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localization issues / part 2 /

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I'm studying abroad - in Germany - for a while and earlier this year I made the "mistake" of ordering a new computer from a local dealer. The new laptop came, of course, with everything in German - documentation, keyboard, and operating system. The problem is that my knowledge of the German language is quite limited and not sufficient for a smooth interaction with the computer.

Here are some specifications of the computer:

- manufacturer: ASUS

- OS: Windows XP MCE 2005 (in German), PID 76497-OEM

- license: 2 - OEM SLP, but the product key listed when running the MGAdiag.exe tool differs from the one on the COA slip

- recovery DVD: Norton Ghost image of the original installation (in German, bulkware included)

Naturally, I tried to find ways to change the language to English. Unfortunately, the attempts were not successful (see earlier thread). The only apparent solution that did not involve buying another copy of Windows was to get an English version of the recovery DVD. I asked colleagues around, but none of the ASUS owners had this version of Windows (most had XP Pro). I have also asked several local ASUS distributors, but it seems impossible to get an English version of anything here in Germany. I have also enquired the ASUS tech support for the possibility of getting another recovery disk - after about a week I got a negative answer (in German, of course, although my querry was in English).

So now I am basically stuck with a German OS unless I switch to Linux or something. But, if I understand correctly the SLP mechanism (the setup checks some information in the system BIOS), any installation made from an OEM CD (perhaps with the right PID) should be genuine, irrespective of the language. Is that correct? If not, I am open to any other suggestions (including re-directions to a more appropriate forum). Thanks in advance!

Wednesday, June 27, 2007 10:11 AM

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Liniste,

The SLP is tied to the BIOS. What did ASUS say when you contacted them? Did you open a case via their telephone support? If not please go this route and open a request via their customer support. I read the earlier post you attached. Please work with ASUS directly. Ask to speak to their supervisor and esclate the problem. After this I can see if anything new has been found regarding the earlier post.

Stephen Holm, MS

Thursday, June 28, 2007 12:55 AM
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Hi Stephen,

I submited an online technical inquiry form asking for an English version recovery disk with a detailed explanation of my reasons. I got the following answer:

Leider können wir Ihnen keine neue Recovery CD zusenden, da diese von Microsoft Lizenzrechtlich geschützt sind. Wenn Sie Ihre Recovery CD verloren haben oder diese beschädigt ist, wenden Sie sich einmal an die Firma LapXpress, dort haben Sie die Möglichkeit neue Recovery CD’s zu erwerben. Andernfalls müssten Sie sich ein neues Betriebssystem kaufen. Falls noch Fragen bestehen rufen Sie uns doch einfach an.

That is basically a negative answer. If you lose your recovery disk, you need to buy another one yourself from their resellers (I checked the site of the reccomended company - they have no Windows XP MCE recovery disks at all, and the available ones are of course the German versions). I'll try today to get in touch with the telephone support service (although since I am still in Germany I'm afraid I will have communication problems...). I'll update the thread later on with the results.

Julian

Thursday, June 28, 2007 9:27 AM
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Liniste,

I used a translator and this is what comes out:

Unfortunately we cannot send you new Recovery CD, since these by Microsoft are license-legally protected. If you lost its Recovery CD or this is damaged, contact the company LapXpress, there have you the possibility new Recovery CD's to acquire. Otherwise you would have to buy a new operating system. If still questions exist call you us nevertheless simply.

My question is who is LapXpress? Is this a company who made or you purchased the system from? Liniste, if so I recommend working directly with them for a resolve. They can be contacted @ http://www.lapxpress.de/. Unfortunately I can not read German. The information I pasted above I was able to get translated but reading the whole webpage would work best if you could get assistance from a friend there in Germany. Where did you submit the online query to; Asus Germany? Another idea is contacting Asus USA Technical Support @ this site but am not sure about receiving help since it was purchased overseas http://support.asus.com/default.aspx?SLanguage=en-us. Here are some phone numbers which you can call in the USA and maybe open a trouble ticket. I recommending talking with someone and explaining the situation.

Notebook Support:
Email: http://vip.asus.com/eservice/techserv.aspx
Notebook ONLY Hotline: 510-739-3777 ext. 5110

Let me know what happens and hope this was able to provide more support for you. Take care.

