Hi,

I am not sure if I am posting this in the right place, so forgive me if I'm wrong.

I live in France and bought a laptop with Vista on it.

I could't change the language so I bought an english version of vista.

I installed it on my D drive so that I could keep the french copy on my C drive.

I then realised that it meant that by using this drive I was missing out on all the software and things that came with the laptop. This came to light when I couldn't work out how to use the built in webcam.

Anyway. What I am wondering is, If I install the english version on my original C drive, it will overwrite the french copy but will I also lose the manufacturer installed software along with it.

I have also had a problem with the D drive, I can no longer access it, due to a common Vista problem apparantly, so therefore I need to use the C drive but am reluctant to use the french version.

Can anyone help me please.

Thanks

Hello Rachael, and welcome to SAF!

Most laptops come with only one hard drive installed; is the D drive a partition on your hard drive, or did you partition your hard drive, or what? Please add details. I guess what I am asking is, How did you get two hard drive letters on your laptop?

The answer to this might depend on the question I asked above.

Yes. Since you purchased a new, retail copy of Vista, it will erase and overwrite everything on whatever drive you install it. This is not a restore disk where the manufacturer has different utilities and programs loaded on Vista and has imaged it all into one install disk. You will have Vista only, nothing else.

Hi, thanks for the reply.

I don't know how I have two drives, I didn't do anything to the laptop, they were just there, it could well be a partition, I don't know enough about that sort of thing to know.

The reason for not being able to access the other drive is because of a Vista problem.

I get a message about a crash dump and not being able to access the root file, I can't remember it exactly now. I will shut down and go into the other drive now and get the message.

Thanks again.

The message is this:


STOP: c0000218 {Registry File Failure}
The Registry cannot load the hive (file):
\systemroot\system32\Config\Software
or its log or alternate.
It is corrupt, absent, or not writable.

Collecting date for crash dump….
Initializing disk for crash dump….

Ok, thanks for answering my question about what would happen if I installed the english vista, I now know that I would lose the other software.

Thanks again.

Ok, let me ask this; when you first boot, at the black screen, do you get a choice of booting into one of two operating systems? Something approximately like:

Vista Opertating System 1
Vista Operating System 2

Then you up arrow or down arrow to the one you want to boot into and press Enter? How are you accessing from one drive to the other?

Yes, that's it, I can't remember the exact wording but yes, I can arrow up and down to access one or the other.

The top one is the original vista in French and the second one is where I installed the vista in English.

Did you simply stick the Vista English disk in and install Vista? Do you remember creating a separate partition at some time or another? Go into Explore; how many hard drive letters are there?

From what I can remember yes I did just simply stick it in BUT I was able to choose between the two places and I chose a different one.

When I go into 'MY Computer' I get these:

ACER ©
DATA (D)

"""If I install the English version on my original C drive, it will overwrite the French copy but will I also lose the manufacturer installed software along with it."""


Sorry but have never tried that scenario !!

Well, Racheal, I have taken you about as far as I can with Vista; unfortunately I don't like Vista so I never installed it on any of my computers.

I do know that the cardinal rule for installing dual boot systems is that each Operating System must have its own partition to operate in. What it sounds like to me is that you have two Vista systems installed on the same partition on your hard drive. If this is the case, be happy that your computer boots at all. If you purchased your computer new, I doubt that two partitions were created on your drive from the factory. Creating two partitions means either reformatting the entire drive, or using a 3rd party utility such as Partition Magic to create one on the existing setup (which can be chancy and dangerous). The only other partition that I can think of that might be on your hard drive is a restore partition that contains a copy of your operating system in case your main installation crashes and corrupts beyond help. IF (and I do mean IF) Vista chose that partition to install on, you have lost your restore partition. But I am not saying that definitely happened. Usually those partitons are hidden and must be accessed a certain way to protect them from being damaged and overwritten.

Sorry, but if I start giving you advice at this point it might be wrong; it would work for XP but might make a bad situation worse on Vista and I don't want to be responsible for that.

An interesting scenario. At this point, it may be worth attempting an overinstall of the French version with the English version.... if Windows will allow it. At best, this would update the system files to the English versions, but should retain the installed software. Some software allows switching the language from within the program.

It's possible to install a second OS in the same partition by designating another folder for Windows for the install, but the problem comes in with the Documents and Settings (user) folders, since these would be rewritten with the new install. A really sharp cookie may be able to change the name of this and the program files folder and then alter the registry to reflect these new names. Then a second install would create new folders for it. However, a second partition is in order for proper functioning. It's feasible to install 10 copies of Windows XP or Vista on 10 different partitions, and any one selectable at the boot menu.

BTW- with an Acer, the D: drive is usually the one with the Windows restore files on it, in case you need to reinstall Windows. Since this is most likely the French version, you may be able to delete the contents of that and install a second Vista to it, but it may not have enough room on it for a complete installation and room for installing programs, although programs can be installed to the C: drive with no problem. You may find that many of programs already on C: will run fine from the D: install. You'll just need to create shortcuts to them.

Racheal.

Which version (flavor) of Vista do you have? Home? Basic? Ultimate?

If you happen to have Ultimate, you can add English as a language to the French install. Follow the steps here: http://www.ehow.com/how_2054492_install-vi...mpaign=yssp_art

This site (http://windowshelp.microsoft.com/Windows/e...a1a03f1033.mspx) suggests that there is an option for other Vista versions as well.

I would proceed this way - stay with the original (French) version of Vista but add English to it and then change your preferred language.

Hope this helps,

ronald.