Windows XP [Electronic resources] : Visual Quickstart Guide, Second Edition نسخه متنی

Localizing Your System

Windows supports many international standards, formats, and languages. Use Control Panel's Regional and Language Options utility to adjust country-specific settings such as unit of measurement; currency, number, and date formats; and keyboard and display language.

To choose formats for numbers, currencies, times, and dates:

1. Choose Start > Control Panel > Date, Time, Language, and Regional Options > Regional and Language Options > Regional Options tab (Figure 4.51 ).

2. In the Standards and Formats section, choose a language from the drop-down list.

3. To change individual settings, click Customize (Figure 4.52 ).

4. Click OK (or Apply).

Tip

You can't save customized regional settings as though they were themes. If you customize and then choose another language in the list, you lose customized settings.

To choose a keyboard layout for a different language:

1. Choose Start > Control Panel > Date, Time, Language, and Regional Options > Regional and Language Options > Languages tab > Details button (Figure 4.53 ).

2. Click Add; specify the language and keyboard layout to install; then click OK.

3. Repeat step 2 for each language that you want to add.

4. When you're done adding languages, click Apply.

5. In the Preferences section, click Language Bar; then check Show the Language Bar on the Desktop.

6. Click OK in each open dialog box.

7. On the taskbar, click the Language bar to choose a keyboard layout (Figure 4.54 ).

Using the Free Utility Programs" in Chapter 6.

To specify the preferred language for older programs:

1. Choose Start > Control Panel > Date, Time, Language, and Regional Options > Regional and Language Options > Advanced tab (Figure 4.55 ).

2. In the Language for Non-Unicode Programs section, choose your preferred language from the drop-down list.

3. If your word processor or web browser isn't displaying foreign-language content correctly, in the Code Page Conversion Tables section, check the languages to install.

4. To apply your Regional and Language Options settings to your user account and to all new user accounts, check the box in the Default User Account Settings section.

5. Click OK (or Apply).