I’m thinking about installing the English version of Windows XP to supplement the Chinese version of Windows XP that I
[color=red]WARNING[/color] DO NOT DO THIS [color=red]WARNING[/color]
I must have been smoking the M$ Crack Pipe Whilst Writing 
If you have a spare computer, try it anyway 
Someone else will probably know better, but I’m pretty sure that when you install another version of XP on top one an existing one (without formatting the drive of course) XP makes a little menu thingy allowing you to choose which to boot up before it starts the booting process.
[quote=“www.cyberwalker.net”][url=http://www.cyberwalker.net/faqs/reinstall-reformat-winxp/two-copies-xp.html]You reinstalled Windows XP on your computer thinking it would overwrite the existing verison of Windows XP and now there are two copies when you boot up. Crap! What to do now? Not to worry, here’s the solution.
First how do you know you have this problem? Well, you recently re-installed Windows XP, but now see a boot menu when the computer is powered up that is a black screen with multiple Windows XP choices. It means that you
For Windows XP there is a multi-language kit, guess you can buy it. Then you can have 2 or more language, so no 2nd installation necessary.
I personally have 3 WinXP in 3 different languages on my PC, but in 3 different partitions (C:\ D:\ E:) and yes, then you get the boot menu asking you
Windows XP…
Windows XP…
Windows XP…
Strongly recommended not to install XP twice in the same partition
In C:\ there is a system file called boot.ini which is only displayed if you turn on to show system files. You could edit the text there to distinguish.
Which XP is installed first does not matter.
BTW, Chinese filesystem CDs sometimes make problems with English version, but the other way round should work. Never mind.
Mine boots up with 2 system options at the start. Color box choices on a black screen as others have mentioned.
Computer works fine.
I didn’t do the installation but when I just checked now the program files are all on C drive.
???
[color=red]WARNING[/color] DO NOT DO THIS [color=red]WARNING[/color]
Try going to Control Panel > Regional and language Options > Advanced and select the language that matches the one of the CD-ROM you are having difficulties with. This ‘might’ allow you to use it using Chinese WinXP.
Dual Booting just for the sake of a few programs seems a waste. You need to pay for 2 licenses for Windows and you end up using double to hard drive space. Also unless you know how Windows handles user profiles you’ll end up with the mess of having documents and downloads etc. that you save under one instance not being where you expect them to be on the other. You’ll also need to install most of your programs twice if you want to be able to use them under both instances.
It would be much better to just back up all your files and install English WinXP, if that’s what you’d prefer, and then follow the instructions in the thread below to install support for Chinese.
[color=red]WARNING[/color] DO NOT DO THIS [color=red]WARNING[/color]
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Guess that doesn’t work… Worked for me 
I’ll make note of that.
[color=red]WARNING[/color] DO NOT DO THIS [color=red]WARNING[/color]
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Guess that doesn’t work… Worked for me
I’ll make note of that.[/quote]
Right, Microsoft says do not do it. May be OK only if your system crashed and you want a recovery of the data and thus you can accept a short lived unstable system.
Otherwise 2 partitions are needed
Yep, that’s why I did it. Always wondered about that. Who’d want 2 installs of XP anyway. I barely want the one I have now. 
Have you tried updating the firmware on the CD-Rom?
[quote=“Rik”]Try going to Control Panel > Regional and language Options > Advanced and select the language that matches the one of the CD-ROM you are having difficulties with. This ‘might’ allow you to use it using Chinese WinXP.
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That should do it.
A good way is what someone else said, use the XP Multilingual pack.
Yep, that’s why I did it. Always wondered about that. Who’d want 2 installs of XP anyway. I barely want the one I have now. [/quote]
OK
… but a 2nd one on 2nd partition is not only very good as recovery system. Also to test that strange software you do not want on your main system because it has a root-kit like copy protection.
I have the Mulitlingual User Interface (MUI) installed on my XP Pro computer. I can switch languages completely just by logging into a different account. I have English, German and Chinese Traditional installed. A while back I did the dual boot thing but it gets to be a pain in the ass quick. Either you have to do all software installs, firewall configs, virus updates, anti-spyware settings etc twice each time, or one of your partitions is always going to be outdated and vulnerable.
For more info on the MUI, see here: blog.jameslick.com/55260.html
The problem with the MUI packs is that they can only be installed on top of English WinXP, so even if the OP decides to go that way, he or she is still going to have to setup the computer with English first, and sort out transfering all his or her current settings and files.
However, I got the impression that Chinese WinXP is only being used because that’s what is on the system and that English would be better. With English WinXP you can still use most Chinese programs, create and edit documents in Chinese, view websites etc. you only need the MUI pack if you want all the menus and help files to be in Chinese. Also a Windows MUI pack only affects Windows itself, it won’t magically change all the languages in your programs unless they are designed to be multi-lingual. Microsoft Office is an example of a program that is NOT. You have to buy additional Office MUI packs if you want to change the Office menus and help files too.
Edit to add: And Windows MUI packs can only be used with WinXP Pro, they won’t work with the cheaper WinXP Home.
If you want to move from Chinese to English XP you can do that without having to transfer settings or reinstall programs by doing a Windows Repair Install:
michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm
Chinese programs will work on English OS only if they were compiled to use Unicode. Some older apps are hardcoded to Big5 encoding and you will only see giberrish if run on an English OS. You can play with the default encoding for non-unicode app settings to get it to work, but it won’t work out of the box.
A safe way to install “two” Windows XP’s would be to use Partition Magic + it’s hide partition feature, along with Boot Magic… I’ve used this in the past with no problems.
I’m dual booting Windows XP (32-bit) with Windows XP 64 in my C: and D: partitions respectively. I didnt have to do anything special (like partition magic) to set this up… I just installed Regular XP first and when that was done… rebooted into the Windows XP 64 installation. I get the normal OS Boot screen when firing up my system.
I use 64bit XP for FPS gaming, bittorrenting, testing, shady stuff, etc… The normal XP I use for more important stuff… which by the way hardly every gets touched 
Everyone has reasons to dual boot… for me it works out great. Good luck and have fun.
Thanks for all of the useful advice.
Rik, you were right on the mark. I changed the language setting, and - presto - the CD-rom works exactly as it is supposed to. I was amazed at how easy it was to solve a problem that has already stumped many a specialist; many kudos to you!
Although the dual-boot solution probably also works, I can now see that it’s definitely an overkill.
One caveat, however: Changing the language setting results in my Outlook Express and Dr. Eye not working properly, so I’ll have to change the language setting (and restart the computer) each time I want to use the CD in question - all things considered, not a big problem.
[quote=“bhavana”]Thanks for all of the useful advice.
Rik, you were right on the mark. I changed the language setting, and - presto - the CD-rom works exactly as it is supposed to. I was amazed at how easy it was to solve a problem that has already stumped many a specialist; many kudos to you!
Although the dual-boot solution probably also works, I can now see that it’s definitely an overkill.
One caveat, however: Changing the language setting results in my Outlook Express and Dr. Eye not working properly, so I’ll have to change the language setting (and restart the computer) each time I want to use the CD in question - all things considered, not a big problem.[/quote]
Amazing! So the non-Unicode interpretation setting can cause CD problem! 
If I understood that right. That could have saved me many a day’s work trying to convert CDs