Does changing the language on a computer invalidate the warranty?

Does changing the language invalidate your warranty: NO! Only hardware changes void warranties (that's why they have stickers that show when the case has been opened). This is a generality and there may be manufacturers out there who expressly forbid this but I'm not sure how enforceable these terms are!

I assume that when you're talking about changing to English you are talking about installing a different Operating System instead of the one that came with the computer? If this is the case, the impact on the warranty is an obvious one when you think about it: if you return the computer under the terms of the warranty you can expect them to return it to you in the state you bought it (with the original Operating System and programs). All you data, programs and your new (English) Operating System will be wiped. This is the worst case scenario assuming they can't fix it another way.

If  you change the Operating System there is a chance that some of your computer's components (such as sound, webcam etc) may not work. This will not be covered by the warranty. This is because the components will work with the original Operating System. You would need to find new drivers for the components that will work with your new system and they may not be available.

My advice is to buy the computer with the Operating System and language that you want in the first place. If you already have the computer and want to make changes to the software (including the Operating System!) then you are allowed to do what you want!

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