fionamw

I need a new laptop, OH was looking in the UK....... then says this evening that maybe we should stick to buying here even though more expensive, because (a) anti-virals will need renewing every so often (b) who's going to be there as backup if we get for example PC World to install Word Vista (used to XP, would accept Vista but don't want 7) .... (c) keyboard???? he heard you can programme any keyboard to be an English one.
Is this hogwash? Help!

cricketman

I would always buy according to where the product was cheaper, or it was more convenient for me to buy. I bought my netbook from the UK because it wasnt available in Spain at the time. However, in answer to your questions:
1. I dont even use an anti-viral, all they do is clog up your computer and make things run slower. I've never caught a virus (in 10 years, fingers crossed!). But if you do want an anti-virus you can buy and/or update over the internet
2. Installing Vista should be an easy as inserting a CD and keying in the ID key. I recommend Windows 7 personally, much better and quicker than Vista! But if not almost every small town has a computer repair shop that can help. The one in Arroyo fixed my netbook after I dropped it for 30 euros
3. Yes you can choose english keyboard as an option on a spanish keyboard, or spanish as an option on an english keyboard. It is easy, but I cant tell you how because I havent done it (though my OH has)! It isnt so easy to swap regularly between the two keyboards though

Fredbargate

Many years ago 2001 I purchased a Spanish laptop and changed the language to English, the keyboard was not too big a problem. However although the language was changed to English the help files were in Spanish and that was a problem. Bought it in Pryca and took it back for a full refund within the 15 days.

cricketman

Most help files are online nowadays and you can choose the language

agoreira

It involves two key strokes, default is Alt, Shift, it really couldn't be easier. I have English and Spanish, and it takes about 1 second to switch from one to the other

Fred James

You can switch the keyboard but of course the keys will not show the correct characters.

You can order a new laptop from Dell Espana with English software and a choice of keyboards.

You cannot totally change the Windows language unless you have the Ultimate version of Windows Vista/7 although there is an unsupported free program that can allow you to do that.

Best to buy the right language version and keyboard in Spain and get the corresponding warranty support etc.

mdavidfrost

Think about buying a Mac - say a MacBook Pro - and ask in the shop for a demonstration of how to change the language before buying it, although it's very easy, and you can change back to the original language if you want. A big advantage of Macs is that you don't really need an anti-virus program, although I've downloaded and installed a free one called ClamXav.

I just went back to a Mac after struggling with Windows for years. Vista was the last straw for me. I bought a laptop with Vista when it first came out, 3 or 4 years ago, and it just didn't work. For example, when I tried to copy my backed-up files to the computer from CDs and DVDs, Windows Vista wouldn't copy a folder if it was inside another folder. Also, Vista wasn't compatible with a lot of my software, meaning I'd have had to buy new versions.

So I erased Windows Vista and installed XP, spent a day searching for drivers in the Internet, and XP was OK for a year or so. Then various problems cropped up and I had to reinstall the system. This happened four times, so in the end I gave up and bought a Mac.

I'd already been using the free open-source OpenOffice in XP, rather than Microsoft Office, so I installed the Mac version. Apart from that, most of the programs I need came preinstalled on the Mac. One exception was a photo editor, like PhotoShop, so I downloaded a free alternative called the Gimp.

Open-source programs for Macs are available free on this website: http://www.opensourcemac.org/ (including OpenOffice and the Gimp).

Another alternative to Windows is the free Linux operating system, which can be installed in English or Spanish. I installed the Ubuntu version on the computer that I'd had Windows on, and it's working fine - much faster than Windows ever did - so now I have a back-up computer, and I've removed Windows from my life forever.

When you install Linux most of the programs you're likely to want (such as OpenOffice) are installed with the system, and the others can be downloaded free, so you never have to buy software again. Also it's completely legal to copy the system and all the programs from someone else's CD or one that comes with a book that you buy or borrow from the library.

