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Question

How to open region locale on Windows 8.1

May 12, 2015 7:07PM PDT

So this is a feature I'm all too familiar with from Windows Vista. So I already found where the region feature is on the control panel in Windows, but when I go to click on it, it won't open at all. Can anyone tell me how to open it please, or at least tell me why Windows isn't allowing me to open it?

Discussion is locked

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Answer
Two Things
May 13, 2015 4:44AM PDT

If you aren't aware, the country or "Region" settings, in Windows 8.1 are located in the "Control Panel-Region". In order to make any changes to this area, you must be logged in as an administrator. After double clicking on the "Region" icon, select the "Location" tab and use the drop-down arrow to select the country of your choice. You may also need to change the language selection in the "Administrative" tab.Once finished, click on "Apply", then OK.

It frequently is best to make sure changes when logged in as THE "administrator" log in, which requires you to enable the hidden "administrator" login option.

To enable the hidden "administrator" login, which creates a new "administrator" profile, follow the steps below while logged in as a user with admin rights.:

Click on Start, then type: "cmd" in the Search line, then RIGHT click on "cmd.exe" at the top of the search page, choose "Run as administrator".
At the command prompt, type: Net user administrator /active:yes
Press the "Enter" key..
An unpassworded Administrator account will now show up on the Welcome screen.

To disable it: Open the command window again, and type: Net user administrator /active:no
Press the "Enter" key
.

Hope this helps.

Grif

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Reply
May 13, 2015 6:23AM PDT

Before doing the whole admin account on the PC, I have questions. Do you really need to do this when there is one and only one account on the computer, and that only one person is going to use this computer? Why can't you simply right click and use as admin like you can do on any other thing on the PC, like I've already done before? If you need to create an admin account, how come I never had to on Windows Vista?

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Yes, It Is A Good Idea To Set Up A Second Admin, and...
May 13, 2015 6:49AM PDT

...because your single admin account could be corrupted, (it happens more than you know), it might be needed in this case to correct the problem.

As to having Vista without a second admin account, you were taking a chance.. If the only admin account dies, then what do you do? For Windows 7 and later, maybe Vista as well, the "administrator" login must be created from an admin account.. If it doesn't work, your only option is to reinstall everything from scratch.. In my opinion, it's ALWAYS a good idea to have, at least, two admin accounts on a computer.

Hope this helps.

Grif

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reply
May 13, 2015 8:18AM PDT

But shouldn't I have the privileges to open the region settings to start off with, especially due to there being one account? I had no hassles like this on Vista, not even the need to have admin's permission if I remember correctly.

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Given the damage I've seen over the years.
May 13, 2015 8:22AM PDT

And overreaching security suites a stock OS undamaged with an admin capable account does work. Yours does not. Anyone's guess why. Why not create the safety admin account and try Grif's advice?
Bob

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Nothing Matters If Your Profile Is Corrupted
May 13, 2015 9:22AM PDT

Vista worked fine because you got lucky and the profile wasn't corrupted while you used it. If the profile is corrupted, which appears to be the case here, (clicking on the "Region" icon using any admin login, on any Windows 8.1 computer we have works fine here), then it explains why yours doesn't work. Try the secondary "administrator" login option and tell us what you find.

Hope this helps.

Grif

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reply
May 13, 2015 10:43PM PDT

When I'm back at my PC I will give your idea a try Grif, but while I'm away I've got something to ask. What do you mean on Vista I got lucky? I have a friend who also changed his region no problem on 7.

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The issue Grif and I noted doesn't happen often.
May 14, 2015 12:20AM PDT

Just enough that most folk never see it.

I can explain why I've seen it a lot. Folk bring me their problem PC and other problems which I bet Grif experiences as well.

Yes. Pure Luck.
Bob

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Yep, We See A LOT Of Problem Computers...
May 14, 2015 3:14AM PDT

....Both problems here on the forums and with experience in our computer jobs.. As such, we will advise folks to frequently make backups of your important files and data (something most folks seldom do and something we see the disastrous results of for that failure), plus because we frequently see the problems with a failure to create a secondary admin user, most here suggest creating those secondary profiles.

Hope this helps.

Grif

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reply
May 14, 2015 4:13AM PDT

I did all that in command prompt and started the admin account Grif. When I went into the control panel and clicked on region, nothing happened. Oh well not the end of the world.

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Click?
May 14, 2015 4:37AM PDT

"After double clicking on the "Region" icon" - Grif...

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(NT) And You Accessed It From "administrator" Account?
May 14, 2015 5:28AM PDT
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If You Tried While In "administrator" Account, Then...
May 14, 2015 6:24AM PDT

..I'd proceed on with these steps:

1. Restart the computer into Safe Mode and see if you can access the settings while in Safe Mode. Running things from Safe Mode will frequently help eliminate a few software conflicts which could be causing the issue..maybe the antivirus, or maybe something else is blocking the "region" settings option.

If that doesn't help....
2. Run System File Checker from the "administrator" account like this:

a) Move the mouse pointer to bottom left of the screen where you see preview of start menu and Right-click to bring up a list of Windows settings.
b) Click on 'Command Prompt (Admin) to bring up elevated command prompt. Note: Click 'Yes' if it prompts for permission.
c) In the command prompt type in the following command: 'sfc /scannow'.

3. Just a shot in the dark here because I recently had a similar issue with a Windows 8.1 computer which previously had McAfee installed, then was uninstalled, then various settings and apps didn't work.. If you had McAfee on the computer, then make sure it's completely removed by downloading the MCPR removal tool from the link below and run it. It cleans out all the McAfee junk that a standard uninstall misses. After using the tool, try accessing the Control Panel-Region icon again.

http://us.mcafee.com/apps/supporttools/mcpr/mcpr.asp

4. If that doesn't get it done, then I'm thinking you will need to run a Windows 8 "refresh".

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-8/restore-refresh-reset-pc

Hope this helps.

Grif

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Answer
About admin accounts. ALWAYS HAVE A SPARE.
May 13, 2015 6:38AM PDT

Due to the continued issue with corrupt profiles, having a spare admin account is not optional. If anyone keeps a Windows PC with one lone account or a single admin account they are doing high wire acts without a net.

Recovering from this small issue is trivial with the spare admin account.
Without it I see folk lose it all. Some say enough and get a mac.
Bob