Enabling the Shift Lock Feature on Windows NT 4.0

ID: Q174543

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Windows NT Workstation version 4.0
Microsoft Windows NT Server version 4.0
Microsoft Windows NT Server version 4.0, Terminal Server Edition

IMPORTANT: This article contains information about editing the registry. Before you edit the registry, make sure you understand how to restore it if a problem occurs. For information about how to do this, view the "Restoring the Registry" Help topic in Regedit.exe or the "Restoring a Registry Key" Help topic in Regedt32.exe.

SYMPTOMS

The Shift Lock keyboard feature is not available by default in Windows NT 4.0.

The Shift Lock key is a key similar to Caps Lock key. If the keyboard layout has a Shift Lock key instead of a Caps Lock key, capitalization can only be turned on by pressing the Shift Lock key; capitalization can only be turned off by pressing one of the Shift keys. This is the manual typewriter functionality that Windows 95, Windows 3.1/3.11 and MS-DOS implement in the French, German, and Belgian keyboard layouts.

With Windows NT 4.0 prior to Service Pack 4, the Shift Lock key turns on capitalization; however, pressing the Shift key does not turn it off. With Service Pack 4, the Shift key can now be used to turn capitalization off.

RESOLUTION

To resolve this problem, obtain the latest service pack for Windows NT 4.0 or Windows NT Server 4.0, Terminal Server Edition. For additional information, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q152734 How to Obtain the Latest Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack

NOTE: If this product was already installed on your computer when you purchased it from the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) and you need this fix, please call the Pay Per Incident number listed on the above Web site. If you contact Microsoft to obtain this fix, and if it is determined that you only require the fix you requested, no fee will be charged. However, if you request additional technical support, and if your no-charge technical support period has expired, or if you are not eligible for standard no-charge technical support, you may be charged a non-refundable fee.

For more information about eligibility for no-charge technical support, see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q154871 Determining If You Are Eligible for No-Charge Technical Support

WARNING: Using Registry Editor incorrectly can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that problems resulting from the incorrect use of Registry Editor can be solved. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

For information about how to edit the registry, view the "Changing Keys and Values" Help topic in Registry Editor (Regedit.exe) or the "Add and Delete Information in the Registry" and "Edit Registry Data" Help topics in Regedt32.exe. Note that you should back up the registry before you edit it. If you are running Windows NT, you should also update your Emergency Repair Disk (ERD).

In addition to applying the service pack above, make the following registry change:

Start Registry Editor (Regedt32.exe).

Go to the following key in the registry:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control \Keyboard Layouts\xxxxxxxx
Where xxxxxxxx is one of the existing the keyboard layout identifiers (for example, 0000040C is the French keyboard Layout).

On the Edit menu, click Add and type the following value:
```
  Attributes DWORD  0x00010000 
```

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Windows NT 4.0 and Windows NT Server 4.0, Terminal Server Edition. This problem was first corrected in Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 4.0 and Windows NT Server 4.0, Terminal Server Edition Service Pack 4.

Additional query words: localized international intl shift-lock capslock caps-lock

Keywords : NT4SP4Fix kbbug4.00 kbfix4.00.sp4 NTSrvWkst
Version : WinNT:4.0
Platform : winnt
Issue type : kbbug