Bargain hunters beware

[Ol Dirty Gaijin]

As SJ mentioned above
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2607607

It used to be the case of purchasing the "Ultimate" version of 7 for running multi languages with issue. Office 2013 and older are a different kettle of fish re languages. Pay up and it's possible. Around 2000 yen on top of what you have already paid for windows. Libre is an option for most home users but not so for professional use. Between my wife's editing work (exact word format needed) and my excel macros, it would be no-go on our home PC.
I don't do any support work on non Dell computers in our workplace. I'm not IT support, just a guy who can work things out and I can't be bothered dealing with the bloatware Lenovo/Panasonic/Sony that "special" people purchase.

[chibaka]

As SJ mentioned above
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2607607

Doesn't fucking work, no matter what those fucktards say, this shit is dumb. Can you imagine any other product? Toyota? " Hey everyone, our new latest upgraded Corolla is here!! The last models were soooo successful but the new one is better!! Yes, this model has 5 wheels, handlebars instead of a steering wheel, is made of cast iron for weight reduction, and runs on steam. We call it the "Balmer delux GTI GLF Cack"

Can't even bring myself to test it tonight, worst product experience ever. (Millennium Edition almost made me suicidal, but I was a relative novice then)

Edit: more bollocks exists, tried this, reached for the bottle

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/wind ... -languages

[Samurai_Jerk]

As SJ mentioned above
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2607607

Doesn't fucking work, no matter what those fucktards say, this shit is dumb. Can you imagine any other product? Toyota? " Hey everyone, our new latest upgraded Corolla is here!! The last models were soooo successful but the new one is better!! Yes, this model has 5 wheels, handlebars instead of a steering wheel, is made of cast iron for weight reduction, and runs on steam. We call it the "Balmer delux GTI GLF Cack"

Can't even bring myself to test it tonight, worst product experience ever. (Millennium Edition almost made me suicidal, but I was a relative novice then)

Edit: more bollocks exists, tried this, reached for the bottle

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/wind ... -languages

Maybe you have the same bug I did because I was going through the same frustration. I went through all the steps but nothing happened. Now following the steps in that video works fine for me. Did you do a live chat with a tech support person where they take control of your computer remotely and try to fix things?

[chibaka]

Maybe you have the same bug I did because I was going through the same frustration. I went through all the steps but nothing happened. Now following the steps in that video works fine for me. Did you do a live chat with a tech support person where they take control of your computer remotely and try to fix things?

Bug on a new system? I heard something about problems when updating from 8 to 8.1 but fresh out of the box?
I didn't try anything last night, no fit state after the bottle was started, maybe today when the mist clears.

So which live chat do you recommend, HP or Microshaft? And can I assume my request is possible, i.e different language interface for each user? I don't want to switch the whole thing to English only.

[Samurai_Jerk]

Maybe you have the same bug I did because I was going through the same frustration. I went through all the steps but nothing happened. Now following the steps in that video works fine for me. Did you do a live chat with a tech support person where they take control of your computer remotely and try to fix things?

Bug on a new system? I heard something about problems when updating from 8 to 8.1 but fresh out of the box?
I didn't try anything last night, no fit state after the bottle was started, maybe today when the mist clears.

So which live chat do you recommend, HP or Microshaft? And can I assume my request is possible, i.e different language interface for each user? I don't want to switch the whole thing to English only.

I used MS. I'm not necessarily recommending it since they couldn't help me but I also wasn't under warranty. You probably are if you just bought it. No one else uses my computer so I'm not sure if you can just switch display languages with a drop down menu or anything like that (I'm not on my home computer right now so I can't check) but you can change the settings which might be a pain in the ass if you have to do that every time. However, if you only need English for times when you're trouble shooting it might not be that big a deal.

[yanpa]

Damn, it's 2015 and Windows still doesn't have sane support for multiple languages?!

[Russell]

Damn, it's 2015 and Windows still doesn't have sane support for multiple languages?!

Yep, ridiculous, isn't it?

At the very least they could have English support in all versions for other languages, because that is the default language. I guess the reason it is not standard available is that the design of Windows is pretty ad-hoc, so it is not well thought out. So much for Gates' genius...

[wagyl]

Damn, it's 2015 and Windows still doesn't have sane support for multiple languages?!

It is worse than that. In XP at least, you could have different language settings for different users. It sounds like they have removed that functionality. I thought this might just be a function of them offering very cheap licenses for very cheap hardware, but I don't think the hardware described here fits the parameters of the reduced fee license. They are probably cheap because there is a mountain of the things in the warehouse.

[Samurai_Jerk]

OK so I checked on my Windows 8.1 machine and you can have different display languages for different users. I logged on via the Guest account and created a second account and both were Japanese by default while my user account was still set to English. So assuming that chibaka isn't somehow doing it wrong when he tries to download the English language pack (it's pretty straight forward so I don't imagine he would be) there must be a bug somewhere or a firewall cockblocking him or something.

