[XDA Assist] VladimirZed:
Hello all.

I've searched these forums for a bit now, looking for someone in a similar situation; after around 10 pages of 'wrong country' and a loooot of Googling, I can't seem to identify the issue I'm having.

The problem is as follows: I own a Galaxy Express 2 (a rather unpopular device judging by what I've seen across the Interwebs). It came with a stock 4.2.2 ROM when I bought it some time ago. It was rooted within a couple of days - no problems whatsoever. Then the 4.4.2 update came out and I downloaded and subsequently flashed (via ODIN) the one for Vodafone Spain (as it was the only currently available ROM that was Kit Kat). I had noticed a few problems: certain items like LED flashing as notification in Accesibility settings were missing, others didn't work (Smart stay, tap to answer). Not really a problem, but it did raise a red flag. No other problems with the ROM itself, it was very stable.

Attempting to correct this issue, I had flashed 4.4.2 meant for Vodafone Romania (the carrier for where I live seemed the most obvious choice, I was hoping the aforementioned settings might work). They still did not. A few days ago, I got a rather annoying problem where Play Store would crash every single time it attempted to update any app. Naturally, I googled a few fixes, tried those, nothing worked. I had pondered flashing a recent Google Apps pack (like the ones you'd get when flashing CM), but was unsure if I'd do more damage - figured they might not play well if flashed forcefully over the pre-existing stock apps.

I then flashed CM (the release available for Galaxy Express 2, just out of curiosity, and Google Play worked flawlessly, even when updated to the latest version).

TL;DR: Stock 4.2.2 -> Stock 4.4.2 (Spain) (first language appeared as spanish) -> Stock 4.4.2 (Romania) (first language appeared as croatian) -> CM build currently out for Express 2 -> Emergency recovery via KIES 3 flashed another 4.4.2 it seems (but also loaded in Croatian)

The issues I'm currently having:

1) Ever since the Romania Vodafone 4.4.2 install (that would be the second stock ROM I've flashed), the first language I encounter is Croatian and it installs typical bloatware in another language (which I would also imagine would lead me to download incorrect applications from the Market, so I figure if I fix the phone's localization problem, the market will follow)

2) Ghost tapping on the keyboard (not noticed before, was not present on CM, hence I've ruled out a hardware issue, or on any installation previous to CM)

I have tried various fixes: via CWM recovery, tried wiping data/cache/dalvik, formatting /system and /boot before flashing a 4.4.2 for Romania (still loaded in Croatian), via ODIN. I'm fairly certain there's something residual I've mucked up on my phone, because the device identification when I connect it to my laptop via USB is from the previous install (now it has a different name).

IMEI number is fine (read about potential corruption of EFS). Currently, I was going to attempt flashing the stock ROM (4.2.2) from Sammobile, but after so many attempts (and hairs pulled out), I'm not holding out hope that that will fix it.

CSC is fine (correctly identified as CNX, which is the appropriate code for Vodafone, Romania), as confirmed by connecting to KIES.

Eventually, I would like to have 4.4.2 on it, if at all possible. I have a basic understanding of these things - but I can't understand why the phone would be fooled into thinking it's in another country. My assumption is that such information is stored somewhere that isn't wiped between flashing.

Really clueless at the mo'. I wanna try flashing stock, but I fear doing so will fix nothing, and my last hair will fall out - I feel that the problem would affect all installations.

(I wouldn't mind using CM, but it's a big buggy, and I need stability above all else).