Switching languages in Windows 7 can be difficult because it is not a built-in option in all versions. However, there is a Danish language pack that can be downloaded as a separate file and installed using the Vistalizator program, which was developed specifically for this purpose. This article will give you a complete guide to switching languages in Windows 7 on your computer.
By following the guide, you basically do the following:
- Download the Danish language pack for Windows 7
- Download Vistalizator, which installs the language pack and changes the language
Step 1: What version of Windows do you have?
Switching languages in Windows 7 – what Microsoft also calls the ‘interface language’ – can be easy or difficult, depending on which version of Windows 7 you have. The first thing you need to do is find out which version of Windows you have. Once you know this, follow the right of the two guides below:
- If you have Windows 7 Enterprise or Ultimate, you can simply follow Windows’ own interface language switching guide
- If you have Windows 7 Starter, Home Basic, Home Premium or Professional, you should follow the instructions in this article (i.e. proceed to Step 2)
Step 2: Download Vistalizator
If you have Windows 7 Starter, Home Basic, Home Premium or Professional, you should install Vistalizator, a free program specifically designed to install language packs in Windows (you’re not the first to experience this headache!). Vistalizator can be downloaded here (the first link on the page)
Without Vistalizator, you cannot use the Danish language pack. The program requires no special installation; once downloaded, simply double-click on the program icon and it will launch.
Step 3: Download the Danish language pack
There are several different versions of the Danish language pack to suit different versions of Windows.
You can view and download all versions of the language pack here (in the menu on the left)
Although it can be a little difficult to know which version to choose, luckily the Vistalizator program is smart enough to alert you that you are installing the wrong language pack if this is the case (in other words, there’s not much you can do wrong!).
Step 4: Installing the Danish language pack
- In Vistalizator: Click the Add languages button
- Select the downloaded Danish language pack (it’s called something like “windows6.1-kb2483139-x64-en-dk_d753d19cc1a0fe95aef21548193393c04a6a8024.exe”)
- Attention: if you have downloaded the wrong language pack, Vistalizator will alert you with an error message. In this case, you should follow the instructions in the error message
- and download the correct language pack from the Vistalizator website
- Once the correct language pack is found, the installation will start automatically. This can take up to 20 minutes
- When the installation is complete, the program will ask you if you want to change the language to Danish, where you should of course click Yes
- Vistalizator will then restart your computer, so make sure to save any open documents etc. before restarting.
- Once the computer has restarted, your newly installed language will work
If you want to change the language later on – for example, back to the original language or a completely different one – this can also be done in Vistalizator using the Change language button.