Vista - What languages are already installed?

I have Windows Vista Home Premium in German, which is incredibly difficult to
use... I get multiple pop-up windows when I try to do even basic things like
create a folder or rename a file. When I am organising the Start Menu folders
in Explorer, I get 6 security popups in all just to create a new folder and
rename it, and additional ones for every file I try to move! The default
button has a little sheild on it and says "Fortsetzen" which Babel says means
"continue".

Question 1: Does anyone know what these are or how to get rid of them?

Question 2: How do I find out what language packs or input languages I
already have? In control panel... "Regions- und Spracheoptionen" it lists a
hundred languages in "Aktuelles Format", but although it says English,
everything is still in German. I've set everything to English wherever I find
it, but it doesn't change anything. Does anyone know how to *apply* a Display
Language (if that's what I'm setting), or, how to check what languages are
available?

Question 3: Can I do a fresh install of an English Vista Home Premium
32-bit, and use my product key? Would the English copy need to be an OEM
copy, or could it be any copy? Can I buy a Windows Vista cd in English,
somewhere, but without a licence so it'll be a reasonable price?

I have seen on this forum and on MS website that you can't install language
packs on Windows Vista Home Premium... is this going to change at any time?

It takes me hours to do *anything*; I want to share an external drive on a
network, but, working out which setting is which when it doesn't work is
impossible... Babel Fish isn't up to it! All the anti-virus is in German and
my 2-licence copy of Norton isn't compatible with Vista, so configuring
firewall to let the network work is very time consuming. I'm still doing
basic config, and I've had it a week!

"VC" <VC@xxxxxx> wrote ...Hi,

Unfortunately, in Vista Home (Basic or Premium) and Business editions, you
cannot change the Display Language. If you have a German copy of Vista Home,
it will *always* display the Windows menus and dialogues in German, and
there's nothing you can do to stop it. You can change the input and keyboard
languages, and run applications which use other langauges, that's no
problem - but Windows itself, will always communicate with you in German.

In Vista Ultimate Edition, you can download and install Multilinguale User
Interface ("MUI") packs, which let you change the Display language to about
15 different languages, including US English (no UK English). Once you
change the display language, all of Windows' own menus and dialogues will be
in the language you specify.

Your main options are to upgrade your existing Vista Home Premium to Vista
Ultimate, via Microsoft's Anytime Upgrade, and then download and install an
English MUI pack via Windows Update.

Windows Anytime Upgrade: Overview
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/pro.../overview.mspx

Note that you may need to do the Anytime Upgrade *in German*, via
www.microsoft.de ... I don't think there's any option to select a German
Upgrade if you run through the US or International microsoft sites. Not sure
about that ... maybe someone else knows?

The other alternative is to go out and buy an English language copy of
Vista. You would need to install it from scratch, replacing your existing
installation - so, back up your data first, and be ready to re-install your
applications afterwards. You can't "upgrade" over your existing installation
and change language, in the same operation.

As to why Microsoft chose this astonishingly parochial and narrow-minded
approach to languages, I have no idea. It seems amazingly bone-headed,
without any technical motivation, and a denial of today's global reality for
most users ... especially users living anywhere outside the US. I regret, I
can only imagine it really was a cynical ploy to drive a few more Ultimate
sales. I guess Windows product managers can't imagine a world where people
drive from Strasbourg to Frankfurt for the afternoon; and do a bit of crazy
shopping at der techno-mall while they're there.

Sorry for the bad news, but I hope it helps.
--
Andrew McLaren
amclar (at) optusnet dot com dot au

this is not totally correct since there are kinds 2 language packs

one is totaly UI language change called MUI
and the other is partial language change of the most important UI elements
and
that is called LIP
http://windowshelp.microsoft.com/Win...b5ecc1033.mspx

LIPs are free for everyone... and apply to all versions of vista




"Andrew McLaren" <andrew@xxxxxx> wrote in message
news:A9A09FEF-A2F6-4726-B588-0FFB7E51193C@xxxxxx

D. Solomon wrote:Shame though they don't have an english LIP....
VC, you are stuck with German Vista unless you pay more $$ to get ultimate.

