Change XP System Language?

January 21, 2007 7:22 AM

Multiple languages (Japanese + English) for multiple users in Windows XP Home?

In Japan recently I bought a tiny Kohjinsha laptop computer, which came with Windows XP Home pre-installed. I'm terminally unfamiliar with Windows, particularly setting it up. All I really want to use Windows for is checking how websites/CSS work in Internet Explorer, and ultimately I'll mostly be running it in some flavour of Linux. The challenge of partitioning and dual-booting a computer without a CD/DVD drive can wait until I've got more time and energy, however, so for the time being it can stay in Windows, as long as I can get it to work for me.

What I'd like to do is set it up so that both my Japanese wife and I can use it in our native languages. According to what I can glean from the Internet, not only is this not possible, it's also not possible to change the system language from Japanese at all. I find this difficult to believe. The Microsoft Help pages don't.

Be advised that I'm coming from OS X, where this is basically reordering a list in the International System Preferences pane.

Am I being unbelievably stupid?

posted by Grangousier to Computers & Internet (7 answers total)

Best answer: I don't think you can change the menus and such to be in a different language. Windows comes in a different flavor for every language in the world pretty much. What you *can* do is setup the ability to input & edit text in other languages (called the IME - input method editor). For instance, I have my english-language version of XP setup to allow me to edit in english (the default), japanese, or arabic. To change between them there are some special hot keys (or you can mouse to a little special toolbar added to the taskbar). To add IMEs you have to poke around in the Regional & Langauge Options under the Control Panel. However, since you don't have a CD drive (and possibly no install disks) and the OS might not already have all the files installed, I don't know how you'll get them installed.
posted by R343L at 8:20 AM on January 21, 2007

You're out of luck.

As R3 says, about the best you can do is set up IME. Luckily, XP comes with everything pre-loaded.... But all you need is an Internet connection to download a specific dictionary.
posted by KokuRyu at 10:48 AM on January 21, 2007

Response by poster: Nah, I really would have liked different users in the different languages. We've done the IMEs. On the upside it confirms my smug Mac-user prejudice that Windows is basically shit, and adds a frisson of complication to the process of partitioning the disk prior to installing Linux, which will need to be a two-person rather than one-person job.

Thanks though, it's good to have the failing confirmed.
posted by Grangousier at 11:00 AM on January 21, 2007

This kills me too, here in Seoul, but I've been led to understand that Microsoft does this so they can sell Windows cheaper in poorer countries, thus insuring market dominance, but prevent people in rich countries from buying Win cheaper abroad.

Still dirty pool I guess, and totally annoying.
posted by Joseph Gurl at 2:45 PM on January 21, 2007

Option 1: There is the MUI pack, which is difficult to get hold of, and several Gb in size as it packages all the bloody language files together, but it allows you to do this.

I haven't personally bothered with it.

Option 2: What I do at home for my wife, is dual-boot windows with a Korean-language XP install and an English one on the same machine. It's extremely easy to use from then on: just a matter of choosing the OS you want to boot from the startup menu that automagically appears after you set up the second OS on a different drive or partition. It's not difficult, but not for the faint-hearted, either. If you go that route, I strongly recommend backing up your data.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 4:20 PM on January 21, 2007

Sorry, I didn't notice that you didn't want to dual-boot.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 4:40 PM on January 21, 2007

Virtual machine with a Japanese version of Windows in it.
posted by kindall at 7:56 PM on January 21, 2007