Change default/login/logon language

run the following command from terminal

sudo "/System/Library/CoreServices/Language Chooser.app/Contents/MacOS/Language Chooser"

You'll have to enter your admin password (which you won't see). that's normal. this will start the language chooser. choose Spanish.

Two keyboard layouts and I can't log on because my password is different depending on the keyboard layout. (It took me 15 minutes to fish around different key combinations to properly enter my password. (Something like fn \ and alt l on the german keyboard to enter #@ that exists in my english keyboard password.)

Solution: put a keyboard language indicator like the little flag on the task bar on the logon window and permit users to click on it to select the proper language for their password.

I'm not an OS X security expert but I can't think of a vulnerability this would present to the operating system but something has to change.

something has to change.

You should have no problem always getting the same layout when you login. Are you saying it switches on you randomly?

No, it doesn't change by itself. It's just that if I close the lid to put it to "sleep" and I don't change it back to English, it could be on a different language so my password won't work.

Ordinarily (Pre snow leopard) I could simply hit the keystroke to switch it to the other language keyboard layout and enter my password but for some reason I'd only get that apple "clunk" sound when I tried that.

I'm surprised there isn't more a discussion because I think the impact is significant. (At least for users who use alternate keyboard layouts / languages.)

thanks for the response.

Ordinarily (Pre snow leopard) I could simply hit the keystroke to switch it to the other language keyboard layout

Are you talking about Command + Space? Does that work fine for you when working on a doc but not when at the login screen?

Exactly. The keyboard shortcut to change kb layout to English doesn't work at the login screen.
Fortunately i was able to fumble through it with the prompt in the name window and see what I was typing.
Probably could have just powered it off but I don't like doing that.

Thanks
Greg

Exactly. The keyboard shortcut to change kb layout to English doesn't work at the login screen.

You are right, I had not noticed that. I can see why they would not want that shortcut to work if you did not have the input menu showing in the login screen, because one could get lost among multiple layouts. But it should be allowed to work if the input menu is showing.

I think all you can probably do is ask them to change it:

http://www.apple.com/feedback/macosx.html

Now I'm in trouble. I use 3 languages, Vietnamese, Chinese and the default English. Last night my system went to sleep while my keyboard was in Vietnamese mode. My password contains letters and numbers, now I can't toggle the language at login screen and I cannot get the exact password right. Anyone? Can I use another system to delete its preference? If so, which preference file do I delete that will have it default back to English at login screen?

Help!!!

My password contains letters and numbers

Which Vietnamese mode is active? Is there no way to input the right characters using that mode?

Which Vietnamese mode is active?
Why do you think this is somehow related to Vietnamese?

This is still a problem.
I'm searching for how to enter an @ sign on a German keyboard but so far I can't find it because US keyboards don't have an ALT/STR button.

Damit Apple, this is such a simple issue to fix.
Simply revert to the original entry language when the system sleeps.

crap!

Why do you think this is somehow related to Vietnamese?

Because if he would tell me what Vietnamese layout he is using, I could tell him what keys to press to get his password entered correctly, and then he could access his machine to fix the problem.

US keyboards don't have an ALT/STR button.

Alt = Option

how to enter an @ sign on a German keyboard

Option/alt + L

I'm not using a Vietnamese layout. Not sure where that idea came from, I'm using a German alternate keyboard layout as mentioned earlier in the thread.

I finally figured out the key sequence and I'll have to write down the key sequence to keep handy until apple fixes this bug. (And it is a bug or flaw)

my password has a #@ in it and in the German keyboard layout:
# = Fn+\
@ = Ctrl AltL
(Both of these when the german keyboard layout is selected.)

Recommended fix: automatically return the keyboard layout whenever the system goes to sleep or when the necessity arises where the user has to log on.

I'm not using a Vietnamese layout.

My message was not addressed to you but to Danny Goh, which should be able to see if you look at it, plus I quoted from his message.

PS Do you not have the input menu showing on your login screen? That can be turned on via Login Options in System Prefs/Accounts.

my password has a #@ in it and in the German keyboard layout:
# = Fn+\
@ = Ctrl AltL

When my machine is set to the normal Apple German keyboard layout, # is Option/alt + shift + 3 and @ is Option/alt + L . I am curious what layout you are using where these do not work.