title: How do I enable ctfmon.exe under Windows 7 Professional
body: <p>Not sure if this is the right forum, but here it goes....</p>
  
  <p><em>Problem Description in Brief:</em><br/>
  I am not able to enable <code>ctfmon.exe</code> to execute (and to remain running) on Startup under Windows 7 Professional (SP1).  I need this for the language bar on the taskbar, and the ability to switch between Chinese and English.</p>
  
  <p><em>Problem Description in Detail</em>:<br/>
  When I installed Windows 7 Professional on my ASUS laptop, I enabled the language bar so that I can switch between Chinese and English, with the default language being Chinese (for my wife).  Everything worked fine, even after installing Microsoft Office 2010, which apparently relies on <code>ctfmon.exe</code> for the language bar services.  When I uninstalled Microsoft Office, not only did I lose the language bar, but the ability to switch between Chinese and English.  The only language supported now on Startup is Chinese.</p>
  
  <p>Needless to say that the option to enable <code>ctfmon</code> is not available under the Starup tab of <code>msconfig</code>.  In order to enable the language bar, again, I have to manually change it via the Control Panel, only to lose it, <em>again</em>, every second time I shutdown and/or restart the laptop!!!  It is @#$%ing annoying to say the least!!!</p>
  
  <p>Note that, the language bar driver (<code>ctfmon.exe</code>) still resides in the <code>C:\Windows\System32\</code> directory according to many of the forums I have read.  I have even added a Windows registry entry to execute it at Startup according to one of the posts in the Microsoft TechNet site, titled <a href="http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/windows/en-US/b4441951-1b0d-4e4c-b133-9f9cb08fefc9/language-bar-disappeared?forum=itprovistadesktopui" rel="nofollow">Language Bar Disappeared</a>, and another UK site titled <a href="http://www.pacs-portal.co.uk/startup_pages/12000-12999/12195_ctfmon.exe.htm" rel="nofollow">Startup Details - ctfmon.exe</a>, which believes the entry should exist under HKCU as opposed to HKLM.  Specifically, I added the following entries to the Windows Registry File without any effect.</p>
  
  <pre><code>[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run]
  "ctfmon"="C:\Windows\System32\ctfmon.exe"
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>and,</p>
  
  <pre><code>[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run]
  "ctfmon"="C:\Windows\System32\ctfmon.exe"
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>Since <code>msimtf.dll</code> and <code>msctf.dll</code> are related to the language bar service, I tried enabling those using <code>regsvr32</code>.  Although they were successfully loaded, it did not have any effect on the language bar.  I even tried to execute <code>ctfmon.exe</code> at the command prompt!  It still did not activate the language bar like it is supposed to according to many of the forums I visited relating to this problem.</p>
  
  <p>Short of reinstalling Microsoft Office and/or reinstalling Windows 7 Professional, any advise/suggestions on how to resolve this problem would be appreciated.</p>