installing urdu phonetic keyboard

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Phonetic Keyboard Layout For Windows 2000/XP

Downloads

Please read the Instructions below on how to install the Keyboard Layout files.

Self-Installing Windows Installation File RAR (Recommended)(15.4 KB)

Self-Installing Windows Installation File Zip (Recommended) (16.1 KB)

Self-extracting zip (46.5 KB)

Zip file (8.52 KB)Keyboard Layout Manager File for Phonetic Urdu Layout (For Editing the Layout) - (2.12 KB)

Introduction

I am a relatively new user of Windows 2000/XP. It was the first Windows operating system (Linux Users: Been there done that!) that I had heard of

which had Urdu support. I was thus quite excited to start using Windows native support of Urdu. However there was one thing that irked me. Windows default Urdu keyboard layout is hideous I must say. I know that it is used by some professionals but far and large the majority of Urdu

software users use and prefer the phonetic keyboard layout in one form or another. It would have been nice if Microsoft had allowed users the option

to customise the keyboard layout to their own preferences.

However Windows XP/2000 provides its keyboards in the DLL (Dynamic Linked Library) file format which basically means they are compiled files which

cannot be modified by the end-user. I decided there must be some way to modify the keyboard layout. Initial research was gloomy to say the very

least :( There were keyboard creators which I had previously heard of but none of them were compatible with Windows 2000 or Xp so were pretty much

useless :(

However I found a software package called Keyboard Layout Manager which did exactly what I wanted and voila a few hours later I managed to

produce a Phonetic Urdu Keyboard Layout for Windows XP/2000.

The keyboard uses the following layout. For sake of comparison the normal keyboard layout is also shown.

Urdu Phonetic Keyboard Layout (Lowercase)

Urdu Phonetic Keyboard Layout (Uppercase)

Normal Keyboard Layout

When typing please note that to type yeh please use i (lowercase i) unless you need yeh at the end of a word. In that case use I (Uppercase i) this is

Installing Urdu Phonetic Keyboard Layout in Windows XP/2000 http://meltingpot.fortunecity.com/mlk/470/urdu_phonetic_keyboard.htm

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because for some reason Microsoft thinks that the urdu style yeh (Arabic yeh is the one with two nukteys below it) can only occur at the end of a word.

Don't ask me why. I don't know.

In case anyone wants to use the program to modify my layout and would like a copy of the layout I created they can download it here -> KeyboardLayout Manager File for Phonetic Urdu Layout

Setting Up Your System For Urdu

Before we can install the keyboard you must install Urdu Support on it. Please do the following

Open "Regional and Language Options" from control panel OR from start menu -> Run "intl.cpl".1.

Choose Language tab.2.

Check the "Install files for Complex Script and right-to-left languages (Including Thai)".3.

Press Apply to proceed.4.

Click "Details" button.5.Click on "Add" button from "Input Language" list box select Urdu.6.

Press OK7.

Now you can type Urdu text after selecting it from the taskbar. For more help please visit: http://www.microsoft.com/middleeast/msdn/urdu.htm

Installing the Urdu Phonetic Layout Keyboard (Windows Installation File)

These instructions are for the self installing version.

Download either the self-installing rar or zip file.

Extract the files to a folder of your choice. In this case I am assuming you extracted the files to c:\

This should create a folder called Urdu-Phn

Open this folder and double click the file named Urdu-Phn.msi

Follow the installation instructions

Un-Installing the Urdu Phonetic Layout Keyboard (Windows Installation File)

Run the installation file again. This will give you an option to uninstall the keyboard layout file. Click finish to complete the process.

Installing the Urdu Phonetic Layout Keyboard (Batch File Method)

IMPORTANT

In Windows 2000 I noticed it does not have the Urdu Keyboard layout. In that case could you please select Farsi as your keyboard layout when

installing Urdu. If you do not install Farsi as you keyboard the setup files below will not work. However if you need to use Farsi and like the layout perhaps you don't

even need to install the files below. After all if it ain't broke don't fix it.

Download the files required in either Self-extracting zip form or as a Zip file

Extract the files. In this case I am assuming you extracted the files to c:\urdukbd

Shut down Windows

Restart the computer and just before Windows is about to start up press the key F8 to enter Windows startup menu.

Choose Safe Mode

Wait for Windows to load and then open the folder c:\urdukbd

You should see the following files in the directory (We are ignoring the sub-directories).

Windows Xp Installation Files


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Backup.bat

Install.bat

Restore.bat

Windows 2000 Installation Files

Backup-2000.bat

Install-2000.bat

Restore-2000.bat

Read-Me.txt

Batch File Purposes

Backup - Backs up your existing Urdu Keyboard layoutInstall - Installs the Phonetic Keyboard Layout

Restore - Restores the default Windows Keyboard Layout which you backed up (You did back up didn't you?)

Read-Me.txt - This file details what to do in case the present method does not work

Run the Backup file according to your relevant operating system by double-clicking it.

Run the relevant Install file

Restart the computer

Re-start your system and start the computer as normal

Open up notepad and select the Urdu Keyboard layout. If Alif appears when you press A on the keyboard then the file was installed properly.

Have fun :)

Un-Installing the Urdu Phonetic Layout Keyboard

Do the same as above till when you open the directory c:\urdukbd in Windows safe mode. Double-click the appropriate restore batch file.

Insha-Allah this should work otherwise read the read-me file which will be in the UrduKbd directory

Read-Me File

Urdu Phonetic Keyboard Installation Instructions

To install this file succesfully you must restart your computer in safe mode. To do so press the key F8 just as Windows begins to load up. The easiest way to get every

1) Press F8 to enter startup menu2) Choose Safe-Mode with command-prompt

3) Choose to login as the Administrator4) Enter the following commands. (Press Enter after each line)

cd \c:

cd urdukbdbackup

install

5) If all is successfully done then the command-prompt window will close.6) Re-start your system and start the computer as normal

7) Open up notepad and select the Urdu Keyboard layout. If Alif appears when you press A on the keyboard then the file was installed properly. Have fun :) Remember me in your prayers please :) I need Dua's lots of them ;)

Wassallam

Shehzad Ashiq Ali

Modifications:14 May 2003:

. Modified the Installation Batch file so that it renamed the exisiting kbdurdu.dll file because otherwise Windows XP

did not allow the file to be overwritten.

29 August 2003:

. Modified the keyboards layout. Y had incorrectly been mapped to the Arabic letter Alef-Maksurah (U+ 0649). It has now been amended to correctly reference the Farsi Sorry for any inconveniences this may have caused.

//--------------------------

File PurposesBackup - Backs up your existing Urdu Keyboard layout

Install - Installs the Phonetic Keyboard LayoutRestore - Restores the default Windows Keyboard Layout which you backed up (You did back up didn't you?)

http://go.to/[email protected]

In case that does not work please visit either

http://www.farsiweb.info/howto/win2keyb/

http://www.mydevweb.com/XP_FARSI_FIX.htm

Last Updated: 25th

October 2005 Tuesday

PAGE CREATED BY:

ASHIQ ENTERPRISES ™ 2001Clopyright held by: Shehzad Ashiq Ali


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