Keyboard Problems

[BigE]

I installed Windows XP Japanese SP3 on my girlfriend's computer. During the
installation, I chose the English 101/102 keyboard option (press the space
bar), because she has an English 101 keyboard attached to it. Windows had no
problem with the keyboard, and she was able to type all her text in Japanese
using the English keyboard.

Somehow that changed tonight. When she was using Japanese IME to type,
Windows somehow switches her keyboard layout to Japanese. Because some of
the keys are different on Japanese keyboards, she is unable to find them.
She has to press every SHIFT+ combination to find some of the characters.
For example, on Japanese keyboards, the "@" symbol is located where the "["
symbol is on English keyboards.

Now the funny part is that when she switches from Japanese to English, the
keyboard layout switches also and all the keys are "normal" again.

Is there a way to force Windows to stop this switch and to leave the
keyboard layout as 101/102 layout when my wife switches to Japanese?

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

I installed Windows XP Japanese SP3 on my girlfriend's computer. During
the
installation, I chose the English 101/102 keyboard option (press the space
bar), because she has an English 101 keyboard attached to it. Windows had
no
problem with the keyboard, and she was able to type all her text in
Japanese
using the English keyboard.

Somehow that changed tonight. When she was using Japanese IME to type,
Windows somehow switches her keyboard layout to Japanese. Because some of
the keys are different on Japanese keyboards, she is unable to find them.
She has to press every SHIFT+ combination to find some of the characters.
For example, on Japanese keyboards, the "@" symbol is located where the
"["
symbol is on English keyboards.

Now the funny part is that when she switches from Japanese to English, the
keyboard layout switches also and all the keys are "normal" again.

Is there a way to force Windows to stop this switch and to leave the
keyboard layout as 101/102 layout when my wife switches to Japanese?

Check the settings in Control Panel / Regional and Language Options /
Languages / Details.

 

[yahaadu]

Hi! Long time coming but I was asking myself the same question:

Is there a way to force Windows to stop this switch and to leave the keyboard layout when you switch input language?

The short answer is YES. And the long answer comes here:

The problem really, is with how XP adds new languages: when you add a language, you also get that languages keyboard layout as the default, completely never mind that you do have a keyboard layout already(duh), as if somehow you want to add A KEYBOARD(!) and not just a language.

So lots of people like U and me, who doesn't have the time to reflect over stupid defaults until we run into trouble, have done just that: ran into trouble.

HERE'S HOW IT WORKS: Every language have ONE keyboard layout connected to it - by DEFAULT.
BUT KEYBOARD LAYOUTS CAN BE ADDED. AND KEYBOARD LAYOUTS CAN BE REMOVED.

What I didn't get - and what many people besides me doesn't get - is that just because I have my native keyboard layout available in my native language, I DON'T necessarily have it IN OTHER LANGUAGES. UNLESS I CHANGE THE DEFAULT WHEN I ADD THE LANGUAGE. OR ADD MY NATIVE KEYBOARD LAYOUT TO THE OTHER LANGUAGES AFTERWARDS.

Another thing that sends people into conundrum is that if an input language has ONLY ONE KEYBOARD LAYOUT and that keyboard layout is removed, then the input language goes bye bye along with it. And that's what made me realize that INPUT LANGUAGES AND KEYBOARD LAYOUTS ARE TREATED AS UNITS AND NOT SEPARATE ENTITIES. If you for one reason or another, opt to keep more than one keyboard layout in an input language, then by design every time you switch to that input language, XP looks for the associated default keyboard layout and if installed, switches to it. BUT: if you switch to the keyboard layout you prefer, XP WILL REMEMBER YOUR PREFERENCE. There is however one exception: if you have a SECONDARY input language active, and in that language SWITCH to the DEFAULT keyboard layout of the DEFAULT INPUT LANGUAGE, and then switch to that DEFAULT INPUT LANGUAGE, then XP does NOT switch to your preferred keyboard layout but in stead, keep the DEFAULT keyboard layout, if available for that input language.

Did you get that? Here's how it works: You begin with English and Japanese input languages, each with their own keyboard layout. If you have an english keyboard, add it's layout to the japanese input language. And if you have a japanese keyboard, add it's layout to the english input language. Then if you have no need for the other keyboard layout, REMOVE IT FROM BOTH INPUT LANGUAGES. Problem solved.

But if you, like me, want to keep the foreign keyboard layout(for me, english is foreign and sometimes my programs doesn't work the same with my native keyboard layout so I may want to switch to the english keyboard layout temporarily), this is how it works:

1. In English = DEFAULT input language, you can switch to Japanese keyboard layout. Then you can switch to other input languages, but when you return to english, XP will remember your preference and switch to the japanese keyboard layout again.

2. Should you however, (a) in ANOTHER input language than your default(english) e.g in the japanese input language, (b) SWITCH to the DEFAULT keyboard layout(english) of the DEFAULT INPUT LANGUAGE(english), and IMMEDIATELY thereafter, switch to that DEFAULT INPUT LANGUAGE(english), then XP does NOT switch to your preferred keyboard layout(japanese) but in stead, keep the DEFAULT keyboard layout(english), if available for that input language(english).

BTW: It's funny how that old mantra "it's the wrong default value" keeps coming back, again and again. It's as old as the PC, well, as old as the computing device really, and it never gets old

PHEW! That's all folks!