Customizing Windows or Windows NT

See Also

Note   The information in this section applies only to users who purchased Windows or Windows NT in the United States. If you purchased Windows or Windows NT outside the United States, your Windows package contains a subsidiary information card listing Microsoft Support Services telephone numbers and addresses. You can contact your subsidiary to find out whether the type of products and services described in this Help file are available in your area.

There are many ways you can customize Windows or Windows NT to make your computer more accessible.

• Beginning with Windows 95, accessibility features are built into Windows. These features are useful for individuals who have difficulty typing or using a mouse, have moderately impaired vision, or who are deaf or hard-of-hearing. The features can be installed during Setup, or you can add them later from your Windows 95 installation disks. Look up "accessibility" in the Windows Help Index for information about installing and using these features.
  
  
• Many of the features that make Windows 95 more accessible can be added to Windows NT, earlier versions of Microsoft Windows, and MS-DOS through Access Packs. You can download these files by modem, or you can order them on disks from Microsoft.
  
  
• You can also use Control Panel and other built-in features to adjust the appearance and behavior of Windows or Windows NT to suit varying vision and motor abilities. These include adjusting colors and sizes, sound volume, and the behavior of the mouse and keyboard.
  
  
• Dvorak keyboard layouts make the most frequently typed characters on a keyboard more accessible if you have difficulty using the standard "QWERTY" layout. There are three Dvorak layouts: one if you are a two-handed user, one if you type with your left hand only, and one if you type with your right hand only. You do not need to purchase any special equipment to use these features.

The specific features available, and whether they are built in or must be obtained separately, depend on which operating system you are using.

For full documentation on the accessibility features available in the operating system you are using, obtain the appropriate application notes from the following list. Accessibility features are also documented in the Microsoft Windows 95 Resource Kit and the Microsoft Windows NT Resource Kit.

Which Files to Download or Order

You can obtain these files by downloading them with your modem, or you can order them on disks by telephone. Specific information about downloading or ordering these files immediately follows this list.

These files include:

• Application notes providing more complete documentation on ways to customize Windows and Windows NT.
  
  
• Access Packs and Dvorak keyboard layouts providing additional features for versions of Windows or Windows NT in which they are not already included.

To Download the Access Packs, Application Notes, and Alternative Keyboard Layouts by Modem

If you have a modem, you can download these files from the following network services:

• The Microsoft World Wide Web site on the Internet. At http://www.microsoft.com, click Support. Click Knowledge Base, and select MS-DOS as the product. Enter KBFILE GA0650.EXE, and click GO! Open the article, and click the button to download the file.
  
  
• The Microsoft Internet server, ftp://ftp.microsoft.com, in /softlib/mslfiles.
  
  
• MSN™, the Microsoft Network online service.
  
  
• CompuServe®. Type GO MSL.
  
  
• Genie®.
  
  
• Microsoft Download Service (MSDL), which you can reach by calling (425) 936-6735 any time except between 1:00 A.M. and 2:30 A.M. Pacific time. MSDL supports 1200, 2400, 9600, 14,400, or 28,800 baud (V.32 and V.42), with 8 data bits, no parity, and 1 stop bit.
  
  
• Various user-group bulletin boards (such as the bulletin-board services on the Association of PC User Groups network).