Stephen Holm, MS

Thursday, June 28, 2007 10:35 PM
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Thanks for you continuous support, Stephen, I see that we use the same translator

I submitted my online querry to the US technical support (via the http://vip.asus.com/eservice/techserv.aspx link you also mentioned), but the answer came in German nevertheless. I suspect that since the form asks for the laptop's serial number, they know to which country it was shipped to, and therefore automatically redirected the querry to the local technical support.

As for the LapXpress, I think they're just some sort of a priviledged reseller or something. I got my computer from an online seller (I don't remember the name right now - I just googled for "ASUS G1 kaufen" and picked the cheapest).

I tried to call the German technical support yesterday, with no success. Apparently they have one of those shared cost numbers, and my phone operator doesn't support them by default. And I guess that calling the US technical support from Germany will anyway be equally if not more expensive. So I'm sort of stuck at the moment. (By the way, the general message in the ASUS user forums is something like "pray you won't need to call the tech support, cause they won't be very helpful" - make of that what you will).

So, back to the original question: if I can borrow some other Windows MCE 2005 installation CD, would I be able to get a genuine install if I use the license code on my CoA? They're all OEMs, after all, and I'd be using the code on the appropriate laptop, so there should not be problems with the SLP BIOS check, I guess. Any thoughts (or would this be completely illegal)?

Friday, June 29, 2007 9:16 AM
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Liniste,

Based on the info in this review, it looks like you picked out a very nice laptop! http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=3403

IMO, if you were able to get hold of genuine Microsoft hologrammed CDROMs (there are two for MCE 2005) in English, you would be able to cleanly install MCE onto your laptop using the Product Key on the CoA, then do a telephone activation.

The text of the review states that there is a recovery partition on the hard disk. This would of course recover the original installation of MCE back onto the computer, but we would expect it to be the original German version. In case you decide to sell the laptop before you depart Germany, I would NOT disturb this recovery partition.

What do you think of this idea? Keep an eye on eBay for auctions of Asus G1 laptops. [Current search results for Asus G1: http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?satitle=asus+g1&category0=&fcol=ship-off] Contact private party sellers via email, refer them to this thread as documentation of your situation, and ask them if they would consider buring copies of the English Recovery CDs for you, for which of course you would compensate them for their trouble. If the seller is willing to do this, but is not sure about international shipping/mailing, have the seller mail the CDs to friends or relatives you have in the USA and then have your friend or relative send them to you in Germany. If you happen to contact a very tech savvy seller, they might be able to upload the iso image of these CDs to a private file storage location from which you could download the iso.

Friday, June 29, 2007 1:23 PM
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Hi Dan and all,

Thanks for the suggestion; I tried to contact some of the E-bay sellers, but I'm so far unsuccessful. I'll also try to ask on the ASUS forums, maybe I find some friendly owners to upload the .iso for me somewhere. I'll keep the thread updated with my findings.

Maybe now I can bash Microsoft a bit ? This would have never been a problem if it would be possible to install additional language packs (including English) on the localized versions of Windows, not only on the English one.

Julian

Tuesday, July 3, 2007 5:49 PM
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Julian,

Well I wouldn't bash MS. We are here to help you. As I previously stated please attempt to call ASUS America. Next speak with a Customer Support agent. I realize there will be a cost involved but maybe once you are on the phone they may be able to provide a toll free number to dial. Another solution would be is having someone (friend or relative) in the USA contact the toll free number @ ASUS and be the proxy for your situation. Maybe you could have this solution resolved quicker with minimal cost. Also work with the company you purchased the system from and explain the situation. Maybe they can work directly with ASUS or simply provide you with a different OS media. Don't give up. At this point I don't have any other possible ideas which you may try for resolving the issue. Take care and have a great weekend.

Regards,

Stephen Holm, MS
WGA Forum Manager

Tuesday, July 3, 2007 8:26 PM
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Liniste,

Normally, MSDN licenses are retail licenses with special monitoring, because the licenses are predicated upon a yearly subscription model.

However, AFAIK all licenses for XP MCE are OEM licenses, so if the MCE you get from your MSDN buddy is a "normal" CD, then theoretically you should be able to use the PK on your lappy's CoA to do the installation. You might have to do a Telephonic Activation, but that's pretty painless.

Make sure you post back to let us know how you did!

