Re: Using XP Home in German and English
- From: Bruce Chambers <bchambers@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 11 Jun 2005 11:59:33 -0600
James wrote:
Hi all, this is my situation: I'm a UK student, I have a pc with XP Home on it, and I'm going to Germany for a year's study there. I want a laptop, and they look mightily cheaper over there :) *But* I don't think I could live with a laptop that's exclusively in German. Ideally I want something where I can switch between as I please.
First question: Is this easy to do? Having read around, it sounds like no, given MUI seems to be only available to big companies =/
That's correct. The MUI is available only for Volume Licensed English versions of WinXP Pro. For any other type of WinXP license, you cannot upgrade or convert from one language version of the OS to another, so you'd have to purchase and use the full version of WinXP (in whatever language you want) to perform a clean installation.
Cannot Upgrade or Install a Different Language Version of Windows XP http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;282089
Second question: Would my current licence cover installing XP on a yet-to-be-purchased laptop? (I'm thinking of the eventuality that I can't have both languages and choose to install English over the top and make do with that.)
Probably not. You need to have a separate WinXP license for each computer on which you install it. If you've a retail license on your present computer, you can remove it from the computer it's currently on, and then install it on the laptop. (Check with the laptop manufacturer before doing so, to ensure that this action won't void any warranty, and that there are device drivers available for the English version of WinXP.) If you've an OEM license, however, it's not transferable to another computer under any circumstances.
Just as it has *always* been with *all* Microsoft operating systems, it's necessary (to be in compliance with both the EULA and U.S. copyright law http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/117.html), if not technically) to purchase one WinXP license for each computer on which it is installed. (Consult an attorney versed in copyright law to determine final applicability in your locale.) The only way in which WinXP licensing differs from that of earlier versions of Windows is that Microsoft has finally added a copy protection and anti-theft mechanism, Product Activation, to prevent (or at least make more difficult) multiple installations using a single license.
One can buy additional licenses, assuming one already has a retail license. Naturally, Microsoft cannot sell additional OEM licenses. Be aware, however, that you'll probably pay more this way than you would if you were to buy a second copy of WinXP from a discount retailer; Microsoft will only offer you a 15% discount off their MSRP.
Additional Licenses for Windows XP Home Edition http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/home/howtobuy/addlic.asp
Additional Licenses for Windows XP Professional http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/howtobuy/addlic.asp
I did read somewhere a brief comment that you can do something along the lines of install one copy of Windows over another and thus be able to use either language(!) I can't picture this in my mind, but does anyone know about this?
Not quite. What you can do is purchase an additional English version of WinXP and create a dual-boot scenario on the German laptop, if you like.
For conflicting language versions of operating systems, and the hiding of one's partition from another, I've found System Commander from V-Communications very useful, in the past.
--
Bruce Chambers
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