Through doing this though I discovered a couple more quirks in the OS. The Guest account is deactivated by default so you have to go into your control panel to turn it on which is fine as it's better not to allow non password protected access to your computer by default. Anyway, I activated it and restarted my computer and logged on as Guest. Once I did that and restarted the computer the next time it automatically logged me on as guest and never gave me the option to log on with another account. The only way I was able to do so was to go back into the control panel and turn the Guest account off again. I was able to do that from Guest with the password from my account. There may be a way to change that but I don't give a fuck since I'll never use that account anyway.

The second thing is not as bad but it does add an annoying and unnecessary step to the log on process. When you start your computer the log on page only gives you the icon for the last user. To see other users you have to press a back arrow icon. Once there you can press the user you want and log on. I have no idea why it doesn't go to the multiple user icon page from the start. Again maybe you can change that but it's not a big deal for me since no one else really uses this computer so I'm not going to look into it. However, if you have multiple people using your PC that could get annoying after awhile if it can't be changed.

[chibaka]

OK so I checked on my Windows 8.1 machine and you can have different display languages for different users.

Indeed you can, and thank you for checking.....

IMG_20150226_073855~2.jpg

So, why was it sooo painful and not as simple as in the MS video? Every time I tried to install the pack, I got a message
[Update更新]. Each time I tried updating, it took ages, in some cases hours. Also after restarting it seemed that updates were STILL necessary. After something like 5 update attempts, and more that 30 update files installed, finally the language pack was properly installed......

Now I can get started on the original cause of my angst, the bloatware/speed issues.

Thanks for commenting kids

Edit: Decided to update and restart again, seems there are more files.... where will this end?

IMG_20150226_081302~2.jpg

[Samurai_Jerk]

Ah yes. The way things install on Windows 8/8.1 it's not always so clear that it's actually downloading. When I upgraded to 8.1 I thought it just wasn't doing anything and kept retrying. Eventually I realized that it was indeed installing 8.1 slowly in the background but just taking hours and hours to do so. The language pack didn't take me that long though. Anyhow, it really is a piece of garbage. I'm curious to see what happens with 10. Mostly I want to see how much more they can fuck things up.

[inflames]

I don't do any support work on non Dell computers in our workplace. I'm not IT support, just a guy who can work things out and I can't be bothered dealing with the bloatware Lenovo/Panasonic/Sony that "special" people purchase.

I used to buy Dell computers but had a string of laptops with backlight issues so I have given up on Dells and moved to Lenovo. First thing I do whenever I buy a computer is to reinstall the OS to get rid of all the bloatware (unfortunately can't get rid of Apple's bloatware on my mac).

[Coligny]

Oh boy...

[Yokohammer]

Apple "bloatware"?

WTF?

[Taro Toporific]

Apple "bloatware"?
WTF?

Yep, Apple bloats.

It's impossible to remove Contacts (obscenely insecure) and Calendar (crappy functionality) without crippling to the OS. I am forced to leave Contacts and Calendar installed but unpopulated with data.
Apple's OS also has Events that duplicates Dashboard, neither of which can be removed, grr.
The worst bloatware is iTunes, which is 100 times the size it needs to be and constantly calls home to the Mothership (as well as mucking around with my MP3s in ways I never asked).
Basically, every time Apple "better integrates" its software, they are fucking me over (which pains me to say since I am a long-time Apple fan-boy and share owner).

[kurogane]

Yes, as a lover of Macs and a not entirely happy convert to PCs, I would say they are mired in a business model or plan that is downright shocking given their humbler and user friendlier origins. Their more recent forays into this padlocked product loop is, in MYHOMO, a scandal. If one were so inclined, one might even be inclined to give it a name, such as AppleGates........

[Ol Dirty Gaijin]

I used to buy Dell computers but had a string of laptops with backlight issues so I have given up on Dells and moved to Lenovo.

That's a shame, any particular models with the Dells. The Precisions I've had through 15 years have been bulletproof. Inspirons are more used by our office goons that manage to screw things up themselves, but I'm not so crazy on the physical builds.
Lenovos get bogged down very quickly by bloat. I've seen a couple that have been relegated to door stop within a year.

[yanpa]

I used to buy Dell computers but had a string of laptops with backlight issues so I have given up on Dells and moved to Lenovo.

That's a shame, any particular models with the Dells. The Precisions I've had through 15 years have been bulletproof. Inspirons are more used by our office goons that manage to screw things up themselves, but I'm not so crazy on the physical builds.
Lenovos get bogged down very quickly by bloat. I've seen a couple that have been relegated to door stop within a year.

Seriously? I'll swap an actual doorstop for a year-old Lenovo which is bogged down by bloat. No problem to put a proper OS on it.

