This is a friends laptop and I was wondering if he can have the language changed from English to French or Arabic? Or is that just what you do when installing windows? Also is anyone familiar with the usual setup of an external mouse for laptops? I can't sort out why some things (clicks) work for the mouse and some I have to use the two buttons on the KB/laptop. I have never handled laptops before.

You can change the language used by windows to any language you can find a version of. These days you are hard pressed to find an english version of windows 98. You could try ebay. External mouses should work on a laptop in just the same manner as on a desktop. Because there are two active pointing devices active, some confusion can occur.

Well windows is already installed. Are you saying there is no option to change the language once windows is installed? And are you saying that each installation of windows is a single language with no option during the installation or after to change the language? I don't know coz English is my 1st language. Also my friend said today that when he goes to internet cafes he is able to change the language maybe in internet explorer? I dunno because he doesn't. He has no memory of how he did it and he isn't up with computing to know what he did! Even if I say did you change the language in IE or WINDOWS he doesn't know what I mean! Yeah well I can't work out the mouse situation. It is really odd. It seems that the mouse is slow at some things like double clicking and it is better the just have the mouse on whatever button and then to use the KB to double click if you know what I mean. Is it worth me having a techie look at it because my friend is sending this laptop over to Africa. A very special person is getting it in Senegal that teaches people off the streets there. This dude has nothing and this would be a great gift. My friend knows him as he is from that country. "The meaning of life is to be happy and useful". Tenzin Gaytso His Holiness the Dalai Lama