at bottom right of screen.....FR at the moment, but can switch to EN for QWERTY keyboard.  I think I got help on that on here as well!

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[quote user="frexpt"]It may not be a huge problem as the individual software may well be usable in English.  We have a product key to activate MS Office for 3 machines, which I bought in the UK with my wife's laptop, so it will be interesting to see how that works out.[/quote]

It shouldn't be a problem ... I have a French machine and almost exclusively use English software which runs just fine.

Sue

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I don't see why you think it's a rip off. When you buy Windows 7 you buy a licence to use it on one computer and in the overwhelming majority of cases buyers will want the version for their native language.

What would be a rip off would be if Windows 7 came with a comprehensive choice of languages included but at a higher price because of it, you would then have hoards of punters, me included, complaining about having to pay extra for something we neither want or need.

In common with most software I think you'll find that MS Office will default to the language of the OS.

You might try Vistalizator www.froggie.sk

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[quote user="AnOther"]I don't see why you think it's a rip off. When you buy Windows 7 you buy a licence to use it on one computer and in the overwhelming majority of cases buyers will want the version for their native language.

What would be a rip off would be if Windows 7 came with a comprehensive choice of languages included but at a higher price because of it, you would then have hoards of punters, me included, complaining about having to pay extra for something we neither want or need.

In common with most software I think you'll find that MS Office will default to the language of the OS.

You might try Vistalizator www.froggie.sk
[/quote]

So far as I recall, a new machine with a Windows operating system (pre-Windows 7), purchased in the UK, asks you to select the operating language during initial set-up.  The keyboard then defaults to such setting.  That sticks in my mind as I once selected English (US) rather than English (UK) on a new machine and had to undo the installation. 

So far as Vistalizator is concerned, the MS website states that downloading that installation will invalidate the MS licence of the original operating system.

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[quote user="frexpt"]So far as I recall, a new machine with a Windows operating system (pre-Windows 7), purchased in the UK, asks you to select the operating language during initial set-up.  The keyboard then defaults to such setting.  That sticks in my mind as I once selected English (US) rather than English (UK) on a new machine and had to undo the installation.[/quote]

Not so, all you choose when installing are the regional settings which by default for an English version will be English (US) so it it is that and the keyboard layout you can change not the actual language. You absolutely did not have to undo the installation to change them.

From memory even Windows 7 Ultimate is single language and it's only after you have installed it that you can download additional languages, they are not on the installation CD.

Re Vistalizator are you really worried about such warnings from MS, what do you imagine they are going to do about it if you did install it !

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[quote user="frexpt"]

I'm not sure whether this is the best section to post this, but here goes anyway.........

My son has just bought a laptop from Amazon.fr as he wanted one with an "azerty" keyboard.  He has encountered a problem, in that Windows 7 (Home Premium 64 bit SP1) appears to offer no language option other than French.  We have bought many machines for the household over the years, but I am pretty sure that Windows normally offers a choice of language at the initial set up.......[8-)]

Any thoughts please?

[/quote]

Going back to the original post - what's the idea behind this?

Does he want the AZERTY keyboard to help him learn French?

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For what its worth, I can confirm that Vistalizator works perfectly on one (French) Vista computer here. It updates via Windows update no problem. All menus/items are now in English and it has been woking like that for over a year.

If you want to try, there is nothing to lose. If you don't like it or want it, you can just restore the laptop to factory settings using either the recovery discs (which are recommended to make, if they do not come with the laptop) or hidden recovery partition on the hard drive. Then the laptop is back to new.

Of course any personal files should be backed up elsewhere if a factory reset is used.

Danny

PS having the computer in French can also aid with learning the language!

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[quote user="Alex H"][quote user="frexpt"]

I'm not sure whether this is the best section to post this, but here goes anyway.........

My son has just bought a laptop from Amazon.fr as he wanted one with an "azerty" keyboard.  He has encountered a problem, in that Windows 7 (Home Premium 64 bit SP1) appears to offer no language option other than French.  We have bought many machines for the household over the years, but I am pretty sure that Windows normally offers a choice of language at the initial set up.......[8-)]

Any thoughts please?

[/quote]

Going back to the original post - what's the idea behind this?

Does he want the AZERTY keyboard to help him learn French?

[/quote]

He is pretty capable linguist and speaks French very well already.  He works for the local Chambres de Métiers in a completely French speaking environment.  At the moment he is also following a TEFL course, as he would like to do some English tutoring on a more formal basis. He wanted a notebook with AZERTY keyboard to make it easier to write bits and pieces in French, wherever he was.  It was just a bit of a surprise to discover the language limitation.

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[quote user="Danny"]For what its worth, I can confirm that Vistalizator works perfectly on one (French) Vista computer here. It updates via Windows update no problem. All menus/items are now in English and it has been woking like that for over a year.

If you want to try, there is nothing to lose. If you don't like it or want it, you can just restore the laptop to factory settings using either the recovery discs (which are recommended to make, if they do not come with the laptop) or hidden recovery partition on the hard drive. Then the laptop is back to new.

Of course any personal files should be backed up elsewhere if a factory reset is used.

Danny
PS having the computer in French can also aid with learning the language!
[/quote]

Thanks......it would be the potential loss of updates that would concern me.  We'll have a look.

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We have tried the Vistalizator download, but are getting an error message for Vistalizator 2.40: 

Error loading system configuration!

Some errors occurred during in intialization:

Unable to use this version of Windows 7.  This build (7601) is not supported.  Make sure you have the latest version of Windows.

Any thoughts, please?

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it seems you have Windows 7 with service pack 1.

try this, found on the web....

work-around is as follows:

Right-click > Properties > Compatibility >

Run this program in compatibility mode for: Windows 7

So as it is in French, right click on the Vistalizator program, choose

propriétés/ compatibilité/ executer ce program en mode de compatibilité pour Windows 7/ OK

and see if that helps.

Danny

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[quote user="Danny"]it seems you have Windows 7 with service pack 1.
try this, found on the web....

work-around is as follows: Right-click > Properties > Compatibility >
Run this program in compatibility mode for: Windows 7

So as it is in French, right click on the Vistalizator program, choose
propriétés/ compatibilité/ executer ce program en mode de compatibilité pour Windows 7/ OK
and see if that helps.

Danny


[/quote]

Will try that, but can you just clarify where I am right-clicking Properties?

Thanks

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[quote user="Danny"]it seems you have Windows 7 with service pack 1.
try this, found on the web....

work-around is as follows: Right-click > Properties > Compatibility >
Run this program in compatibility mode for: Windows 7

So as it is in French, right click on the Vistalizator program, choose
propriétés/ compatibilité/ executer ce program en mode de compatibilité pour Windows 7/ OK
and see if that helps.

Danny


[/quote]

Okay, thanks everybody.........we got there in the end[:D][:D]

The Vistalizator program installed with the work-around Danny suggested, but the language pack download didn't like the fact that we had Service Pack 1.

After three attempts elsewhere, my son found a download http://www.pcdiy.com/22/windows-7-language-packs-rtm-mui-download that worked when taken in express mode.  The full version didn't like the SP1 either.

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