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MS-Windows Troubleshooting

Wrong Keyboard Layout at Logon

Symptom:

When trying to log on to a workstation, the keyboard layout is wrong. For example English-American rather than English-UK, even though it is correct after login.

Note: If you get the wrong keyboard layout AFTER logon, then this is most likely caused by the wrong keyboard settings (look under regional settings in control panel).

Possible Causes and Remedies:

• Check that the desired keyboard layout has actually been loaded and is the default keyboard layout.

1. Open up the keyboard settings (Start > Control Panel, double click on ‘Keyboard’)

2. Select the ‘Input Locales’ tab.

3. Check that the desired keyboard layout is shown in the list of ‘Input locales’ and that it is selected as the default input locale. If it is missing then add it.

• It may be that the wrong ‘default’ keyboard setting is held in the registry. (The current user profile may contain the correct keyboard layout, but the default user profile contains the previous keyboard layout and it is this that is being used at logon.) To correct the problem:

1. Run registry editor (regedt32)

2. Find the registry key ‘HKEY_USERS\ .DEFAULT\ Keyboard Layout\ Preload’

3. The key-value ‘1’ specifies the keyboard layout used at login (strictly it is the LCID - that specifies the locale). Other key values (i.e. ‘2’, ‘3’ etc) specify other keyboard layouts that are loaded and should therefore be available. Possible values that I am aware of are:

For a more comprehensive list please follow this link to the Windows Locale Table.

4. Change the value to one of the above as and if necessary.

These notes have been tested with Windows NT4.

I am told that they also work with XP.