Error boxes not in English

In Windows 98SE some of my little boxes and or error code boxes are in German or Russian language and not in English. Went to Control Panel, Keyboard and that is OK, says "English (United States). When I go into Control Panel, International Settings and everything is in another language but not English. How can I fix this without formatting C:\ and reloading ?

Tried to put in the CD for Windows to reload, but it would not let me and I also did not know wheat to unload or reload.

 

Hi

try: Control Panel, Regional Settings:

(irrespective of what language it's showing at the moment)

- alter the language to something other than English and different to whatever it's showing at the moment;
- Apply;
- reboot;
- alter the language once again, this time to English;
- Apply;
- reboot

best wishes, HJ.

 

Sorry Hugh Jarss but that did not work, all error boxes still in another language and when I went to Regional Settings it was all in a foreign language, could not tell which one was English. Everything was written in this language

engelska (Amerikansk)

I assumed that this is English (America) but not sure. Any way problem NOT solved.

 

Hi again

thanx for the reply & sorry to hear it didn't do the trick - that little dodge often works wonders and is so much less drastic than reinstalling or whatever, had to be worth a try...

did the onset of the problem tally with installing some new software or any other "odd" happenings, pls?

==

has got to be trying to say "English (American)" surely... but not actually doing it. Hmmm.

Which makes me think along the lines of a corrupt DLL or the like

Iff you have had the foresight to run SFC (System File Checker) since your last visit to WindowsUpdate - to update its database to cater for all the patched DLLs etc...
...then running SFC with the checkbox "Check for Changed Files" enabled** would identify which file is to blame.

(**important! - else you will just update the verification table with the details for the corrupt version, thus losing your chance of spotting the bad file)(find this checkbox from the Settings... button)

Unfortunately though, so many system files have now been patched by WindowsUpdate - over 200 I think, compared to the original versions on the Windows CDs - that if you haven't updated the verification details recently it will still be like looking for a needle in a haystack.

==

gotta go cook supper! - will be back later after I've done a bit of research.

Did you notice whether it was possible to change the language to anything else at all - or was it just stuck in the same (incorrect) language no matter what you did?

best wishes, HJ.

 

OK, you really got me this time. I can format C:, load and unload but no NOTHING about the insides (files).

Where do I get the FSC checker ? Does it come with Win98SE ?

And yes, I did load a couple of new programs and also I have been downloading ebook cookbooks with resale rights on eBay. So not sure which one did the dirty deed.

It was stuck in the same language no matter what I did. The keyboard language was fine it said English (United States), it's the Regional Settings that is the problem. My desktop is in English, it's only when some little boxes come up and others are OK.

And I have not done any Windows updates. I am taking an online class right now and do not have the time. I live in the country and only get dial-up. I connect at 26.

I looked in Google and isn't System File Checker only for Windows 2000 because I am using Windows 98 SE.

 

Ahhhhhhhh, did you actually select and apply 'engelska (Amerikansk)' or just see and weren't sure if you should do it?

In a way your post sounds to me like mayhaps you didn't actually try it.

 

System file checker?.... Maybe this nfo will help a bit in understanding and using that tool.

See only my comments on sfc:
http://www.windowsbbs.com/showpost.php?p=68841&postcount=6

additional nfo:
Description of SFC:
http://support.microsoft.com/defaul...kb;EN-US;185836

 

Just to mayhaps make ya feel a bit better right now I'm thinking that at worst your gonna end up doing a windows install over itsself where you won't loose any settings or anything. I don't KNOW that that's gonna be the worst, just the impression I have.

OK, In the regional settings make sure that you actually select the engelska (Amerikansk). But before you do that look at the buttons that are probably in the lower right. If there are three and one is greyed out that would be the 'apply' button. Now go ahead and click on the engelska (Amerikansk) and then click the apply button if there and now not greyed out. If you were able to do all this do NOT guess which is the OK and Cancel buttons. Exit by the X in the very upper right.

Wouldn't hurt if you put up what any buttons read. If nothing else we can go to babble fish and translate. Haven't been to babble fish in ages... is it still there???

If the above worked than run each of the programs that you have recently downloaded. After running each re-boot. Sorry, it's tedious but we need to see if a program is putting a hook into the region settings. If, on any program running, the problem comes back use the above fix and uninstall that and only that program and look for an alternate.

I have something to try if this dosen't work but let's do this first. I type with three fingers and an occasional thumb on the space bar. I'm getting a blister...

 

Appears to be Swedish:
http://www.pcclub.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=20&threadid=15645

Try the regional settings fix as previously suggested.

Here's another interesting link:
http://www.kodak.com/global/en/service/tib/tib4254.shtml

While the specific software mentioned above may not apply to your problem perhaps a similar problem was caused by some other install you have done recently. In any case the fix suggested in the link provided is also the fix suggested to you previously, here.

===========
On re-read: If your regional already reflects Engelska (amerikansk) and this has been applied, I think this would mean it is already set for English but it is saying it in Swedish or similar. Hmmmm...I need to think a bit more on this, check out a few more things and possibly reboot into win98 (dualboot for myself) and have a look see. Be back...

 

Hi again (with apologies for the delay, lost the 'phone line )

while incommunicado I tried playing around with the Regional Settings, it's made me think we might be barking up the wrong tree

you'd think it would change the language, wouldn't you? But it doesn't...

...it changes Currency, how the time & date etc display, lots of things... but not the language! D'oh!

