Phonetic Keyboard Layout For Windows 2000/XP
Downloads
Please read the Instructions below on how to install the Keyboard Layout files.
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)
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.
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 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 -> Keyboard Layout Manager File for Phonetic Urdu LayoutSetting Up Your System For Urdu
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 -> Keyboard Layout Manager File for Phonetic Urdu LayoutSetting Up Your System For Urdu
Before we can install the keyboard you must install Urdu Support on it. Please do the following
Installing the Urdu Phonetic Layout Keyboard (Windows Installation File)
These instructions are for the self installing version.
- 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.
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.
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
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 layout
Install - 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
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
- Open "Regional and Language Options" from control panel OR from start menu -> Run "intl.cpl".
- Choose Language tab.
- Check the "Install files for Complex Script and right-to-left languages (Including Thai)".
- Press Apply to proceed.
- Click "Details" button.
- Click on "Add" button from "Input Language" list box select Urdu.
- Press OK
Now you can type Urdu text after selecting it from the taskbar. For more help please visit: http://www.fortunecity.com/banners/interstitial.html?http://www.fortunecity.com/banners/interstitial.html?http://www.microsoft.com/middleeast/msdn/urdu.htm