Wednesday, August 1, 2007 1:12 PM
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Liniste,

When XP was being developed in the late '90s and early 2000, the level of technology needed to have a language-independent Windows OS was just not available. That's why to make a major change in language you have to basically get an entirely new installation of an almost completely language specific Windows.

One of the main development goals for Vista was to make language a "plug-in" rather than in integral component, and they seem to have done a reasonably good job.

Wednesday, August 1, 2007 1:17 PM

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Liniste,

The SLP is tied to the BIOS. What did ASUS say when you contacted them? Did you open a case via their telephone support? If not please go this route and open a request via their customer support. I read the earlier post you attached. Please work with ASUS directly. Ask to speak to their supervisor and esclate the problem. After this I can see if anything new has been found regarding the earlier post.

Stephen Holm, MS

Thursday, June 28, 2007 12:55 AM
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Hi Stephen,

I submited an online technical inquiry form asking for an English version recovery disk with a detailed explanation of my reasons. I got the following answer:

Leider können wir Ihnen keine neue Recovery CD zusenden, da diese von Microsoft Lizenzrechtlich geschützt sind. Wenn Sie Ihre Recovery CD verloren haben oder diese beschädigt ist, wenden Sie sich einmal an die Firma LapXpress, dort haben Sie die Möglichkeit neue Recovery CD’s zu erwerben. Andernfalls müssten Sie sich ein neues Betriebssystem kaufen. Falls noch Fragen bestehen rufen Sie uns doch einfach an.

That is basically a negative answer. If you lose your recovery disk, you need to buy another one yourself from their resellers (I checked the site of the reccomended company - they have no Windows XP MCE recovery disks at all, and the available ones are of course the German versions). I'll try today to get in touch with the telephone support service (although since I am still in Germany I'm afraid I will have communication problems...). I'll update the thread later on with the results.

Julian

Thursday, June 28, 2007 9:27 AM
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Liniste,

I used a translator and this is what comes out:

Unfortunately we cannot send you new Recovery CD, since these by Microsoft are license-legally protected. If you lost its Recovery CD or this is damaged, contact the company LapXpress, there have you the possibility new Recovery CD's to acquire. Otherwise you would have to buy a new operating system. If still questions exist call you us nevertheless simply.

My question is who is LapXpress? Is this a company who made or you purchased the system from? Liniste, if so I recommend working directly with them for a resolve. They can be contacted @ http://www.lapxpress.de/. Unfortunately I can not read German. The information I pasted above I was able to get translated but reading the whole webpage would work best if you could get assistance from a friend there in Germany. Where did you submit the online query to; Asus Germany? Another idea is contacting Asus USA Technical Support @ this site but am not sure about receiving help since it was purchased overseas http://support.asus.com/default.aspx?SLanguage=en-us. Here are some phone numbers which you can call in the USA and maybe open a trouble ticket. I recommending talking with someone and explaining the situation.

Notebook Support:
Email: http://vip.asus.com/eservice/techserv.aspx
Notebook ONLY Hotline: 510-739-3777 ext. 5110

Let me know what happens and hope this was able to provide more support for you. Take care.

Stephen Holm, MS

Thursday, June 28, 2007 10:35 PM
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Thanks for you continuous support, Stephen, I see that we use the same translator

I submitted my online querry to the US technical support (via the http://vip.asus.com/eservice/techserv.aspx link you also mentioned), but the answer came in German nevertheless. I suspect that since the form asks for the laptop's serial number, they know to which country it was shipped to, and therefore automatically redirected the querry to the local technical support.

As for the LapXpress, I think they're just some sort of a priviledged reseller or something. I got my computer from an online seller (I don't remember the name right now - I just googled for "ASUS G1 kaufen" and picked the cheapest).

I tried to call the German technical support yesterday, with no success. Apparently they have one of those shared cost numbers, and my phone operator doesn't support them by default. And I guess that calling the US technical support from Germany will anyway be equally if not more expensive. So I'm sort of stuck at the moment. (By the way, the general message in the ASUS user forums is something like "pray you won't need to call the tech support, cause they won't be very helpful" - make of that what you will).

So, back to the original question: if I can borrow some other Windows MCE 2005 installation CD, would I be able to get a genuine install if I use the license code on my CoA? They're all OEMs, after all, and I'd be using the code on the appropriate laptop, so there should not be problems with the SLP BIOS check, I guess. Any thoughts (or would this be completely illegal)?

