Corrupt Language Pack

incurablegeek · 16 Dec 2012

I am still having a problem with my Japanese language pack - I am able to switch from EN icon to JP icon and actually see the language bar (can't do so with a mouse click as I have been doing for 15 years now but must use Alt/Shift on the keyboard) -- But -- the scroll menus do not open. When I click on one of the icons on the language bar, it flickers - but will not open as it should.

Any suggestions as to how to reinstall this Japanese IME? Of course, it is no longer an option under "Updates" since technically it has already been installed.

Attachments:

1) Scan Results
2) Snippet of IME directory in C partition - Is there anything here that would indicate a corrupt file that could be manually repaired?

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Support Info:

Just ran sfc /scannow in an admin command prompt -- and ......

Amongst the mountains of text found in the log file, a "find" of "language" appears to indicate an attempt to repair this language pack.

That concurs with my original suspicion, that the Japanese language pack is defective.

Of course I could have tested this by installing another language pack and testing it. I did not. Why? Well, I don't need the Chinese now (and didn't want to increase the number of variables I need to deal with in solving this problem) - and - the language pack "controller" (I assume there is such a thing) might itself be corrupt.

My thought: I would like to reinstall the Japanese language pack. I tried doing so by downloading and installing what I thought was a Japanese IME but turned out to convert my entire system to Japanese - definitely NOT what I wanted.

From googling the world, I have learned that many others have encountered the same problem. So I guess it's nice to know that I'm not all alone here.

Kari · 16 Dec 2012

First, I have to say your post is one of the most confusing I have seen

.

DISPLAY LANGUAGE
A language pack converts Windows to selected language by changing its display language. If you install and enable a Japanese language pack, then your Windows is completely Japanese. I for instance really need four languages, so I have installed Finnish, Swedish and German language packs on my English Windows 7 on each and every computer I have.

After installing these language packs I simply create new user accounts for each language (an enabled and applied language pack only converts the display language of the user account it was applied for, not whole computer's language), resulting a scenario like this:

(Click to enlarge)

Depending which language I need, I can login to respective user account. My normal and Admin accounts in English, other accounts in Finnish, Swedish and German.

To change a display language you need first to download a language pack in your chosen language, log in to user account you want to change display language and then from Regional and language properties > Keyboards and languages select correct language:

Corrupt Language Pack-2012-12-17_002203.png

(Installed languages in this example are English, German / Deutsch, Finnish / Suomi and Swedish / Svenska)

After relogin the user account in question has completely changed to chosen language. Dialogs, menus, help, IE and so on.

(Tutorial: Display Language - Change)

INPUT LANGUAGE
Input language is the keyboard layout you want to use. It has nothing to do with language packs and does not need an installed language pack; to change your keyboard layout (input language) you do not need to download anything. Simply open the language properties and add / enable / disable wanted input methods (languages).

Input languages are changed / enabled / disabled from the Regional and language properties > Keyboards and languages > Change keyboards:

Corrupt Language Pack-2012-12-17_003424.png

(Tutorial: Keyboard Input Language - Add or Remove)

Changing the Display Language does not change the Input Language and vice versa. Again using my computer as an example:

Originally this laptop had an English Windows 7 Enterprise installed, with English (UK) as Input Language (= keyboard layout). I created additional user accounts to be used in Finnish, Swedish and German.

After downloading language packs I logged in to newly created Finnish account and changed its Display Language to Finnish. After relogin the Display Language of that account was changed to Finnish but the keyboard layout (Input Language) was still English (UK) because changing the Display Language does not automatically change the Input Language. That change I made (it must be made) separately.

I repeated the same procedure with Swedish and German user accounts resulting a laptop with user accounts in four different languages, each using its respectively Input Language.

Read the tutorials I linked above. Your Japanese IME is an Input Language, in other words Keyboard Layout, not a Display language and should work after first disabling / removing it, rebooting and enabling / adding it again.

Do not change the Display Language if you do not want to change your complete Windows to an other language. You are mixing these two totally different things, display language and input language.

Once more:

Display Language = the language Windows and all its dialogs and menus are presented. A language pack is needed in order to change the display language
Input Language = keyboard layout in selected language. No additional downloads, language packs or something else are needed to change the layout

Kari

incurablegeek · 16 Dec 2012

Thank you for your reply and concern.

Since I tried to keep my initial post brief, I may have inadvertently come across as a newbie with language packs. Actually I have been typing in Japanese, and some Chinese, since the mid 90's. Before that I used TwinBridge.

So please understand I do know how to install a language pack - have in fact done so per my original post. And I can access a language bar via Alt/Shift.

Problem: the language bar icons which, when clicked upon should reveal scroll down menus with input and conversion choices, are completely unresponsive.

So that there be no confusion, there are actually two types of "language packs".

1) Those which convert the entire system to a different language, in my case Japanese. That I know how to do. I have the software to do that. But that is emphatically what I do not wish to do. I do not wish to have a an entire system that can be used by an English speaker - and then switched over for use by a Japanese speaker.

2) A language pack which enables one to input either English (Romanized Japanese) or the Japanese phonetic alphabet. That is what I need. That is what has been installed via "updates". And that is what is not functioning properly.

