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I have a Dell Inspiron 17R (SWITCH) with Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit. I want it to be in French rather than English. With Dell, I have received no installation CD, with the exception of Dell drivers.

I know it won't let me work in my language of choice by default. I do not want to pay for an upgrade to a higher version because the Home Premium version is adequate for me.

Is there an unofficial patch in this case?

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Thank random for editing. Much better explained. I expressed myself badly, sorry! – SilverM-A Jul 14 '11 at 22:40
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2 Answers

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Sorry, but Home Premium does not allow you to work in the language of your choice:

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/products/compare (last one)

If you do upgrade, here is a link on how to install language support:

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/products/features/language-packs

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Yes, I already know that! I ask how to do without having to make an upgrade of my system? Is there an unofficial patch in this case? – SilverM-A Jul 14 '11 at 1:55
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@SilverM-A Well, you did not say you knew that, so I could not know that you did not know. There is probably no way around your dilema, unless you can call Dell and pay for a French DVD if they sell it (not a new program, just the media for about $20). The key on your computer would still work for that. The problem is that you would then be in the same situation, but in reverse: No English if you changed your mind. The only other option is to upgrade to Ultimate. There is not going to be some "unofficial patch". Don't kill the messenger. – KCotreau Jul 14 '11 at 2:00
I accept this answer for your comment. I call Dell and they send me a windows 7 home premium cd in french and a french keyboard for free. – SilverM-A Aug 2 '11 at 22:42
@SilverM-A Congratulations on such a nice outcome. Thank you for marking it. – KCotreau Aug 3 '11 at 0:04
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You are going to need the appropriate language pack, which is available for download, but ONLY for Windows 7 Ultimate. There are Windows 7 Multilingual User Interface Packs (MUI), which will be what you need.

Windows 7 MUIs provide a translated version of most of the user interface. MUIs require a license to be used and are only available in Windows 7 Ultimate and Windows 7 Enterprise. If you are using Windows 7 Enterprise, contact your system administrator for information about installing additional languages.

Until you upgrade, the only workarounds involve modifying system files, which you can use at your own risk, as there is no grantee of them working, and could damage your system.

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