If you change to OpenOffice, whether on a Mac or Linux or Windows, make sure you save files in Microsoft format so that people who are still using Microsoft Office can read them. OpenOffice can easily be configured to open Microsoft files automatically.

Fred James

It's a great PC if you are prepared to pay twice as much for it as a Windows laptop.

What's the problem with having an AV program - they don't cost anything!

agoreira

You´re right, and when I first enabled a Spanish keyboard, I didn´t know where everything was in Spanish, so I simply printed out a photo of a Spanish keyboard from the net until I learnt it. I mean basically the main ones to learn are ?¿¡@ñéá/, it doesn´t take long. But I agree, if I was in Spain I would want an all Spanish setup, but just answering the OP question about being able to programme any computer to use English and vice versa.

steviedeluxe

It's the Arroba (@) symbol that I always find difficult to obtain.

mdavidfrost

It's many years since I used a UK computer in Spain, but I have used a US computer with Windows XP, and the solution was to install an international keyboard by going to the control panel then language settings. Although I was using a US international keyboard, I understand that there is a similar UK international or extended keyboard.

Having done that, these were the key combinations using the US international keyboard, which I assume are similar to those in the UK international or extended keyboard, although perhaps not identical:

• The tilde – ' (apostrophe) then the letter, to give á, é, í, ó or ú.
• The tilde on capitals – ' (apostrophe) then Shift plus the letter, to give Á, É, Í, Ó or Ú.
• The eñe – Shift plus the ~ key then the n key, to give ñ.
• The capital eñe – Shift plus the ~ key then Shift plus the n key, to give Ñ.
• Upside down question mark – Ctrl, Alt and / (slash) all together, to give ¿.
• Upside down exclamation mark – Ctrl, Alt and ! all together to give ¡.
• The euro symbol – Ctrl, Alt and the figure 5 all together, to give €.
• The British pound sign – Ctrl, Alt and Shift plus the figure 4 all together, to give £.
• Spanish quotation marks – Ctrl, Alt and [ or ] (square parentheses) all together, to give « or ».
• Diaeresis, or two dots over a vowel, usually the letter u – Shift plus ¨ then the letter, to give ü. (Also works for other vowels and with Shift plus the letter for capitals.)

If you're using a Mac or Linux you should also look for an international keyboard.

In a Mac go to System Preferences, then Language & Text and add an international keyboard. To see the key combinations look at the pull-down menu with flags at the top of the desktop and click on Show Keyboard Viewer.

In Ubuntu Linux go to System, then Preferences then Keyboard, and in Layouts add an international keyboard. To see the key combinations look at the pull-down menu with countries at the top of the desktop and click on Show Current Layout.

For more information about keyboards, search in Wikipedia for keyboard layout, or click on the following link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keyboard_layout.

agoreira

@ Alt Gr, 2, ¡Facilísimo!

agoreira

Very similar to a PC, control panel,regional and languages,languages, details, add your chosen language.

Fredbargate

My netbook purchased in Uk with XP english and UK keyboard has the @ and " reversed which gets me confused

HBG

My desk and laptop were both bought in Spain with Spanish Vista and Spanish keyboards. I re-installed XP on both, with an English OEM disk and use an English keyboard on the desktop and a separate one for the laptop.

I don’t have a problem with the OS in Spanish, nor the Spanish keyboard, but I write in English and it’s much easier and quicker in that language. I also installed Microsoft Word in English, although OpenOffice is almost as good and free.

I found out recently that Amazon.co.uk now deliver (free) to Spain and I’m waiting for the postman right now for a trial order I have placed with them. If it works, I’m going to replace both my creaking lap and desktop with an English version of Windows 7 pre-installed. (They’re cheaper on Amazon than Carrefour).

And Yes, Macs are beautiful and Linux also does the job, but I’ve gotten used to Windows and all my peripherals work just fine. I sometimes like to fly the latest jet fighter and play chess against some horrible man in Ohio, a Mac doesn’t let me do that, it crashes my jet and the horrible man in Ohio might be a good chess player, but he can’t use Linux.