Multilanguage User Interface (MUI)

All versions of WIndows 2000 are enabled for all supported languages. This means that regardless of the operating system user interface (UI) language, all versions of WIndows 2000 will let users edit and process text in all langauges, and also run applications that have UI in any or all languages. Single UI language versions (also known as localized versions) of Windows 2000 are released in all supported UI languages. These single UI language versions basically differ only in the language in the resource sections of each binary file.

There is also a Windows 2000 Multi-language User Interface (MUI) version which includes resources for each supported UI language separated from their binaries and provided in separate language directories. The MUI allows users to set the user-interface language according to their preferences, provided the required language was added to the system. It is designed to allow large corporations to rollout the operating system worldwide, while allowing their local users or groups to select the UI language. It also allows users of different languages to share the same workstation: one user might choose to see system menus, dialog boxes, and other text in Japanese, while another user might choose to see the corresponding text in French.

MUI is a separate release version and does not replace localized versions of Windows 2000. Also, since each corporation can choose which languages to support, the MUI can be different from one corporation to another. An MUI system that is set to a particular language looks similar to a localized version, except that the following items are not localized: all 16-bit code, bitmaps, registry keys and values, folders and file names, and INF files.

As for all Windows 2000 versions, to determine the installed languages call EnumUILanguages. To determine the default user language, call GetUserDefaultUILanguage.