Link to home
Start Free TrialLog in
Avatar of Mark
Mark

asked on

How to switch langages in Vista

My wife has a Vista Home Premium laptop she bought in France. I purchased a WIN7 upgrade for this computer, however when I run it I get the message, "You can't do a typical upgrade using an installation disc that's different from the language installed on your computer."

Is there a way I can change the installation language? My searches have thus far indicated that I'm stuck with the originally installed language.
SOLUTION
Avatar of awawada
awawada

Link to home
membership
This solution is only available to members.
To access this solution, you must be a member of Experts Exchange.
Start Free Trial
ASKER CERTIFIED SOLUTION
Avatar of ☠ MASQ ☠
☠ MASQ ☠

Link to home
membership
This solution is only available to members.
To access this solution, you must be a member of Experts Exchange.
Start Free Trial
SOLUTION
Link to home
membership
This solution is only available to members.
To access this solution, you must be a member of Experts Exchange.
Start Free Trial
Avatar of ☠ MASQ ☠
☠ MASQ ☠

Take care with Vistaizator - First it breaks your EULA by changing Windows code but from a more practical approach it hasn't been updated for quite a while, the language files it changes aren't registered correctly (although they were for pre-SP versions) and so Windows Update ignores them (it sees most of Vista as updated & misses that the language files are older than the rest of the install) - this can break .net installs and any software that requires .net - if you are affected untangling that can be a nightmare!
Agree MASQ, I also had lot of problems with Vistaizator.
Avatar of Mark

ASKER

OK, so I guess I'm screwed on this one. I had no idea the installation language mattered was a show-stopper.  I don't think I want to mess with anything potentially dangerous. I'll check with the company I bought the upgrade disk from and see if I they have a French version and if so, if I can trade. I don't want to do a new installation of WIN7 because she has too many programs for which she has no installation disks.
Installing a different language pack does not help. To upgrade, you need the upgrade disk to be of the same language that your vista was originally installed with - it does not help to switch the language pack. It is the same with upgrades from 7 to 8 by the way.
Also, it was incorrect to state that OEM keys cannot be used with different languages or other bitnesses then what's been bought - simply try it.
?? Didn't talk about OEM Keys at all, just that an OEM install is supplied with the ability to switch base language & bit-type disabled.
The asker may use any vista OEM setup disk with his key, that's all I tried to point out. So he could change it, kind of, couldn't he? If his win7 upgrade requires vista to be installed before upgrading (I am not sure as I have never used explicit win7 upgrade versions but always upgraded using standard win7 pros), then he can take the key from his sticker and indeed install vista in the required language and bitness (and upgrade thereafter) - that's why I called it incorrect.