Why is my OS infected with Arabic?

[Merkuri]

You know, I can't think of any reason why Windows would default to Arabic unless it was Arabic Windows with English regional settings. It may be a valid version of Windows, it was just made to be sold somewhere where they speak Arabic.

 

[jmw082]

I could see that if it were primarily Arabic, but the Arabic is only in a few places. Everywhere else it is in English. That's what is really wierd. The language readings say it's in English.

 

[Merkuri]

Right. It's set up to display in English. But the inner workings are Arabic. When something goes wrong, it defaults to Arabic. Think of it as if it were a lead statue painted gold. It looks gold, until it gets chipped, then the lead shows through.

 

[jmw082]

So is the solution to buy a new copy in English and reinstall it? Will a new copy reinstall over it? Do I have MCE 2002 or 2005 (see my post 8-18 at 11:01AM)? The TweakUI says I have build 2600.xpsp_sp2_ddr.070227-2254 (Service Pack 2). I wouldn't want to buy a version that did not install.

So I called Dell, and they are sending me the CD with the OS. I should know within a week whether I get my English system back and will post the results.

 

[jmw082]

Received the new disc and installed the OS as an upgrade. The arabic is gone. The disc says it is MCE 2005, but when I open System in Control Panel, it still says MCE 2002. Not a big deal because everything appears to be in English again.