OFFXP: Incorrect Letters or Characters Appear When You Type on the Keyboard (321498)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Office XP, when used with:
    • the operating system: Microsoft Windows 2000
This article was previously published under Q321498

SYMPTOMS

When you use any of the Microsoft Office XP programs on a laptop computer, the keyboard does not work correctly. When you press any key on the keyboard, a character other than what you type appears on the monitor.

CAUSE

This behavior may occur if a US-Dvorak keyboard is listed in Text Services. The standard keyboard is US, and this must be the only keyboard listed in the Text Services section of Control Panel.

RESOLUTION

To resolve this issue, remove all instances of keyboards other than the standard US keyboard. To do this, follow these steps.

NOTE: If you press NumLock on the keyboard of certain Dell portable computers, this makes different characters available when you type. To make the keyboard revert to its standard functionality, press FUNCTION+NumLock.
  1. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
  2. Double-click Regional and Language Options.
  3. Click the Languages tab.
  4. In the Text Services and Input languages pane, click Details.
  5. In the Installed Services pane, click any keyboard listed other than US, and then click Remove.
  6. When the confirmation message appears, click Yes.
  7. Repeat step 5 until all listed keyboards except US are removed.

The keyboard now works in all programs.

MORE INFORMATION

The third-party products that are discussed in this article are manufactured by companies that are independent of Microsoft. Microsoft makes no warranty, implied or otherwise, regarding the performance or reliability of these products.
Modification Type:MinorLast Reviewed:1/6/2006
Keywords:kbprb KB321498
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