mixed up keyboard...

[mickey]

The keys on my keyboard have somehow become mixed up, for example I hit the key for speech marks and instead get the '@' sign, and vice-versa. Can anyone please tell me how to change the keyboard set-up.

I'm running Windows ME, with a restore disk, I have tried restoring the computer a couple of times but this has made no difference.

[ktkendall]

Have U changed out the keyboard?? What do U mean by speech marks????
There are keyboard settings found in ControlPanel>Keyboard,, check in there to be sure all is well....

[GaryRouth]

Hi all

I'll guess that by "speech marks" you are referring to "quotation marks" (like those around the phrases I've just referred to). I'll also guess that's something from British English we don't always hear in the States.

Kt told you about the Keyboard applet in the Control Panel - that's where you can select which language your keyboard refers to. If somehow that's been switched, that would assign the keys differently.

You could look in quickly at Device Manager/Keyboard, too, and see if it lists as a Standard 101/102 keyboard or not.

There's also a program that's not used much, called "Character Map", over in Start/Programs/Accessories/System Tools, that let's you assign certain values to keys and key combinations. If someone else shares your computer with you & was playing with that program, that could do it.

There are also viruses that like to do odd things like this, so you might want to try a full scan, and perhaps also an online stop at TrendMicro's free online scanner: HouseCall http://www.trendmicro.com Sometimes HouseCall will catch things your regular antivirus misses, partly because HouseCall is up-to-the-minute up-to-date.

A few other things: if you have a "multimedia" keyboard, these often have specialized drivers for all those extra buttons. You can try uninstalling it & trying a generic keyboard while troubleshooting. If all is suddenly well, then try reinstalling your multimedia keyboard. {Same goes for a wireless setup].

And of course before pulling your hair out, try a few different keyboards, it could be something amiss in the keyboard itself.
_____________
You mentioned you used a "Restore Disk". So you didn't use WinMe's "System Restore" function, but a cd-disk from your system builder or major vendor? Is this the original keyboard that came with the system? ---If you think it's mixed-up keyboard drivers, go into Safe Mode & remove them all & reinstall it from scratch.

Best of luck
. . . Gary

[mike breck]

Go to Control Panel>Keyboard>Language Tab and make sure the Keyboard is set to British English.

See if that helps.

[mickey]

Thanks for your replies...

Re: Your idea about the keyboard applet in Control Panel, I have looked here and it is set to...Default Language: En English(United States) Layout: United States 101

when I try to change the layout to British it chucks up this message....
'The file 'kbduk.kbd' was not found.' and proceeds to tell me that 'Windows needs the Windows Millennium Edition to continue' It says that it's trying to copy the files from c:\Intel\DslSetup\Netcab98 (obviously this doesn't exit).

Problem is, I don't have a Windows Millennium disk only the windows Restore disk that I got from the vendor. In answer to your question I have not changed keyboards and I have tried both using the restore function on the computer and using the restore disk to solve this problem neither worked.

Although I don't have a multimedia keyboard, I might try wiping the driver for the keyboard and then reloading it? (That's if I have a driver for the keyboard. I'm not sure that I do.) otherwise I will try to change the keyboard. Unless someone has any other ideas...

[mike breck]

Check in Control Panel>Regional Settings that your system is set for English (United Kingdom).

If the worse comes to the worse, then you can copy the file from someone else's PC. It resides in C:\Windows\System.

Just copy it to floppy and then paste it into C:\Windows\System.

HTH

[ktkendall]

Before U spend all kind of time and energy, try a different keyboard, my instinct says it's keyboard gone bad, but if not then at least U will have eliminated the obvious first...

[mickey]

Thanks everyone...

After months of discomfort my keyboard is working fine now. Mike, took your advice and checked in the 'SYSTEM' folder and the file was there. Problem Solved, My only regret is that I didn't ask sooner! Thanks again

[mike breck]

Glad to hear it worked.

How did you get Windows to find it this time?

[mickey]

I went straight to the folder that you suggested, and there it was hiding. So I was then able to point the program that was searching for it in the right direction.

I only say hiding as I had previously done a search in find on the C:/ drive for that specific file, so I don't know why it didn't pick it up then.