Bios Language

[JJDinsay]

Bought a PC at Pantip - it wasn't the latest and greatest but it was a good deal for a LINUX server that I'm building. Drawback is that CMOS/BIOS is in Japanese!!! That's not the problem I guess, the bigger problem I guess would be the fact that I don't read a lick of Japanese. Anybody have any clues as to how I'm going to get past this? At the IBM website now looking for an English update to the BIOS.

[randyksf]

what model Laptop do you have? I am in Pattaya now but will be back on Sunday and have two Think Pads at home. I will check and see if there is a setting.

[caughtintheact]

Some can be changed, some cannot. Depends on the brand and model, as Randy indicated.

Example: It looks like an IBM Thinkpad can be changed

http://www-306.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss...cid=DSHY-427MCG

But at least a couple of NEC models cannot

[] A: PC9800 series are PCs only for Japanese Market, and its architecture is

developed for Japanese language environment. So, it is unavailable for

changing its operating system or langage except Japanese

http://www.nec.com/cgi-bin/faq/list.cgi?si...&cat=prod#faq10

This sire indicates the possibility of a multilanguage bios

What is Multi-Language BIOS

BIOS setting is very important for PC system. In order to enable/ disable hardware function Bbest performance tweaking Bsolve compatibility issue Bstability issue Ketc.We need to change some setting in BIOS, but the description is always in English, that's why Gigabyte Multi-Language BIOS provides BIOS description in other language for different users.

How many kind of language that Multi-Language BIOS provide

Besides English, Multi-Language BIOS provides Traditional Chinese BSimplified Chinese BJapanese BGerman BFrench Band Spanish.

For more detail, please go to Products--->Motherboard models to find out which item has supported this function.

http://tw.giga-byte.com/MotherBoard/FileLi...h_multibios.htm

[JJDinsay]

After much search it does not look like it can be done as this particular type of model is for Japan only. Still I could be wrong. PC is an old one - IBM Personal Computer 300PL.

thanks,

Jeb

[caughtintheact]

Why not contact IBM Thailand and see if they have a fix?

[randyksf]

Why not contact IBM Thailand and see if they have a fix?

I took a look at my Think Pads and there is no option to change. However Idea of contacting IBM Service center is a sound one.

With this little warning. IBM Thailand are the most incompetent bunch of techs I have ever seen.

I had a laptop that was freezing intermittency. Each time I told them it was the mother board, the just said they need to re install the drivers and format the system. 6 Fxxxing times. Finally then came to the conclusion it was something else when I picked it up and made it freeze.

Best way to contact them, Call the Singapore group, or if you have to call here. Have a Thai speaker call them or go in person. They are next to BTS ARI white building on the Toyota side of BTS platform. walk about 100 meters.

[caughtintheact]

Agree that there are some incompetents in IBM Thailand, as in all organizations. It depends on whether one gets lucky when making the first contact and if not, whether the perseverance is there to continue beyond that.

A friend of mine had a Thinkpad that froze up. He went to IBM and they told him that the mainboard needed replacing, but they wanted almost B70,000. I had a shop check it out to confirm it was the mainboard, which it was, and I next researched the mainboard, then called and emailed IBM and got their parts people, who were able to locate a new replacement for B36000 including installation and testing. The computer works fine now.

Alternative solution: Take the laptop to the 4th floor of the IT Mall at Fortune Town (Rachadapisaek Road at the Asoke Din Daeng Intersection). In the large rotunda area at the north? end of the Mall, look for a shop called Notebook Shop, because they are specialists in repairing laptops and notebooks. Their phone number is 02-641-0785-7 (Should have a Thai speaker, if possible) and ask for Khun Phaisan (owner) or Khun Gun (sp?) (female tech). They also import old Japanese notebooks and rehab them and resell them. If you want, I can contact them and see if they can make the Bios change. Just give me the specs on the computer, brand name, model, and other relevant details.

(I do not work with or for this shop, but I have had them build about 10 PCs for me and overall they do a pretty good job.)

[JJDinsay]

Thanks for all the help. The box is an IBM 300PL type 6871 which is only sold in the Japanese market. It's a really old box and only bought it to build a LINUX box on it. Talked to a shop and they said that there was no such thing as an English BIOS for the PC so I returned it to the shop where I bought it from and they trade it up for a DELL. Thanks for all the help guys.

[caughtintheact]

That's probably the best move. However, if you bought a Dell, then you might want to look at this forum (there are many other similar items on the web as well)

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