I have a sneaking feeling the answer lies in Internet Options > Languages > Language Preference > Menus and Dialogue Boxes

see here

(this is taken with my regional settings set to French, but as you can see, the menus and dialogues are still in en-us)

(hit the button marked "Change" to find "Menus and Dialogue Boxes" with the drop down arrow)

but am going to check this properly (which I should have done before but it seemed so obvious... obvious is a dangerous word!) ; to do so I have to download another UI plugin from M$, will post again when I can dummy run the whole thing successfully at this end

if you can get to the drop down box encircled in red, see if there's an option for "engelska (Amerikansk) "

more soon, HJ

 

I think this may be what we're after:

note: I suspect that it may perhaps not actually be Swedish, but another (close) Scandinavian language.

Thus, the button captions etc. may differ slightly from the ones I show here; but even if the caption is different, the button you need will be in the same place in the window.

==

The "Internet Options" route says that it affects IE and OE; but in reality affects Windows more deeply than that. For example, Control Panel looks like this
==

To get back to EN-US:

- Control Panel > "Internet Options" to get this

- choose "Sprak..." to find this

- choose "Andra..." to get this which has the drop down arrow

- using the drop-down, select "Engelska (USA)" thus

- and then OK it thus

this brings you to this, choose "Ja "; then OK

- reboot your computer.

==

hope that does it ! Good Luck...

phew Hugh.

 

My Internet Options looks fine. It's in English and the language preference says "English (United States)(en-us)

 

Don't believe what you see.......
Reguardless of the current setting shown, change it and apply, then change it back to English. If that didn't do anything you may need to do the same procedure but add a reboot in between the changes. Sometimes windows gets amnesia (for a variety of reasons) and this type of refresh technique can sometimes return things to normal. That is why Hugh previously suggested this:
try: Control Panel, Regional Settings:
(irrespective of what language it's showing at the moment)
- alter the language to something other than English and different to whatever it's showing at the moment;
- Apply;
- reboot;
- alter the language once again, this time to English;
- Apply;
- reboot

==========
Time to inquire about what the other two programs you have recently installed were and where did you get them.

 

Changed language, rebooted, changed back to English, rebooted. Still the same, no change. Regional language still in another language.

Loaded programs: SalesMan by www.watters-edge.com
Turbo Passwords for Palm from Handango
eWallet for Palm from Handango

 

thanks for the confirmation of the Apply thing, and for identifying the programs

back after having a play around with the programs

best wishes, HJ.

 

Hmmm, I thought Hugh Jarss had it! I would of already been reinstalling windows before I would of ever thought to look in internet options! Even if it didn't work, GOOD CALL!!

What do ya think, folks? If the downloaded software dosen't show anything will it be time to re-install windows over itsself and set the language durring install?? Or would that just do the money again?

Another thought, and this might be dumb... If the Sweedish/Scand. language packs were uninstalled would it default back to English? That is if you can uninstall a language pack...

 

Food for thought....(Remote but may be possibly)

I been entertaining the thought of a safemode bootup in case a system file has a setting that is setting the code possibly even a reboot to dos mode and scanreg /restore. Not sure if this would help because I just plain can't remember whether the registry can set this or the registry (language code, country code, character set etc.) is set based on other files found on the harddrive. Bothers me that I used to have a grasp on at least the base fundamentals on this topic and a knowledge of the registry keys and checks for this issue but that seems to have fallen into the old "use it or lose it" category. I could do a "study up" but laziness and the hope that a member will magically pop in here with the "guru" fix has kept me from doing this. Shame on me...

Got to admit this situation has made me nervous for the poster (you: kckitchen)
From the sound of it, you have a lot to lose or a lot to backup, or a lot to restore should an install have to be done. Between what you have loaded and downloaded, coupled with an "online study course/class ", I sure hope this will not necessary.

Not "rabbit out of the hat "-less yet.
I still have yet, to check out the software, installed recently, to see if it has the botch potential or any related applicable known issues to the posted problem. Time and guest/family interruptions seem to be keeping from doing this in any quick timely manner though.

Based on complications this type of problem may have or cause and the nuisance factor, the ultimate decision is with kckitchen though.

 

Hi

I PM'd Christer earlier to check that it is indeed Swedish, he confirms that it is. No good looking for 041d (the locale code in the registry for Sweden) if it's another similar language.

sv(swedish): 041d
en-us: 0409
en-gb: 0809

==

"Swedish Menus and Dialogues for IE6" can be uninstalled via add/remove programs... if it has been installed "normally" - ie with a visit to WindowsUpdate...

...somehow I doubt that this entry will show up on kckitchen's computer, though.

==

something that's been bothering me: why is this affecting INTL.CPL but not MAIN.CPL (if I have it correctly, MAIN.CPL handles the keyboard and mouse aspects of Control Panel, while INTL.CPL does the Regional settings)

unless: if a machine is configured for more than one user: swapping to a different user, the computer would hang on to the hardware aspects (keyboard type & layout, it'll be the same keycaps in the same positions) - but the other user might want different language settings.

?pointing towards the registry... and probably towards something under HKCU. At least that's what it feels like to me.

==

something else that's bothering me (!) - even with machine set as fully as possible to Swedish (the IE thing, the regional settings and even the keyboard**), I cannot get the "Regional Settings Properties" to appear in anything other than English.

At first I though "oh dear, that's a killer "; but not really, because I'm looking on a machine without the ?naff registry key which (hoping) is what's troubling KCKitchen.

**don't try this unless you are either a masochist, or have enough time on your hands to find where the keys have moved to!

==

have finally got a machine backed up etc (in case it all goes horrible) ready to try the 3 programs - I downloaded the free trial versions

kckitchen: sorry it's taking so long - but hang on in there for a while longer if you can - reckon there's still a good chance of fixing this without a drastic reinstall

more when I have some results

best wishes, HJ.

 

This has become way over my head. Just gonna sit back and see the results.

One question though to Hugh. Do you really think that a repair install is out of the question. That's how I read the "Drastic reinstall "