Friday, June 29, 2007 9:16 AM
0

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Liniste,

Based on the info in this review, it looks like you picked out a very nice laptop! http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=3403

IMO, if you were able to get hold of genuine Microsoft hologrammed CDROMs (there are two for MCE 2005) in English, you would be able to cleanly install MCE onto your laptop using the Product Key on the CoA, then do a telephone activation.

The text of the review states that there is a recovery partition on the hard disk. This would of course recover the original installation of MCE back onto the computer, but we would expect it to be the original German version. In case you decide to sell the laptop before you depart Germany, I would NOT disturb this recovery partition.

What do you think of this idea? Keep an eye on eBay for auctions of Asus G1 laptops. [Current search results for Asus G1: http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?satitle=asus+g1&category0=&fcol=ship-off] Contact private party sellers via email, refer them to this thread as documentation of your situation, and ask them if they would consider buring copies of the English Recovery CDs for you, for which of course you would compensate them for their trouble. If the seller is willing to do this, but is not sure about international shipping/mailing, have the seller mail the CDs to friends or relatives you have in the USA and then have your friend or relative send them to you in Germany. If you happen to contact a very tech savvy seller, they might be able to upload the iso image of these CDs to a private file storage location from which you could download the iso.

Friday, June 29, 2007 1:23 PM
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Hi Dan and all,

Thanks for the suggestion; I tried to contact some of the E-bay sellers, but I'm so far unsuccessful. I'll also try to ask on the ASUS forums, maybe I find some friendly owners to upload the .iso for me somewhere. I'll keep the thread updated with my findings.

Maybe now I can bash Microsoft a bit ? This would have never been a problem if it would be possible to install additional language packs (including English) on the localized versions of Windows, not only on the English one.

Julian

Tuesday, July 3, 2007 5:49 PM
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Julian,

Well I wouldn't bash MS. We are here to help you. As I previously stated please attempt to call ASUS America. Next speak with a Customer Support agent. I realize there will be a cost involved but maybe once you are on the phone they may be able to provide a toll free number to dial. Another solution would be is having someone (friend or relative) in the USA contact the toll free number @ ASUS and be the proxy for your situation. Maybe you could have this solution resolved quicker with minimal cost. Also work with the company you purchased the system from and explain the situation. Maybe they can work directly with ASUS or simply provide you with a different OS media. Don't give up. At this point I don't have any other possible ideas which you may try for resolving the issue. Take care and have a great weekend.

Regards,

Stephen Holm, MS
WGA Forum Manager

Tuesday, July 3, 2007 8:26 PM
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Hi all,

An old friend from the Computer Science department from my previous university has an MSDN account, and downloaded for me the Windows XP MCE installation (2 CDs) from the online library. Would that work with the OEM key on my laptop with no additional hassles? If yes, this problem is (finally) solved

Julian

Wednesday, August 1, 2007 1:01 PM
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Liniste,

Normally, MSDN licenses are retail licenses with special monitoring, because the licenses are predicated upon a yearly subscription model.

However, AFAIK all licenses for XP MCE are OEM licenses, so if the MCE you get from your MSDN buddy is a "normal" CD, then theoretically you should be able to use the PK on your lappy's CoA to do the installation. You might have to do a Telephonic Activation, but that's pretty painless.

Make sure you post back to let us know how you did!

Wednesday, August 1, 2007 1:12 PM
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Liniste,

When XP was being developed in the late '90s and early 2000, the level of technology needed to have a language-independent Windows OS was just not available. That's why to make a major change in language you have to basically get an entirely new installation of an almost completely language specific Windows.

One of the main development goals for Vista was to make language a "plug-in" rather than in integral component, and they seem to have done a reasonably good job.

Wednesday, August 1, 2007 1:17 PM
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I'm afraid I'll have to postpone the experiment for a couple of weeks. I'm just leaving this evening for a holiday through southern Europe, and I guess I'll spend this day packing rather than installing. I'll post again as soon as I get back and try the install.

Julian

Thursday, August 2, 2007 8:43 AM
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Liniste,

Have you thought about upgrading your system to a version of Vista?

Stephen Holm, MS

Thursday, August 2, 2007 9:43 PM

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localization issues / part 2 /

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