What kind of computer keyboard is this?

Factual Questions
21

This is an adequate solution for me and probably what I will do (though I’ll make it a standard German keyboard which is at least closer to the current Swiss one) for the time being.

The more important thing is getting the display language in English, which is why I’ll need to reinstall.

Thing is, I’m barely scraping by so even 200 bucks is not painless right now. (I got the current “pig-in-a-poke” for 220 EU and that was not without pain then).

As far as going to Windows 8, I’m just finally getting the hang of 7! (mind you, it took the fear of the end of XP support to get me there.)

22

yeah a good video guide is essential.

things have to be done in a specific order to not damage things.

screws may vary and not be swapped for another location.

23

Does anyone know if there’s any way to determine whether the installed OS is Dell’s OEM or not? I figure if it is, even on the off chance I could get Dell to send me a replacement disc (which I’m sure on a machine that old and out of warranty I probably couldn’t) they’d probably only send the German version which defeats the whole purpose anyway. If not it would be worth it to try the 3rd party software method to try and get the key.

In any case I can buy a valid Win7 license for 40 bucks from a vendor in the UK (I did that already last week for my desktop machine so I know they’re legit). If I knew it was the OEM version I’d probably do that without giving it any further thought.

24

Try this: http://www.sevenforums.com/windows-updates-activation/211083-determining-whether-oem-retail-via-mgadiag.html#post1768024 Basically you’ll see the Dell logo and “OEM” somewhere in the product ID string. Microsoft has the more detailed explanation here: http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_7-windows_install/how-to-tell-if-windows-is-retail-or-oem/ea57d733-716d-4c9e-ba86-233be13545de

(push Windows key-Pause to get there, or the “System” entry in control panel)

If it’s a Dell OEM and you get a Dell OEM image, you may not even reenter the product key (it can be grabbed from the BIOS). But write it down just in case.

25

OEM confirmed!

I’ll have to pursue this grabbing it from the BIOS tomorrow, or thinking on this further, as it’s already 1am here. Thanks for the excellent info in this thread.

26

Yes only the Ultimate and Enterprise editions are multi-lingual: the other editions can only be installed one language at a time. If you do it right you won’t need a new licence: the same Dell OEM licence is valid for any language.

Also, Office is separate. For $20-$50 (???) you can add another language to Office. Depending what your needs are, this might be more important than changing the language of the start menu.