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Resolved Help needed with Registry edit - choice of keyboard

Discussion in 'Windows XP' started by kosketus, 2012/09/13.

  1. 2012/09/13
    kosketus

    kosketus Inactive Thread Starter

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    In the process of reinstalling XP I've somehow managed to garble my selection of alternative keyboard layout, and Windows doesn't appear to offer any way to correct it.

    I therefore assume that only a Registry edit will fix this, but I'm far too unskilled to attempt that without having my hand held.

    The problem:-

    Control Panel -> Regional and language options -> Languages tab
    -> 'Text services and input languages' panel: clicking on 'Details' button brings up
    'Text Services and Input Languages' dialogue box

    -> Settings tab, 'Default input language' panel, drop-down box for selecting input langage.

    Due to whatever it was I messed-up when reinstalling, this now offers me two choices:-
    1. "English (United Kingdom) - United Kingdom "
    2. "Swedish - United Kingdom" (sic)
    The last part relates to respective choice of keyboard layout.

    When having initially selected 1. and as a result got in the 'Installed services' panel "English (United Kingdom)" as language and "United Kingdom" as keyboard, I then go on to bring up the 'Add Input Language' dialogue box and select 'Swedish', the drop-down selection of keyboard layouts for that language does not include a Swedish layout but only (disregarding the default US keyboard layouts) the same United Kingdom one as is offered in conjunction with English (UK) as input language.

    The UK keyboard layout lacks the extra letters in the Swedish alphabet, so I end up with a useless alternative selection.

    Can somebody who knows about these things please either give me a step-by-step path for editing the Registry or (if there's any other way to change the behaviour) guide me accordingly?
     
  2. 2012/09/13
    Steve R Jones

    Steve R Jones SuperGeek Staff

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    Has changing to Swedish worked in the past?


    Download languages for Windows-Get languages for Windows XP
    http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/downloads/languages-xp


    Unfortunately, within the link above and clicking on Swedish it says:

    Multilingual User Interface (MUI) packs for Windows XP, which provide fully translated versions of Windows in 24 languages, are only available for download or for sale to companies that are part of a volume licensing program or who have Select and Enterprise agreements.
     

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  4. 2012/09/13
    kosketus

    kosketus Inactive Thread Starter

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    Hi Steve

    Yes, always. It doesn't require any other language than English as the 'version' native language. It's just that I cocked-up the installation this time around.
     
  5. 2012/09/13
    Arie

    Arie Administrator Administrator Staff

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    When in the Regional and Language Options click Details under Text Services and Input Languages. Next to the Installed services click the Add button and add you language.
     
    Arie,
    #4
  6. 2012/09/13
    kosketus

    kosketus Inactive Thread Starter

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    Arie

    It seems I haven't explained clearly enough.

    What you describe is the process I've always followed hitherto, and it's entirely straightforward. Unfortunately, due to something I inadvertently changed during Windows Setup, it doesn't work like that any more. Instead it behaves as I've tried (and failed?) to describe in my post.

    EDIT

    It's not the selection of the language (Swedish in my case) that's the problem. The problem is how to (re-)gain access to the choice of a Swedish keyboard layout - which choice has vanished during the reinstall of XP.
     
    Last edited: 2012/09/13
  7. 2012/09/13
    Arie

    Arie Administrator Administrator Staff

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    Did you install Windows XP from an nLite disk or other type of automated or scripted install? That's usually the cause of missing entries in this drop down list.

    I'm thinking that what you are trying to say is that you have no additional languages to add if you click the Add button next to Installed services.
     
    Arie,
    #6
  8. 2012/09/13
    kosketus

    kosketus Inactive Thread Starter

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    I used nLite.

    Not quite, no. I'm struggling to convey the distinction - which Windows makes - between choice of input language and choice of keyboard layout to go with each input language chosen.

    Do you, or others, have a problem with that distinction (which to me seems crystal-clear)? I'm not being prevented from choosing a second input language (Swedish), but I am being prevented from choosing a Swedish keyboard layout to go with it.

    You may be correct in assuming that my problem has stemmed from a (mis-)use of nLite. Whatever, I posted here on the assumption that a Registry edit could cure it.

    Is that not the case?
     
  9. 2012/09/14
    Arie

    Arie Administrator Administrator Staff

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    At least we know the source of the problem.

    No. My research indicates you need both the registry branch [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Keyboard Layouts] and the keyboard DLL kbdru1.dll (in the \System32 directory)
     
    Arie,
    #8
  10. 2012/09/14
    kosketus

    kosketus Inactive Thread Starter

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    I have this. The sole value name is 'Default' and value data is 'value not set'
    I don't have this (I have only kbduk.dll and kbdus.dll. That fits precisely the behaviour I'm experiencing).

    I understand you to be saying that this situation is not remediable (short of another reinstall, of course)?

    EDIT
    Arie, did you really mean kbdru? I'd have guessed that that would be for a Russian keyboard (a Swedish one might be "*se "...?)
     
    Last edited: 2012/09/14
  11. 2012/09/14
    Arie

    Arie Administrator Administrator Staff

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    Meaning you don't have it. The correct key contains a gazillion sub-keys (with layouts) and is 38 Kb of text. I'll attach a copy.

    My mistake. You'll indeed need a kbdxx file, where xx is the language you want.

    You should have a Windows XP source CD you used to make the nLite disk with, so you could extract the file from there (or try a friends CD).

    We can't make the dll available for you.
     

    Attached Files:

  12. 2012/09/15
    kosketus

    kosketus Inactive Thread Starter

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    Hi Arie

    Most instructive. Thanks.

    But this is where we get to the hand-holding bit I mentioned in my opening post!

    I've navigated in Registry to the 'Keyboard layouts' key and have added as a new sub-key the number appearing for Swedish in the list you attached (0000041d). But I have no idea what to do next. In your list, the following appears under Swedish:-

    "Layout Text "= "Swedish "
    "Layout Display Name "= "@%SystemRoot%\\system32\\input.dll,-5022 "
    "Layout File "= "KBDSW.DLL "
    After googling yesterday I already downloaded and loaded this .dll into my System32 folder. What else do I need to do please?

    EDIT
    Hold fire - I think I've just figured it out.

    Will report again shortly.
     
  13. 2012/09/15
    kosketus

    kosketus Inactive Thread Starter

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    OK - I figured it out. Registry-entry now conforms to that stipulated.

    So I'll mark this thread as 'resolved'. Thanks very much for your help.

    (Some niggles persist, but don't detract from the foregoing. I think I'll ditch the .dll I downloaded from the net and instead copy it from the Windows CD as you suggested).
     
  14. 2012/09/15
    Arie

    Arie Administrator Administrator Staff

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    Yea, I would use a dll from a CD rather then downloaded from an unverified source.

    As for the registry entry, you could just rename the attached KBLayouts.txt to KBLayouts.reg and import that in your registry.

    Now since you don't have all the layout files, you could just delete all except

     
  15. 2012/09/15
    kosketus

    kosketus Inactive Thread Starter

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    Yes, a more elegant way.

    That's the difference between a pro and an amateur!
     

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