For what it's worth, I have already typed several hundred pages of Advanced Japanese which I intend to publish. So using a language pack is not my problem. Fixing a corrupt language pack is the present problem.

Hope that helps.

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Update: check out the attached screenshot. You can see the Japanese language bar nicely opened at the top.

For some odd reason I can open the IME Pad, with which I can draw Kanji (Chinese Characters) BUT NO OTHER MENUS OPEN!

Kari · 17 Dec 2012

incurablegeek said:

So please understand I do know how to install a language pack - have in fact done so per my original post. And I can access a language bar via Alt/Shift.

Please do not take this personally but both your original post and response to my post shows absolutely clearly, without a doubt that you do not know what language pack is and how it is used. ALT/SHIFT keyboard shortcut has nothing to do with language packs, you do not change installed language packs with it or manipulate language packs in any other way. Instead you change an Input Language (keyboard layout) with ALT/SHIFT keyboard shortcut.

incurablegeek said:

So that there be no confusion, there are actually two types of "language packs".

Sorry, wrong again. Language Packs are to change the Display Language (not the Input Language!) on Windows 7 Ultimate and Enterprise editions, not available to other editions.

Some users mistakenly think Language Interface Pack to be a full language pack. That is not the case; when a language pack completely changes the display language, the language interface pack changes only the most commonly used and needed dialogs and menus.

Anyway, both language packs and language interface packs have nothing to do with the keyboard layout or your issue, and they are most definitely not needed in order to use a certain input language.

incurablegeek said:

2) A language pack which enables one to input either English (Romanized Japanese) or the Japanese phonetic alphabet. That is what I need. That is what has been installed via "updates". And that is what is not functioning properly.

WRONG!!! Language packs are downloaded as optional updates in Ultimate and Enterprise editions. But they are only installed and used if specifically applied to change the display language as I told in my previous post.

Language packs have nothing to do with input language (= keyboard layout). Once again: Downloading, installing and applying a language pack does not install or enable a keyboard layout, also called Input Language, nor are language packs needed in order to use alternative input languages. Keyboard layouts are available in all Windows editions without any additional downloads and / or installations.

How difficult is this to understand? To use Traditional Chinese IME keyboard layout, or Japanese, or Swedish and Finnish as I do to be able to type those special letters of ours (ÖÄÅ), there is no need to download a language pack. Absolutely not!

Look here, screenshot from a Windows 7 virtual machine running on this Windows 8 PC I am using now. Japanese (Katakana) typing on Windows WordPad using Japanese IME keyboard layout (Input Language), absolutely no Japanese language packs installed:

Corrupt Language Pack-2012-12-17_111156.png

incurablegeek said:

For what it's worth, I have already typed several hundred pages of Advanced Japanese which I intend to publish. So using a language pack is not my problem. Fixing a corrupt language pack is the present problem.

It seems to be a big problem to you. You have not a corrupted language pack, in fact you do not even need a language pack.

All you need to do to start trying to fix your issue is what I asked you to do in my previous post: Go to Region and Language properties, click Change Keyboards, disable Japanese IME, reboot, after reboot go back and enable Japanese IME and check if it is working. If not, come back and we will try something else.

incurablegeek said:

Update: check out the attached screenshot. You can see the Japanese language bar nicely opened at the top.

It should be already clear for you but to be sure, once again: your screenshot shows the Windows 7 Control Panel option for changing the input language (keyboard layout). It does have nothing to do with language packs.

NO LANGUAGE PACKS ARE NEEDED TO CHANGE THE INPUT LANGUAGE! IF TYPING IN ANOTHER KEYBOARD LAYOUT DOES NOT WORK, IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH LANGUAGE PACK!

Kari

incurablegeek · 17 Dec 2012

Kari,

I shall read the rest of your response later but right now please color me a bit "disconcerted".

Please do not take this personally but both your original post and response to my post shows absolutely clearly, without a doubt that you do not know what language pack is and how it is used.

See attached.

Please see a page of Japanese which I myself wrote.

Perhaps you did not read my post. I have been inputting Japanese first with TwinBridge Chinese, Japanese, Korean Software, Handwriting Pen, Translation, OCR, eBook - TwinBridge way back in the early 90's and then with Japanese language packs from Microsoft. I know more than just a little something about language packs then, having used them since their inception and Japanese input software (TwinBridge) prior to that.

ALT/SHIFT keyboard shortcut has nothing to do with language packs, you do not change installed language packs with it or manipulate language packs in any other way. Instead you change an Input Language (keyboard layout) with ALT/SHIFT keyboard shortcut.

Repeat: Alt/Shift is the only way I can get the EN icon to open and switch to the JP icon --- and the Japanese language bar. In the past clicking on the EN icon accomplished this, without need for Alt/Shift.

Interesting enough, the Japanese IME is the only one of the language bar icons that actually opens. As I'm sure you know, this is the way I can craft/assemble kanji (Chinese characters). The other icon simply shudder when clicked upon, as if they were trying to open.

