7

I just installed Windows 7 and I want all users signing in to the computer to see the Language Bar customized with the following three languages:

"English (American)"
"French (Standard)"
"Chinese (Simplified PRC)"

I am running the following four commands at log on in order to change the registry such that each user will see the language bar, and then have access to the three keyboard layouts mentioned above.

reg add "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\CTF\LangBar" /v ShowStatus /t REG_DWORD /d 4 /f
reg add "HKCU\Keyboard Layout\Preload" /v 1 /d 00000409
reg add "HKCU\Keyboard Layout\Preload" /v 2 /d 0000040c
reg add "HKCU\Keyboard Layout\Preload" /v 3 /d 00000804

The above works fine, but with one small/major inconvenience: the user has to log off and then log back on in order for these changes to take effect and see the language bar, as described above.

The question becomes:

How can I force these changes to take effect so that users don't have to log off and then log back in to see the language bar. This has to be done automatically when users log in.

p.s. Control Panel is locked down. Users cannot get to Region and Language.

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2
  • I am not sure, but I feel like there has to be a better way than editing the registry at all...
    – Ben Richards
    Sep 18, 2012 at 20:22
  • I'm sorry. I forgot to mention that Control Panel is locked down. So users cannot get to Region and Language.
    – xited
    Sep 19, 2012 at 17:47

2 Answers 2

Reset to default
1

In the Control Panel search for Keyboard or Region and Language... (You don't have to set this directly in the registry...)

Control Panel: Region and Language

EDIT September 22, 2012

Here a solution using the command line:

Windows Vista Command Line Configuration of International Settings

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  • This is great and it makes sense if you had to do it for one or two computers. But how would you make the keyboard show up for 100, 200 or 400 computers w/ going to each computer and making these changes yourself. Also control panel is locked down on regular user accounts.
    – xited
    Sep 19, 2012 at 17:58
  • Yes, you're right! But I have a solution for you: Windows Vista Command Line Configuration of International Settings msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/goglobal/bb964650
    – climenole
    Sep 22, 2012 at 13:15
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I haven't done this but I've seen similar methods done before...

Usually an IT department, when they want to roll out network-wide configuration changes to users' computers will write a vbscript that makes the configurations for you. At my old job (where our IT department had to manage hundreds of computer users across multiple sites), what they would do is send out a mass email containing a link to a shared network drive with the vbscript to run (or deploy it in a similar fashion). The vbscript would make the changes automatically and would only have to run a single time. After that, of course the changes would persist.

This might be a good time to look into vbscript.

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  • Wow. Sending out a mass email telling users to click a link that runs a script? That seems like asking for a virus, since you're conditioning users to click email links and allow the link to make changes to the computer.
    – techturtle
    Dec 21, 2016 at 16:25

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