Fix Wrong Characters - Computer Keyboards

For some of us, typing fast and typing accurately is challenge enough. It really makes it hard when your keyboard has gone a little haywire! Sometimes keyboards get their letters "rearranged," making typing virtually impossible. However, in most cases, there is a way to fix it.

Steps

Method One: On a PC

1. 1
   Open up the Control Panel. This can be done by either pressing WIN + R, then typing "Control" (without quotes) or going to My Computer and clicking "Control Panel" in theOther Places area on the left.
   
2. 2
   Look for "Regional and Language Options". The categories are alphabetized, so finding it shouldn't be hard. Once you find it, double-click on it. A window should come up with the tabs "Regional Options," "Language Options," and "Advanced" tabs at the top.
   
   
3. 3
   Select the "Regional Options" tab. There, you will find a pull down menu, a Samplessection, and a Location menu. Make sure that both menus are set to your local region's settings.
   
   
4. 4
   Click on the "Customize" button next to the top pull down menu. Sometimes these settings can interfere with your keyboard.
   
   
5. 5
   Click on the Numbers tab. Check the Measurement system:" field, and verify your measurement system is set to whatever system your region uses.
   
   
   • Once the Numbers tab is set, verify Currency, Time, and Date settings are all correct, then close the "Customize Regional Options" window.
6. 6
   Click on Languages tab. Then click on the Details button. Choose your regional language from "Default Input language" menu, then choose the keyboard of your language from the "Installed Services" window.
   
   
7. 7
   Click the Apply button at the bottom. Then click Apply at the bottom of the "Regional and Language Settings" window.
8. 8
   Restart your computer, then test out the keys using a word processing program such as Notepad or Microsoft Word. If the problem persists, it may be a hardware issue.
   

Method Two: Code Page Conversion Tables on a PC

1. 1
   Log on as an administrator. You must be an admin or a member of the Administrators group in order to complete this procedure. If your computer is connected to a network, network policy settings may also prevent you from completing this procedure.
2. 2
   Open Regional and Language Options in Control Panel.
3. 3
   Select the Advanced tab. Under Code page conversion tables, do either of the following:
   • Select the check box next to the code page conversion table that you want to install.
   • Uncheck the box next to the code page conversion table you want to remove.
4. 4
   Click Apply. This will lock in your changes.
5. 5
   Note: Code page conversion tables that are shown in the list but not editable were installed automatically by Windows, and cannot be removed.

Method Three: On a Mac

1. 1
   Open System Preferences. Click on the Apple menu, then select System Preferences...
   
   
2. 2
   Click on Language & Text. On the top row of the "System Preferences" window, in thePersonal row, click on the "Language & Text" icon.
   
   
3. 3
   Click on the Language button. Make sure your language is at the top of the list in the window to the left.
   
   
4. 4
   Click on the Text button. On the right side of the window, check to make sure either theSpelling menu is either "Automatic by Language" (the default), or to your language. While you're there, verify your settings for Word Break: and Smart Quotes: are set as you prefer. On the left side, if Use symbol and text substitution is checked, scroll through the list and make sure that there is nothing set that might replace a typed character with something else—in case somebody pranked you.
   
   
5. 5
   Click on the Formats button. Verify all formats are as you prefer. There's little chance that this would interfere with wrong characters, but it's worth verifying just in case.
   
   
6. 6
   Click on the Input Sources button. Make sure your input source is set to your country (it should be already selected and locked in), and that the Input source options are set to use the same source in all documents, as shown.
   
   
7. 7
   Restart your Mac. Test you keys and see if they are working as expected. If not, it may be a hardware problem—you may need a replacement keyboard.

Tips

• If the above steps didn't work, then your keyboard may be broken. Most good USB keyboards cost about $15 - if you want a wireless keyboard, be prepared to spend a bit more.
• As an alternative, use a macro scripting program such as AutoHotkey (open source and free) or AutoIt (freeware). Create macros that type the correct key value, then map them to the key that is producing the incorrect key value.
• If setup for multiple languages (default for some countries), left-Shift+CTRL can toggle between them (Windows default mapping). The mapping can be changed in the Regional Settings, and additional languages can be turned on or off.