Erwin

thats why they dont have ENGLISH.. because they want the $$

:-)


"Erwin Moller"
<Since_humans_read_this_I_am_spammed_too_much@xxxxxx> wrote in
message news:46f3e7b6$0$237$e4fe514c@xxxxxx

"D. Solomon" <D.Solomon(nospam)@yahoo.com> wrote...Well this is correct, but, er ... it is not totally correct :-)

One might ask, *why* are there two different kinds of language pack: MUI and
LIP? Well, it's because the are part of different projects. MUIs are
produced wholly by the Windows team in Microsoft, as part of the standard
Windows development and Build process. They are all equal partners as
language translations (in Vista, English is just another MUI, applied to a
raw Vista Build, same as French or Japanese). MUIs are the main way in which
Windows is created and distributed in different languages; mainly "major"
world languages like Chinese, French, English etc. They are totally
cross-installable: I can install a French MUI onto Japanese Windows, Italian
MUi onto Russian Windows and so on.

LIP is "Local Language Programme", and is a way to get translations of
Windows into range of "local" or less widespread langauges: such as
Afrikaans, Catalan, Farsi, or Welsh. I'd avoid any suggestion these are less
important languages; since Indonesian, for example, as 230 million speakers;
and I myself tried to get a Scottish Gaelic LIP instigated at one stage
(unsuccessfuly, I regret to say). LIPs are produced in co-operation between
Microsoft and community and academic groups involved with the language
concerned. They are a translation, in varying degrees, of the resource
strings in Windows, so that once applied to a parent language version, they
translate most of the menus, dialogues etc into the local language.
Typically about 80% of the UI is localised in a LIP.

The only "major" world language in the LIP programme is Spanish - that was
an add-on pack for Windows XP Tablet PC edition, which for some reason
didn't seem to have ship in a Spanish version. The other languages are, well
...."languages which are not-MUI-languages". Basically, the set of LIP
languages and the set of MUI languages do not overlap.

Generally, LIP packs need to be installed on top of the appropriate "parent"
language. So Basque egets installed on top of Spanish-language Windows;
Slovak gets installed on top of Czech language Windows; Ukranian on top of
Russian Windows, etc. You can't install a Basque LIP onto an Englisg of
Japanese Windows, for example.

Of the existing LIP languages, most are for XP, few Vista versions have been
created yet. Presumably an update will be produced one day, but since these
depend on co-operation from regional governments, community groups etc, it
can take a while. So far, I think Catalan, Hindi and Serbian are the only
LIPs for Vista, as opposed to XP.

I am a huge fan of the LIP, and it deserves to much better known and
encouraged. But (1) is is so far off the track in providing any kind of
solution for the OP, that it didn't seem useful to mention; and (2) it's
pretty safe to say we will *never* see an English language LIP.

At one stage I also discussed a "UK English" LIP for Windows with the
Microsoft people, to get away from all the barbarous Americanisms now in
Vista. There was some interest from commercial firms in the UK and
Commonwealth, as well. But the momentum and finances required to get a LIP
off the ground are considerable, it really needs national government
support.

In short ... LIP is great; but it is not "MUI-by-stealth". It is a different
project, with different processes and goals. And it is of no assistance to
the OP.

--
Andrew McLaren
amclar (at) optusnet dot com dot au

"D. Solomon" <D.Solomon(nospam)@yahoo.com> wrote ...I replied more fully in a separate branch, but ... I am a huge fan of the
LIP, and it deserves to much better known and encouraged. But (1) is is so
far off the track in providing any kind of solution for the OP, that it
didn't seem useful to mention; and (2) it's pretty safe to say we will
*never* see an English language LIP.

--
Andrew McLaren
amclar (at) optusnet dot com dot au