On Sat, 05 Jun 2010 03:35:52 -0500,
blacksmith@none.com wrote:
> On Sat, 5 Jun 2010 09:10:30 +0100, "Smirnoff"
> wrote:
>
> >XP Pro, SP3
> >
> >A friend who is new to computers was puzzled that he couldn't access the @
> >sign and kept getting " instead.
> >
> >I explained that he had his comp configured for a US keyboard.
> >
> >Went into Regional Settings but found there was not a UK option for Input
> >Language or keyboard layout.
> >
> >Have done a bit of Googling but the only solutions I can find involve some
> >kind of registry hack.
> >
> >Tried MS Knowledge Base but nothing obvious there.
> >
> >Is there a site that simply allows you to download and install a UK keyboard
> >layout driver?
>
> HUH? Dont they speak English in the UK? How can a key LABELED AS @
> give a " when it's pressed?
What *any* key produces when pressed is a function of the software you
have running, and it can all be changed. For example, you can have a
regular English QWERTYUIOP keyboard work as a Dvorak English keyboard
or work as a French keyboard, etc.
It's a very common problem that someone has a US keyboard but is
running it as a UK keyboard, or vice-versa.
Smirnoff says he couldn't find the choice of a UK keyboard setting,
but almost certainly he just did something wrong in looking for it.
It's there.
> This dont make sense, unless the
> keyboards are labeled differently in the UK.
Yes they are, but that's not relevant.
> (in that case, just get
> a US keyboard
To most typists, what it says on the key is hardly significant. They
are touch typists--their fingers know how to type and what key they
press isn't determined by looking at the keys
> -OR- You do know the key caps can be removed and swapped
> around.
The issue here is what character is produced when you hold down Shift
and press 2. Besides what I said above, changing keys can't possibly
help with this.
> Maybe someone is playing a prank on you too?
No way. This is very simply the difference between US and UK settings.
> Check to be
> sure the keys are labeled correctly.
>
> If this dont solve it, I'm clueless what your problem is. When you
> press a key labeled @ it should type a @.
Again, that is *not* correct.
--
Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP (Windows Desktop Experience) since 2003
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