Upgrade Vista Ultimate -> Windows 7: OS Language

[Drachenstein]

Hello

My Notebook comes from the U.S. with Vista Ultimate. Now I want to upgrade to Windows 7 Ultimate here in Europe.

I heard that an in-place upgrade to Windows 7 is only possible within the same language (e.g. EN-US). Now I worry that I'll buy the wrong Win 7 version.

I know that my current Vista Ultimate is English, but how to find out which one (could be British as well)? Ist there a native OS language at all besides the language I set in the "regional and language options" in the control panel?

And is this important at all? As far as I know Windows 7 Ultimate supports 35 languages, so does it matter at all as long as I accept to install Win 7 in the same language like my Vista is?

Sorry, maybe I'm a bit confused *ggg*. Thanks so much for any enlightements!

regards, Wolfgang

 

[Kari]

Hi Drachenstein, welcome to the Seven Forums.

If you want to do an in-place upgrade, you have to have exactly the same language version. Info about the pre-installed OEM version with activation key can normally be found in the sticker in the bottom of the laptop.

If you ordered your laptop from the USA, the OEM Windows Vista most certainly is English. So for in-place upgrade you need an English Win7. To my knowledge Windows 7 is available only in one universal English version; no EN-US or EN-UK versions exists.

Kari

 

[Drachenstein]

Hi Kari

Thanks for the nice welcome and your answer!

If you want to do an in-place upgrade, you have to have exactly the same language version.

So this does also apply for the Ultimate versions of Vista and Win 7? My hope was that they're kind of "multilingual".

Info about the pre-installed OEM version with activation key can normally be found in the sticker in the bottom of the laptop.

If you ordered your laptop from the USA, the OEM Windows Vista most certainly is English.

Yes, I have this sticker but there's no info about a language. It only says "Windows Vista TM Ultimate OEMAct with several bunches of numbers and letters (including the Product Key).

If you ordered your laptop from the USA, the OEM Windows Vista most certainly is English. So for in-place upgrade you need an English Win7. To my knowledge Windows 7 is available only in one universal English version; no EN-US or EN-UK versions exists.

Yes, it's English. No chance to find out somewhere in the settings (e.g. in the registry?) what version it is?

But anyhow, if Windows 7 is only available in one universal English version then I don't have to care anymore and I just order one from the states.

Can somebody else please kindly proof that Windows 7 is available only in one English version?

Thanks and regards from Switzerland

Wolfgang

 

[Kari]

Ultimate is multilingual in the sence that you can download and install language packs from Windows Update, currently 34 different languages. A language pack transforms Windows completely to the chosen language. For example, my original Windows on this machine is German.

I've installed Finnish, Swedish and English language packs to be able to use my computer in my main languages. One user account can use only one language at any given time, though you can change that as often as you like. I'm writing this now being logged on to an user account with English language pack and you could not see any difference when compared to an original English Seven Ultimate, though my Ultimate is German.

I also have one laptop with German Vista Ultimate installed, transformed to English using language pack. When it's time to upgrade it to Seven, I have to use a German Seven Ultimate to be able to do in-place upgrade. The upgrade process must also be started from an user account using the original language, in my case German. I can not start upgrade from an account where the language is changed using language pack, even if the installation media is in the same language than that transformed account.

To upgrade, original language of the old OS must match the upgrade installation media.

I tried to search the internet but found no information about different English versions of Windows. Also language pack is only available in English, no separate US, UK, AU etc. versions. I think it is safe to assume there exists only one English version of Windows 7.

Kari

 

[Drachenstein]

Wow, Kari, that's interesting.

That was my confusion. Now I understand, that despite the installed language(s) that transform the OS to a specific language (or more, depending on the user) there's still one "original" OS language in the background that cannot be changed.

I just wonder why I just can't see somewhere in my computer what native language my OS has.

But anyhow, then for my "upgrade project" it doesen't matter at all. I'll just get an English Windows 7 and everything will be okay.

Thanks a lot for this kind help

Wolfgang

 

[Kari]

Normally the built-in Administrator account (http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/507-built-administrator-account-enable-disable.html) is not modified, so logging in to this account you are able to determine which was / is the language of the original OS.

Just remember that language packs are a free feature but can only be used with Ultimate and Enterprise editions of Vista and / or Seven.

Kari

P.S. My logon screen:

 

[Drachenstein]

.... seems to be a clear case of WAF (Windows Account Fetishism) :roflmao:
(just kidding)


cheers - Wolfgang

 

[Kari]

.... seems to be a clear case of WAF (Windows Account Fetishism) :roflmao:
(just kidding)


cheers - Wolfgang

:roflmao:

 

[Drachenstein]

Dear all

I think now it's absolutely clear, in the German part of Microsoft TechNet they told me the following (see here for the original thread: http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en/w7itproinstallde/thread/192b56e3-19f0-4552-83f0-523497005ed4 )


1. Language Version of Windows

In the registry under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Nls\Language the Value for InstallLanguage (not for Default) indicates the Language version. E.g. the value 0409 is EN-US (for a list of all codes see http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc766503(WS.10).aspx ).


2. Why no cross-language in-place upgrades are possible

Despite the display language (e.g. how the menus appear) which can be one of 35 different languages for Windows 7 Ultimate there are system commands or namings which are programmed in one fixed langauge - depending on the country version of Windows.

I have no idea why Microsoft did it that way, but that's how it seems to be.

For example the partition that Windows 7 provides for Bootloader, Bitlocker etc. is named differently in various langauages (English: "System Reserved", French: "Système reservée" etc..


Hope this information also helps other people facing the same problem/question. Thanks a lot to Sanmartin and Andrei Talmaciu who kindly provided this infos.


regards, Wolfgang

 

[Tews]

Thanks for the heads up Wolfgang...