If you are thinking of buying a brand new computer, you are confronted with the age-old question of language. Do you want a French computer, or do you need an English one? We have outlined below the key factors to bear in mind.

French Software
There are many excellent offers available in the larger supermarkets, like Carrefour and E.Leclerc, and on-line with Dell. However, before you take advantage of them you must remember that they all come with French software as standard. This means that from the moment you switch on every thing you see on screen will be in French and there is no easy option available to switch between languages. Also for those of you who are already familiar with English computers, you will have the annoyance of a French keyboard, swapping your Q’s for A’s, W’s for Z’s and playing havoc with punctuation! I know how important it is to embrace French culture when you are living here, however, at the same time you must be realistic and make sure you are spending your money on something you will be able to use. Having English software can be the difference between using your computer confidently and leaving it collecting dust in the corner.

Reinstalling English software
If you have already bought a French computer and need English software, all is not lost! You can reinstall the software, however, be warned, this is not a simple case of loading in some discs and clicking “reinstall”! All the items in your computer – modems, motherboards, graphics/sound cards etc – need their own piece of software to work. This piece of software is called a driver. When you install Windows, it will identify all the drivers and assign a Microsoft (MS) driver to each. This process is automated. However, the bad news is that in some cases it will not identify all the items and so these items will cease to function. In other situations, the MS driver will not be the best choice for the item and so the item will no longer function efficiently. To avoid compromising the performance of your computer, you will need to install each of the drivers manually. First, you will need to identify each of the drivers you require and then reference the manufacturer’s guidelines (normally available on-line), to select and install the correct type for each item separately. This can often be a time-consuming and frustrating process, especially if you are teaching yourself to do it for first time: therefore, we recommend that you take your computer to a professional. They should already be familiar with the standards required and be able to run the processes remotely while they work on other machines. As such, the amount of time they spend on your computer should be considerably less than you would have spent and this in turn should be reflected in the price! For the software itself, expect to be paying around 100 euros and for the time somewhere between 60 and 100 euros. Finally when the job has been done, make sure you take the installation discs home with you, and keep them somewhere safe, as they may come in handy at a later date.

Buying an English computer
Naturally it is a lot simpler to buy a computer with English software pre-installed. Unfortunately you will not be spoilt for choice here in France. If you find a local supplier then snap them up, but before you make your purchase always ensure that your computer comes with a good guarantee and after-sales service! If you are thinking of buying a bargain in Britain then you will need to consider the logistics of a long distance after-sales service. Firstly, if you need to make use of your guarantee be prepared to organise getting your computer back to the supplier in the UK – this will almost certainly be your responsibility as your guarantee will only cover shipping costs within the UK. Secondly, double check that you can dial the help-line number – quite often these are 0800 numbers which you cannot dial from France – if you cannot get another help-line number, then be prepared for arranging your maintenance from someone in France. You will find lots of numbers for English-speaking computer repair people: however to be assured of their reputation ask around and go on the best advertisement - The recommendation of happy customers!