[Ol Dirty Gaijin]

We've had Lenovos with driver issues that caused problems that never got resolved. You can blame the OS but the integrator in this case, meh.
True, loading another OS can give you a functioning PC but its not an option in our workplace. We turn over engineers PC every 3 years and some of them would make a great linux build for a home user. Just external dings, scratches and dead batteries.

[Coligny]

Apple "bloatware"?
WTF?

Yep, Apple bloats.

It's impossible to remove Contacts (obscenely insecure) and Calendar (crappy functionality) without crippling to the OS. I am forced to leave Contacts and Calendar installed but unpopulated with data.
Apple's OS also has Events that duplicates Dashboard, neither of which can be removed, grr.
The worst bloatware is iTunes, which is 100 times the size it needs to be and constantly calls home to the Mothership (as well as mucking around with my MP3s in ways I never asked).
Basically, every time Apple "better integrates" its software, they are fucking me over (which pains me to say since I am a long-time Apple fan-boy and share owner).

Letmeguess... Your booty calls phonelist was synced to your wife iPhone because of an icloud screwup ?

At least you don't have to explain why your top 3 active games center apps are catch the butterfly or catch the red dot type games for cats...

[matsuki]

[inflames]

iTunes is fucking terrible and has been for years. I've never used iCloud because of the fucked up signup process - most of the people I know who have it don't even know the have it (because Apple basically makes them sign up, then syncs all sort of shit automatically). I actually use Microsoft OneDrive (with Office) because it works really well with Office (at least for Windows - MS can't get their act together and integrate it with Office for Mac).

The Japanese IME for macs sucks as well.

I think I wound up with a bad run of Dells, but honestly I got pissed off with having to go and resolder wires after 18 months (the screen would start turning red right after the warranty ended). With reinstalling the OS on Lenovos, I've had no trouble. I actually really like how quiet my ThinkCentre is.

[Samurai_Jerk]

Microsoft is killing off the Internet Explorer brand

While Microsoft has dropped hints that the Internet Explorer brand is going away, the software maker has now confirmed that it will use a new name for its upcoming browser successor, codenamed Project Spartan. Speaking at Microsoft Convergence yesterday, Microsoft's marketing chief Chris Capossela revealed that the company is currently working on a new name and brand. "We’re now researching what the new brand, or the new name, for our browser should be in Windows 10," said Capossela. "We’ll continue to have Internet Explorer, but we’ll also have a new browser called Project Spartan, which is codenamed Project Spartan. We have to name the thing."

Internet Explorer will still exist in some versions of Windows 10 mainly for enterprise compatibility, but the new Project Spartan will be named separately and will be the primary way for Windows 10 users to access the web. Microsoft has tried, unsuccessfully, to shake off the negative image of Internet Explorer over the past several years with a series of amusing campaigns mocking Internet Explorer 6. The ads didn't improve the situation, and Microsoft's former Internet Explorer chief left the company in December, signalling a new era for the browser.

[wagyl]

An excellent sample of the El Reg commentards:

"Spartan is clearly where Microsoft wants to go with browser technology; even the name has been picked to suggest simplicity, speed and hardiness."

Presumably we shouldn't mention the pederasty, though ...

[chibaka]

So...an update, or to be exact several hundred updates from MS. This PC from the shop was garbage, there must be some frantic work behind the scenes because the number of updates (read fixes) is huge. Even today there were 40, after months of updating. Wife says it's better, but not perfect, that's what you get being a cheapskate.....

However... some promising news. The old ASUS pc we have has now been converted to windows 10 preview version. Still in development obviously, and subject to almost constant changes/improvements/upgrades. The UI has been changed to a kind of combination win 7 / win 8.1 tablet layout.
Far easier to find your way around, and haven't had the urge to throw it at the wall yet.....

[wagyl]

I severely doubt that the MS updates are PC manufacturer/model specific. Everyone with that OS will be getting them.

[matsuki]

I severely doubt that the MS updates are PC manufacturer/model specific. Everyone with that OS will be getting them.

I'm pretty sure it looks at your hardware and gives you driver updates and such...which can be a mess. That being said, I'm totally happy with my Surface on win 8.1 and have zero issues. Would totally recommend them to friends as a laptop replacement. (and the pen/tablet combo is what I always wanted for note taking but always seemed to fall short with previous devices)

[Samurai_Jerk]

Both my work computer which is running 7 and my home computer which is running 8.1 updated yesterday.

[Wage Slave]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patch_Tuesday

[Wage Slave]

Just bought the wife a Dell Vostro Intel i3 laptop for 40,000 with business discount. It switched to English without issue - needed for the same reason. Apart from the idiotic UI it seems (to our eyes) pretty snappy. No vast amounts of bloatware - was given the option of having McFee (No thanks) and haven't heard a peep. Upgrade to 10 will be available on it in a couple of weeks. I'll wait a month or two to make sure there aren't howls of protest and then go ahead I expect.