How to type international characters with a US keyboard (Part 4 and last)

Do you miss writing international characters such as ñ or ü just because your computer has an US keyboard? Do you have to use those pesky and awkward Alt-number combinations? Then this article series is for you. In our first article you will set up your keyboard to more intuitively write international characters. In our second article you will then learn how to use it. In our third article you will understand some of the quirks and how to deal with them. And, In this our fourth and last article you will learn how to put your keyboard back to its default operation. Why? Because, among other situations, your friends may not appreciate what you did with their keyboards...

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Things You’ll Need:

• Computer running Windows XP Professional, with keyboard layout set to United States-International according to our Part 1 (see references).
• Complete the steps on Section 1 above.

Navigate to where you will change your keyboard layout

1. Close all your applications, so your desktop (and taskbar) is clean.
   Opened applications will interfere with your keyboard layout change.
2. Click the Start button, on the lower left-hand side of your screen.
   A window will come up.
3. On the middle right half, click Control Panel.
   This Start window will close up, and the Control Panel window will come up instead.
4. Depending on whether Control Panel has been customized or not, you may have a different set of icons:
   
   If your window has the phrase Pick a Category, then it is in Category View.
   Click the icon Date, Time, Language, and Regional Options.
   The contents will change, and the window title will change to (predictably) Date, Time, Language, and Regional Options.
   Click the task Add other languages, and go to our next step.
   
   If your window has the phrase Pick a Category, then it is in Classic View.
   Double click the icon Regional and Language Options. The window Regional and Language Options will open up.
   On the top, there are 3 tabs. Click Languages and continue to our next step.
5. On the upper section (Text services and input languages), click the Details.... button.
   The window Text Services and Input Languages will come up after a brief delay.
6. On the center section (Installed Services) click the Add... button.
   The window Add Input Language will come up.
   
   In our next section, you will change your keyboard layout.

Add and select the United States-International keyboard layout as your new layout

7. In the Add Input Language window, ensure that Input Language is English (United States), and then click the Keyboard layout/IME checkbox.
   The rectangle below (Keyboard Layout/IME) will be enabled (technically, it is called the combo box)
8. Click the down arrow located at the end of this combo box.
   A list will come up.
9. Choose US as the keyboard layout, and click OK.
   The window Add Input Language will close, and you will be back to the window Text Services and Input Languages.
   
   At this point, you will have two keyboard layouts to choose from.
10. On the Text Services and Input Languages window there is a section on the top called Default Input Language. It has a combo box that should read English (United States) - United States-International. Click at the right end.
    Two choices will now come up. One of them is English (United States) - US. Click it.
    The combo box will close with the choice English (United States) - US.
11. Click the Apply button, at the lower right corner of this window (Text Services and Input Languages)
    The keyboard layout at the Installed Services section will have the selection US (under Keyboard) in bold.
    
    If an extra toolbar also shows up in the taskbar or elsewhere in the screen, ignore it for now. It will go away when you are finished.
12. To avoid issues, you will now erase the United States-International keyboard layout, so there is only one selection under Keyboard in the Installed Services section.
    
    Under Keyboard, click United States-International so it is selected. It is just above US. Click the button Remove, to the right.
    United States-International will be removed from under Keyboard, and only US will be left.
13. Click the OK button, on the lower center of the Text Services and Input Languages window.
    The window Text Services and Input Languages will now close. Also, the extra toolbar, called Language Toolbar, will disappear.
    
    You can proceed to close the rest of the opened windows (Regional and Language Options and others) until your taskbar is clean.
    
    You are now done changing your keyboard back to normal.

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