Linux on ThinkPad with German Windows OS

Emanate Presence

Emanate Presence

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In my search for a refurbished device to run Linux, there's a ThinkPad with decent specs and price but the Windows OS is German.

I wrote to the seller and they confirmed this.

Does anyone know if the OS language can be changed, or if there are other options for making it compatible with my English?

Thank you.

Lenovo ThinkPad T460 Business Notebook, Intel i5​

 


You're asking how to change Windows display language?
Why would you ask this on Linux forums? I assume you want to install Linux afterwards?

To answer your question, yes it's possible to change display language in Settings app, there you need to install English language pack.
 
CaffeineAddict said:
You're asking how to change Windows display language?
Why would you ask this on Linux forums? I assume you want to install Linux afterwards?

To answer your question, yes it's possible to change display language in Settings app, there you need to install English language pack.
Click to expand...
Thank you for responding. Yes, the intention is to install Linux. Sorry, I shouldn't have assumed that anyone reading this would already have read my previous interactions on this forum, where ThinkPad was one of the models recommended. Sounds like it's not so difficult even for a non-techie senior like me to change the OS language.
 
yes, you can change the language to EN-US or GB in the settings, will you be OK with a German keypad?
When you install Linux if you choose EN- then you may get some strange inputs from the pad if you follow the key markings, the easy way around this is install your OS as EN-US and buy a set of US keypad over stickers for the keys

difference

A Visual Comparison of Different National Layouts on a Computer Keyboard.

The US English national layout for a computer keyboard is compared with the national layouts from other countries.
www.farah.cl www.farah.cl
 
Your thoughtful response is appreciated! My wife is German, we lived in Germany three different times since 2000, I tried to immigrate, and took German classes, but the language didn't stick with me.

I know just the very basics of German but can call on Kati in a pinch for the keyboard. Also, I put an English USB keyboard in the cart and trust it will run from the ThinkPad. For changing the OS from German to English, also the DeepL app translates from photos so I think it's possible to get through it!

This is the device I am on the verge of ordering:

Lenovo ThinkPad T460 Business Notebook, Intel i5 2x2.4 GHz Prozessor, 8 GB Arbeitsspeicher, 500 GB HHD, 14 Zoll Display, Full HD 1920x1080 IPS, Cam, Windows 11 Pro S1G (Generalüberholt)

Any thoughts?

I wouldn't feel well with a German OS, but keyboard should be okay. Is there somewhere I can see a demo or screenshots of what the Linux Mint GUI looks like?
 
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Brickwizard said:
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Thank you, it looks pretty good! A little like a cross between Windows and DOS. Some say it's a long learning curve, but for me I think going from iPad to this should be relatively smooth.

I don't want to ask more than appropriate but ... am assuming SSD is better than HDD, and in a trade off between 256 or 500 GB SSD and 8 GB or 16 GB RAM, for the money 16 GB RAM and 256 GB SSD wins.

Do you know if the T460 battery can be replaced? Amazon seems to sell batteries for every ThinkPad model except.
 
Emanate Presence said:
Do you know if the T460 battery can be replaced
Click to expand...
From memory, a piece of cake, for me 90 seconds for you allow 5 mins [for external pack]
If it has the internal batteries 5 mins for me and allow yourself 15 its a bit fiddly
 
Emanate Presence said:
am assuming SSD is better than HDD, and in a trade off between 256 or 500 GB SSD and 8 GB or 16 GB RAM, for the money 16 GB RAM and 256 GB SSD wins.
Click to expand...
OK so now we get a bit Teck.. SSD is faster than HDD [old fashion plate spinner] the theoretical difference is to the magnitude of 14 in favour of the SSD [in practice 9x or better], if you are only doing normal home computing,[ surfing, e-mails, docs, print photos, stream music/tv then 4 GB is fine, if you are editing video or rendering HD picture or music then more ram is definitely needed, and more still if your gaming
 
Brickwizard said:
This is my Cinnamon desktop

Click to expand...
Thanks,
Brickwizard said:
This is my Cinnamon desktop

Click to expand...
Thanks,
Brickwizard said:
OK so now we get a bit Teck.. SSD is faster than HDD [old fashion plate spinner] the theoretical difference is to the magnitude of 14 in favour of the SSD [in practice 9x or better], if you are only doing normal home computing,[ surfing, e-mails, docs, print photos, stream music/tv then 4 GB is fine, if you are editing video or rendering HD picture or music then more ram is definitely needed, and more still if your gaming
Click to expand...
I'm not into gaming, but crypto on Cardano blockchain and a few years ago the HP laptop I bought had inadequate RAM . I sold it at a loss.
 
