# XP Pro French CD Key on an English install **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 4, 2006, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xp-pro-french-cd-key-on-an-english-install/338459 "2006-01-04T21:17:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Nanoda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Nanoda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nanoda)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2006, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xp-pro-french-cd-key-on-an-english-install/338459/1 "2006-01-04T21:17:25Z")
I work at a small company that occasionally sets up laptops and sends them out to clients. As part of a rush job while our IT guy is on vacation, we’ve inadvertantly ended up with a couple of Toshiba Tecra laptops running Windows XP Pro French edition. :smack: None of our corporate clients are francophones, and since we’ve opened the boxes, neither the supplier nor Toshiba will take them back. Now, we _could_ buy two more copies of XP Pro, but I don’t think we should have to. Uh, right, the question: We have install CDs for XP Pro, and I believe we have restore CDs for this type of laptop someplace. Will the CD Key from the bottom of the laptops work if we re-image using either of these options? Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Aestivalis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Aestivalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aestivalis)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2006, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xp-pro-french-cd-key-on-an-english-install/338459/2 "2006-01-04T23:02:25Z")
Check the setupp.ini file located in the French and English install media under the i386 directory. If the PID is the same, the same key will work. Check references [here](http://www.thetechguide.com/forum/lofiversion/index.php/t14137.html) and [here.](http://www.thetechguide.com/howto/setuppini.html) It’s even possible to change the PID in your install media and re-burn the CD. Check out how to create your own ISO image [here.](http://unattended.msfn.org/unattended.xp/view/web/8/) ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2006, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xp-pro-french-cd-key-on-an-english-install/338459/3 "2006-01-04T23:22:07Z")
Isn’t is possible to just change the language? [Here is the way how.](http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/setup/expert/reginalsup.mspx) ---
**Author:** ![Nanoda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Nanoda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nanoda)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xp-pro-french-cd-key-on-an-english-install/338459/4 "2006-01-05T03:12:25Z")
Thanks for the tip **Aestivalis**. **bouv** - Sadly no. This is the _french_ version; Démarrer button, Mes documents, Panneau de configuration, etc. All changing the input language will do is change the character mapping of some of my keyboard keys, and a few other things. Given that they’re our laptops now, and they can’t really be more useless, I’m going to see if I have time to re-image them tomorrow. ---
**Author:** ![Nanoda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Nanoda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nanoda)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xp-pro-french-cd-key-on-an-english-install/338459/5 "2006-01-05T21:54:02Z")
Well, the recovery process eventually completed, but when it started it wanted to activate right away before letting me log in, which was a pain 'cause none of the network devices were working. I was reminded that if you select the “Telephone” option, you can change the product ID, which I did (to the one on the sticker on the bottom), then after speaking numbers to a computer for a while, it activated and Windows was fine. 🙂 Unfortunately, while doing the install I also noticed that the laptop keyboard is French, so instead of “Delete” I hit “Suppr”, and instead of caps lock, it’s got “Fix Maj”. Our IT guy returns next week though, so we’ll just order some replacement keyboards (~100$) and ship them out. So it’s all turned out ok, except we’re out 2x100$ on keyboards and however much time it took to get this circus going. Oh yeah, anyone want to two French-layout keyboards for a Toshiba Tecra? Barely used! 😃