Conclusion: The language pack I am trying to use is corrupted. (Snippet attached)

Question: How to repair it without a complete reinstall of Win7 Ultimate 64 bit. Note: I am using Office 2010 Pro, not 64 bit which is defective in design. My only add-on is Multi-Tabs free and a few macros I wrote.

Footnote: Please do not tell me next that I don't understand the Japanese language. I was paid quite well for my expertise in this area as the attachments may indicate.

Kari · 17 Dec 2012

I give up. Good luck.

I just have to repeat this one more time: language packs are not needed nor used for Input Languages. As the screenshot in my previous post shows, I used Japanese IME as Input Language without installing Japanese language pack.

You seem not to understand difference between Windows terms Display Language and Input Language. To change Display Language you need to install a language pack, which when applied transforms your Windows to that language. Using / applying a language pack does not change the input language, in other words it does not change the keyboard layout used. There exists 36 different language packs, which can be downloaded and used only in Windows 7 Ultimate and Enterprise editions.

The selected Input Language on the other hand determines which keyboard layout will be used. There are a few hundred different keyboard layouts to choose to be used as Input Language. Changing the keyboard layout does not need any additional downloads or installs and they can be used on all editions of Windows 7; you simply go to Region and Languages settings, click Change Keyboards and select which Input Languages you want to use.

I am not known of my modesty so let me say this: I am the best expert here on the Seven Forums regarding MUI (Multilingual User Interface), language packs and using Windows 7 on additional languages. I am telling you this:

Information

Your issue has nothing to do with Japanese language pack. In fact, the Japanese language pack is absolutely completely 100% unnecessary for your system for you told yourself you do not want to convert your Windows to Japanese, you just want to type in Japanese. The only use of a language pack is to convert Windows to another language; you can uninstall the Japanese language pack if you just need to change the input language.

I offered you a simple possible solution in both of my previous posts, which you seem refuse to try. You are refusing to listen to me, not believing me. You continue to search solution to a problem that has nothing to do with your issue. I can see that your pride is more important to you than to believe an expert.

I wish you luck. Of course I know that fixing your "corrupt language pack" does not fix your issue because it is unrelated to it. it's a shame, I honestly believe we could have solved your issue.

You seem to know better.

Kari

incurablegeek · 17 Dec 2012

I don't want to confuse you with facts, but I have attached two snippets which are the result of following your advice.

Snippet #1 shows that the Japanese IME had been removed - as you suggested

Snippet #2 shows that, after reboot, the Japanese language pack is no longer available.

All you need to do to start trying to fix your issue is what I asked you to do in my previous post: Go to Region and Language properties, click Change Keyboards, disable Japanese IME, reboot, after reboot go back and enable Japanese IME and check if it is working. If not, come back and we will try something else.

The result is now No Language Bar (or whatever you choose to call it), No menus to set the input method (Romaji, hiragana, katakana or kanji via the IME drawing pad) - actually No Nothing now.

Did what the expert said. Did I do something wrong? Check out the results which I believe will speak louder than my words.

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Once again: What I wish to do is what I have been doing for more than 15 years.

Input (cannot open the language bar so can't input anything) Roman characters (Romaji), either of the two phonetic alphabets (hiragana or katakana) or Chinese characters (kanji) --> and then output either the phonetic alphabet or kanji with hiragana endings (see my prior attached .doc)

I know you are trying to help but telling me I don't know what the heck I am doing is not exactly the key to my heart.

Kari · 17 Dec 2012

incurablegeek said:

Snippet #1 shows that the Japanese IME had been removed - as you suggested

Snippet #2 shows that, after reboot, the Japanese language pack is no longer available.

All you need to do to start trying to fix your issue is what I asked you to do in my previous post: Go to Region and Language properties, click Change Keyboards, disable Japanese IME, reboot, after reboot go back and enable Japanese IME and check if it is working. If not, come back and we will try something else.

The result is now No Language Bar (or whatever you choose to call it), No menus to set the input method (Romaji, hiragana, katakana or kanji via the IME drawing pad) - actually No Nothing now.

Did what the expert said. Did I do something wrong? Check out the results which I believe will speak louder than my words.

I said I will bail out but I will make one more try: READ THE HIGHLIGHTED PART OF MY TIP YOU QUOTED!

Your screenshots show very clearly you did not add / enable Japanese IME after reboot.

Kari

incurablegeek · 17 Dec 2012

Your screenshots show very clearly you did not add / enable Japanese IME after reboot.

You are indeed correct. That is my mistake and I sincerely apologize. Will let you know.

Thanks for being so very helpful - and no, that is not at all sarcasm. I do appreciate your thorough and caring support.

Now, off to do as you said.

incurablegeek · 17 Dec 2012

Back again.

As you can see from the screenshot, I did what you suggested.

Result: Same as before, the language bar can only be opened with the keyboard Alt/Shift (not a huge problem but different from before when a mouse click on the EN icon opened it) -- and clicking on any of the icons only results in a flicker just as if the menu is trying to open but cannot. Same as before, only the IME kanji drawing pad will open. The other icons do not.

Please do not suggest suicide. I am not yet considering that option.

And as for reinstalling Win7 and all my programs, I would rather be nibbled to death by ducks.