Unwanted Keyboard Configuration Change

Peter wrote about a problem he was having with his keyboard. He figures that he must have pressed a wrong key combination, because suddenly the mapping of characters on the keyboard has changed. For example, pressing ~ results in a question mark, and the question mark became something else. Peter was wondering how to get his keyboard back to normal.

There are several things to check in relation to this problem. It could be that the issue isn't related to Windows at all, but to the type of keyboard you are using. Some keyboards allow you to reprogram the keyboard's keys. (Many computer manufacturers these days ship systems that have programmable keyboards.) If you press a certain sequence of keys, then you can remap the purpose of different keys. If you think this may be the problem, refer to the documentation that was provided with your keyboard to learn how to undo the inadvertent mappings. (You can also visit the manufacturer's Web site for the requisite information.)

Turning toward possible causes within Windows, it is possible that you have your system configured to use different language layouts for the keyboard. Windows is very flexible in this area, allowing you to set up several different layouts and then switch between them with a quick keystroke. (If the mapping problem happens in more programs than just Word, then this is likely the culprit.)

Exactly how you change the language setting for the keyboard differs based on the version of Windows you are using. In some versions, you open the Control Panel and double-click the Keyboard applet. Then, on the Language tab you click the Properties button and change the keyboard to US. In other versions you can open the Regional Options applet from the Control Panel, then use the Input Locales tab to specify the country/region that Windows should use for a keyboard layout.

In Windows XP, you double-click the Regional and Language Options applet in the Control Panel, then choose the Languages tab. Then, click Details to display the Text Services and Input Languages dialog box, where you can specify the keyboard layout to use. In the Installed Services area of the dialog, make sure that the US keyboard is loaded and set as the default.

In Windows Vista you display the Control Panel and then click the Change Keyboards or Other Input Methods link (under the Clock, Language, and Region heading). Windows displays the Regional and Language Options dialog box. You can use the tabs and controls in the dialog box to specify the keyboard layout to use.

If the problem happens only in Word, then it may be due to a startup macro reconfiguring the program, or to an aberrant add-in running amok. You should check your add-ins and macros to disable them, then try starting to see if the problem goes away.