Spanish keyboard

[GeorgeJ]

Hello,

I am using WINDOWS XP professional I am trying to use my keyboard to write
in Spanish. I have figured out, by means of the help file, how to use the
control-panel to configure the keyboard so that I could have the Spahish
keyboard loaded. I know how to switch between this keyboard and the normal
English keyboard. However, nowhere have I been able to find information on
how to actually produce the distinctly Spanish characters when using the
Spanish keyboard. Through trial & error I have discovered how to produce the
accented vowels such as á and I have also discovered how to produce ñ and Ñ.
But I still can't figure out how to produce the upside down question mark and
the upside down exclamation point. Could someone help me with this?
--
-regards

[Gary S. Terhune]

Check out the Character Map (Accessories>System Tools.) ¡This is Alt+0161.
¿This is Alt+0191.

--
Gary S. Terhune
MS-MVP Shell/User
www.grystmill.com

"GeorgeJ" > wrote in message
...
> Hello,
>
> I am using WINDOWS XP professional I am trying to use my keyboard to write
> in Spanish. I have figured out, by means of the help file, how to use the
> control-panel to configure the keyboard so that I could have the Spahish
> keyboard loaded. I know how to switch between this keyboard and the
> normal
> English keyboard. However, nowhere have I been able to find information
> on
> how to actually produce the distinctly Spanish characters when using the
> Spanish keyboard. Through trial & error I have discovered how to produce
> the
> accented vowels such as á and I have also discovered how to produce ñ and
> Ñ.
> But I still can't figure out how to produce the upside down question mark
> and
> the upside down exclamation point. Could someone help me with this?
> --
> -regards

[Ken Blake, MVP]

GeorgeJ wrote:

> Hello,
>
> I am using WINDOWS XP professional I am trying to use my keyboard to
> write in Spanish. I have figured out, by means of the help file, how
> to use the control-panel to configure the keyboard so that I could
> have the Spahish keyboard loaded. I know how to switch between this
> keyboard and the normal English keyboard. However, nowhere have I
> been able to find information on how to actually produce the
> distinctly Spanish characters when using the Spanish keyboard.
> Through trial & error I have discovered how to produce the accented
> vowels such as á and I have also discovered how to produce ñ and Ñ.
> But I still can't figure out how to produce the upside down question
> mark and the upside down exclamation point. Could someone help me
> with this?


The ¿ and ¡ characters can be produced in several different ways. Personally
I use a little freeware background program called AllChars. This lets me
type many common special characters (many of these are used in other
languages) by pressing the ctrl key followed by a two character mnemonic
combination.

For example, for ñ the two characters are ~ and n. For ¿ it's ? and ^. For ¡
it's ! and ^.

Go to http://allchars.zwolnet.com/

As a matter of fact, you may find it more conveneinet *not* to switch
between the Spanish and English keyboard characters, but instead to stay
with the Eng;lish keyboard and use Allchars.

--
Ken Blake - Microsoft MVP Windows: Shell/User
Please reply to the newsgroup

[Quco]

I'm bilingual and I used to use Alt+codes for Spanish characters a long time
ago... that is no longer necessary.

You can use your American keyboard as an old fashioned Spanish typewriter.
That is:

select ~ then N to get Ñ
select ' then a to get á
select " then u to get ü
etc...

You don't have to "load" the Spanish keyboard and use codes to remember.

Just change the Regional and Language Options for the keyboard...

....from US
to
US-International...

I hope this helps.

[Alias]

GeorgeJ wrote:
> Hello,
>
> I am using WINDOWS XP professional I am trying to use my keyboard to write
> in Spanish. I have figured out, by means of the help file, how to use the
> control-panel to configure the keyboard so that I could have the Spahish
> keyboard loaded. I know how to switch between this keyboard and the normal
> English keyboard. However, nowhere have I been able to find information on
> how to actually produce the distinctly Spanish characters when using the
> Spanish keyboard. Through trial & error I have discovered how to produce the
> accented vowels such as á and I have also discovered how to produce ñ and Ñ.
> But I still can't figure out how to produce the upside down question mark and
> the upside down exclamation point. Could someone help me with this?

Upside down exclamation point: the key next to the back space or the "="
key. Question marks, the "_" for the normal one and "+" for the upside
down one. For the euro sign, Alt Gr plus the E key. Need any more?

