HELP Please

[Ole Man River]

 Hi, my Windows 8 computer has thrown a wobbly on me again.
It had been iffy yesterday- flashing & would not let me turn off on the right top left of the screen. Not a touch screen. So switched it off at the Box.
Today- I did a refresh/restore? without loosing your files , pics. etc.
Now I have a previously English language, now Spanish computer which I cannot confidently read enough of the instructions even to get my Google search toolbar back. It now has only Bing!!! & nothing else. It's changed all desktop icons (I think to a previous setup).
About a year or so ago I installed a new English Windows 8 bought from the UK, to try & cure all this Spanish cra*!
Now it's back.
I may still have the disc.
It's an Acer comp. about 3 years old?  

[Snowdrop]

If no-one replies I maybe able to get advice for you but not till after Monday.  This happened to a friend of mine.  I will look Monday to see if you have any replies that have sorted the problem if not I will contact them . :-)

[Snowdrop]

In the meantime I did a search on google to see how you get the tool bar and you have to download them and you can choose spanish or English language - I guess for instructions.  I am not at all savvy on computers, as you will guess,  so sorry if this is stating the obvious but can you not do a search on bing for downloading google tool bars?   Only trying to help in my simole way :-) if not then as said may be able to tell you after Monday.

[erik_tonny]

Hi, my Windows 8 computer has thrown a wobbly on me again.
It had been iffy yesterday- flashing & would not let me turn off on the right top left of the screen.

Seems to me you don't have a computer problem but a user problem

[hairybiker]

Hi, my Windows 8 computer has thrown a wobbly on me again.
It had been iffy yesterday- flashing & would not let me turn off on the right top left of the screen.

Seems to me you don't have a computer problem but a user problem

OOOOOOOH!!!

[Ole Man River]

Thanks everyone for your replies. I don't think it is just getting the toolbar back - more serious than that. Thanks Snowdrop.
I still think re-loading the Windows 8 English disc is my best bet. I really need to remove all the Spanish- can't cope with it.
Like you Snowdrop I'm not too IT savvy but will try the disc & hopefully it will restore it all back to as before.
erik_tonny you're probably right, user error originally.  

[Deso]

If you want to have a permanent English laptop then you need to save any Photo's, Documents etc to an external drive and then install your English version using the format disc installation.

As an interim measure, you should be able to change to English in Control Panel.

"To open Control Panel

Open Control Panel by swiping in from the right edge of the screen, tapping Search (or if you're using a mouse, pointing to the upper-right corner of the screen, moving the mouse pointer down, and then clicking Search), entering Control Panel in the search box, and then tapping or clicking Control Panel."

[erik_tonny]

If you want to have a permanent English laptop you will also have to reallocate your disc drive so you have a right hand drive.

[Ole Man River]

Hi Deso, Thanks for your help.  - installed the Idioma/English language pack. Took forever! Doesn't seem to have worked. Still all in Español.
Will install the English disc. Last time I did this it saved all my files & pics. as an option, so hopefully will be the same.
Most of my pics are on an external drive already. After the last debacle!
Mine is a desktop not a laptop. Sure it's no different though.  One question, do you think it will be any problem as I have installed this on the same computer before?

erik_tonny, yeah, very funny. Ha! Ha!

[Deso]

In control panel there should be a Region and Language setting, if it is like Windows 7, where you can set the region and language, that should change it to English now you have installed the language pack.

Personally I would back up any necessary pics and documents, and do a completely fresh install with your English Win8

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-gb/windows-8/clean-install

[Ole Man River]

Thanks for the useful advice Deso, just looking at my mega external hard disk drive now. Found some simple "how to" instructions online. Been a while since I used it.
Let you know how it all goes. 

ps. thanks for your support hairybiker - cheers.

[peggy]

Before doing anything check your windows disc.... it may have a recovery option....and the end user agreement may be for 1 computer only so you wil need an activation code to re- instal.

[RVEEE]

Top RH corner - Settings.

Towards the bottom of the screen, 'Change PC Settings'.

'Time and Language'.

(On my Win8 laptop anyway - to flick back to desktop at any time, just hit 'Alt' key + 'Tab' key together.)

[fourthwisemonkey]

windows 8 allows the installation of any language pack etc but a reset will generally put it back to the original installed language (even if you had put english on after)
It is simply a case of going into the settings and changing the language to whatever language pack you have installed which in your case looks like you will have spanish and english. Obviously whilst the mui is spanish you will have to look up a few words in spanish to navigate to the relevent section etc ie panel de control, idiomas etc.
Should not need to re-install from an english disk as this is a lot of wasted effort with having to back up files etc and also if you are installing what is in effect a second version of windows you will be wasting disk space unless you re-format completely.....like I say the fix is simple but you just need to navigate around a bit in spanish.

Off the top of my head you need to mouse down to bottom right hand corner to bring up the charms and then select settings (the little cog wheel icon) then cambiar configuration, reloj y idiomas, The left hand panel that come up will have 2 items on it. first is time and date 2nd is region and language (idioma) left click this one and int the main column you will see a list of the installed languages (probably under cambiar idioma or similar) Select the english and underneath will be 3 boxes the first one is the set as primary....click this then when you next log in the menu will be english.....then just make sure your input language is correct ie spanish keyboard or whatever.

quickest way to switch from metro interface to desktop interface is windows key + d

Easy peasy once you have done it a few times!!!

[Ole Man River]

Thanks all.
It's not only the language it's the whole setup that's gone. Total reversal.
I will do a backup anyway. Seems safest. Then put the disc in & see what options it gives me.

[TamaraEnLaPlaya]

Hi OMR
Only just seen your post. I've emailed you! Tamara.

[Ole Man River]

Thanks Tamara!