Buying a laptop in China or from Chinese ecommerce websites like Alibaba or Banggood is quite an attractive prospect for international buyers these days as these website not only offer great deals on laptops, but also allow international customers to get their hands on laptops that are exclusively available in the Chinese market. One of the biggest challenges buyers face while ordering laptops from China, is that they ship with a Chinese version of Windows 10. While the setup process is fairly straightforward and users can easily get to the desktop using a translator app, installing the English version of Windows is a challenge most users face, especially if they aren’t quite tech savvy.
- Laptop with Chinese version of Windows 10 installed
- A separate laptop with the English version of Windows 10 installed
- A spare USB flash drive (minimum 8GB)
- A Microsoft ID (Outlook, Live, Hotmail, etc.)
Create a Windows 10 Installation Media
To get started with the process, you’ll first have to create a Windows 10 installation media using a laptop which is already running the English version of Windows 10. Creating the Windows 10 installation media is a fairly simple process, but before you begin the process, you’ll first have to head to Microsoft’s website and download the Windows 10 installation media tool. Once you’ve downloaded the tool, you’ll have to connect your spare USB drive to the system and run the tool. Now that you’ve done that, just follow the steps given below and you’ll be able to create a Windows 10 installation media in no time:
On the next screen, you’ll have to select the ‘Create installation media (USB flash drive, DVD, or ISO file) for another PC‘ option, in order to start creating the Windows 10 installation media.
Once you select the option and click on next, you’ll be required to select the language, edition, and architecture of the Windows 10 installation media. You could go with the default option if you have a fairly new laptop, but in case you’ve got an older laptop, it’s best to check the edition and architecture that is best suited for your particular model.
To install the English version of Windows 10 on your new laptop, you’ll first need to turn it off completely and the boot into the BIOS. Booting into the BIOS requires you to tap a function key repeatedly as soon as you press the power button. The function key to boot into the BIOS varies depending on the laptop manufacturer. In our case, it’s the F2 key, but yours could be different. You’ll have to head to your laptop manufacturers website or conduct a simple Google search to check which function key will boot your laptop into the BIOS. Follow the steps given below in order to begin the Windows 10 installation process:
Once you’ve successfully booted into the BIOS on your laptop, you’ll have to change the boot priority to the USB flash drive that you just created. Changing the boot priority will make the laptop boot using the USB flash drive, which will start the Windows 10 installation process. Also, in case your BIOS is in Chinese, which is highly probable, you’ll have to make use of a translation app, like Google Translate, to navigate your way through the BIOS.
Windows will now ask you for a product key. If you have the product key, you can enter it at this point and your Windows license will be activated, however, if you don’t have the product key, you can select I don’t have a product key and move onto the next step, where you’ll have to accept the terms and conditions of Microsoft’s software license.