Brickwizard said:
OK so now we get a bit Teck.. SSD is faster than HDD [old fashion plate spinner] the theoretical difference is to the magnitude of 14 in favour of the SSD [in practice 9x or better], if you are only doing normal home computing,[ surfing, e-mails, docs, print photos, stream music/tv then 4 GB is fine, if you are editing video or rendering HD picture or music then more ram is definitely needed, and more still if your gaming
Click to expand...
My Asperger's brain is a bit obsessive at times, here's another question. Actually it's something I can also research in part. I understand with Mint Linux Cinnamon, the one you use and also I was most attracted to, I should be able to do almost anything Windows does. Am not clear if it runs Windows apps but that doesn't feel so important.

Mainly I want to be able to stake tokens of the ecosystem and vote in the Cardano decentralized governance which I can't with the iPad. I don't expect anyone in the forum to have experience with this and did ask in the Cardano X space. But generally, I will be able to use it wherever Windows is used? I know Cardano developers run linux.

Just received seller response:
You wrote - Any dell or Lenovo between 3 and 8 yrs old, with Ryzen or Intel I5 or I7 CPU [try to avoid I3] with a min 4gb Ram will run any Linux distribution you fancy,

Seller wrote - The year the T460 Models were Build is 2016
 
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Emanate Presence said:
crypto on Cardano blockchain
Click to expand...
in that case,as much ram as you can afford [or the machine will take]
Emanate Presence said:
The year the T460 Models were Build is 2016
Click to expand...
that's fine, it's just that most people when asking about purchasing a new to them machine are looking for something a bit newer

Emanate Presence said:
I should be able to do almost anything Windows does. Am not clear if it runs Windows apps but that doesn't feel so important.
Click to expand...
you cannot run Windows apps directly on Linux, but you can run many of them using WINE compatibility layer, or you can keep windows and add Linux as a multi-boot that way you will only need to use Windows for anything that is windows specific.
I will point you back to one of my how to thread's , what applies to testing also applies to installing
 
Brickwizard said:
in that case,as much ram as you can afford [or the machine will take]

that's fine, it's just that most people when asking about purchasing a new to them machine are looking for something a bit newer


you cannot run Windows apps directly on Linux, but you can run many of them using WINE compatibility layer, or you can keep windows and add Linux as a multi-boot that way you will only need to use Windows for anything that is windows specific.
I will point you back to one of my how to thread's , what applies to testing also applies to installing
Click to expand...
Will a usb fingerprint reader work with Linux?
 
Brickwizard said:
in that case,as much ram as you can afford [or the machine will take]

that's fine, it's just that most people when asking about purchasing a new to them machine are looking for something a bit newer


you cannot run Windows apps directly on Linux, but you can run many of them using WINE compatibility layer, or you can keep windows and add Linux as a multi-boot that way you will only need to use Windows for anything that is windows specific.
I will point you back to one of my how to thread's , what applies to testing also applies to installing
Click to expand...
When running as multi-boot, does Windows still try to install updates?

Do you recommend antivirus?

Thank you for the link:

"Install to the Hard-drive, in a duel/multiboot system . You then choose which OS you wish to use at the boot stage, using multi boot Linux can be used to access your windows folders [pictures, documents, &etc.] BUT windows will never see your Linux files."
 
Emanate Presence said:
Did the search, it brought up your response!
Click to expand...
I know there is something on the Conical site, i will look for a link

Emanate Presence said:
When running as multi-boot, does Windows still try to install updates?
Click to expand...
when in multiboot you only run the OS you choose, so if you're running Linux as your main OS it will update when on line, windows will not as it will not be booted and vice versa

Emanate Presence said:
Do you recommend antivirus?
Click to expand...

for windows my non linux family members use Avast free
For Linux I like most other users do not bother to run a full-time AV
 
There you go

askubuntu.com

Fingerprint reader compatibility

Preamble I need to buy 8 external fingerprint readers but I'm not sure they will work on the latest version of Ubuntu and I do not want to spend money blindly. The readers I would like to purchas...
askubuntu.com askubuntu.com
 
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