Adding Input Locales

Input locale refers to the language that is active for a user's keyboard. This parameter is set and detected for each individual's user profile. Some languages support several different locales. For example, French has locale settings for a variety of countries or regions from Switzerland to Canada. Canada supports more than one keyboard layout. Follow these steps to add input locales.

Windows 95 or 98:

You can expand the list of available input locales to include several Eastern European language groups. These language groups are already included on Windows NT 4.0.

To expand the default input locales list on Windows 95 or 98

  1. Open Control Panel and double-click Add/Remove Programs.
  2. Select the Windows Setup tab.
  3. Select the check box for Multilanguage Support.
  4. Click the Details button if you want to modify or verify the languages that will be added.
  5. Restart your computer when prompted.

To add to the input locales list on Windows 95 or 98

  1. Open Control Panel and double-click Keyboard.
  2. Click the Language tab. Proceed to step 3 below.

Windows NT 4.0:

To add input locales on Windows NT 4.0

  1. Open Control Panel and double-click Regional Settings. The Regional Settings Properties box will appear.
  2. Click the Input Locales tab.
  3. If you do not see the locale listed in the Input Locales list box, click the Add button.
  4. Add the desired input locale. (If you will use an alternative keyboard for the input locale you have chosen, such as French [Canadian], click Properties to change the Keyboard layout to the appropriate keyboard.
  5. On the Add Input Locale dialog box, click OK.
  6. Continue steps 2 and 3 until you have added all the input locales that you need, for example, Afrikaans, Russian, Italian, Greek, and German (Standard).
  7. To set a default input locale, click the desired locale in the Input language list box and then click the Set as Default button.
  8. At the bottom of the Regional Settings Properties box, click Apply.

Note that these steps do not require a reboot.

Note After you have added input locales, an input locale icon will appear on the right side of the Desktop taskbar. The icon that appears will be for the default input locale. If you have added input locales and designated a different input locale as the default, the icon will change to the new default input locale as soon as you open an application.