Alias

[Alias]

Ken Blake, MVP wrote:
> GeorgeJ wrote:
>
>> Hello,
>>
>> I am using WINDOWS XP professional I am trying to use my keyboard to
>> write in Spanish. I have figured out, by means of the help file, how
>> to use the control-panel to configure the keyboard so that I could
>> have the Spahish keyboard loaded. I know how to switch between this
>> keyboard and the normal English keyboard. However, nowhere have I
>> been able to find information on how to actually produce the
>> distinctly Spanish characters when using the Spanish keyboard.
>> Through trial & error I have discovered how to produce the accented
>> vowels such as á and I have also discovered how to produce ñ and Ñ.
>> But I still can't figure out how to produce the upside down question
>> mark and the upside down exclamation point. Could someone help me
>> with this?
>
>
> The ¿ and ¡ characters can be produced in several different ways. Personally
> I use a little freeware background program called AllChars. This lets me
> type many common special characters (many of these are used in other
> languages) by pressing the ctrl key followed by a two character mnemonic
> combination.
>
> For example, for ñ the two characters are ~ and n. For ¿ it's ? and ^. For ¡
> it's ! and ^.
>
> Go to http://allchars.zwolnet.com/
>
> As a matter of fact, you may find it more conveneinet *not* to switch
> between the Spanish and English keyboard characters, but instead to stay
> with the Eng;lish keyboard and use Allchars.
>

I find it more convenient to switch between keyboards.

Alias

[Gary S. Terhune]

For the characters OP asked about, ¡ and ¿, are there simpler keystrokes
than the Alt ones?

I don't understand what you wrote. How does one "select" ~, ' and "?

--
Gary S. Terhune
MS-MVP Shell/User
www.grystmill.com

"Quco" > wrote in message
...
> I'm bilingual and I used to use Alt+codes for Spanish characters a long
> time
> ago... that is no longer necessary.
>
> You can use your American keyboard as an old fashioned Spanish typewriter.
> That is:
>
> select ~ then N to get Ñ
> select ' then a to get á
> select " then u to get ü
> etc...
>
> You don't have to "load" the Spanish keyboard and use codes to remember.
>
> Just change the Regional and Language Options for the keyboard...
>
> ...from US
> to
> US-International...
>
> I hope this helps.

[Gary S. Terhune]

http://www.microsoft.com/globaldev/keyboards/kbdsp.htm

--
Gary S. Terhune
MS-MVP Shell/User
www.grystmill.com

"GeorgeJ" > wrote in message
...
> Hello,
>
> I am using WINDOWS XP professional I am trying to use my keyboard to write
> in Spanish. I have figured out, by means of the help file, how to use the
> control-panel to configure the keyboard so that I could have the Spahish
> keyboard loaded. I know how to switch between this keyboard and the
> normal
> English keyboard. However, nowhere have I been able to find information
> on
> how to actually produce the distinctly Spanish characters when using the
> Spanish keyboard. Through trial & error I have discovered how to produce
> the
> accented vowels such as á and I have also discovered how to produce ñ and
> Ñ.
> But I still can't figure out how to produce the upside down question mark
> and
> the upside down exclamation point. Could someone help me with this?
> --
> -regards

[Gary S. Terhune]

Nevermind. I see what you're talking about.

--
Gary S. Terhune
MS-MVP Shell/User
www.grystmill.com

"Gary S. Terhune" <none> wrote in message
...
> For the characters OP asked about, ¡ and ¿, are there simpler keystrokes
> than the Alt ones?
>
> I don't understand what you wrote. How does one "select" ~, ' and "?
>
> --
> Gary S. Terhune
> MS-MVP Shell/User
> www.grystmill.com
>
> "Quco" > wrote in message
> ...
>> I'm bilingual and I used to use Alt+codes for Spanish characters a long
>> time
>> ago... that is no longer necessary.
>>
>> You can use your American keyboard as an old fashioned Spanish
>> typewriter.
>> That is:
>>
>> select ~ then N to get Ñ
>> select ' then a to get á
>> select " then u to get ü
>> etc...
>>
>> You don't have to "load" the Spanish keyboard and use codes to remember.
>>
>> Just change the Regional and Language Options for the keyboard...
>>
>> ...from US
>> to
>> US-International...
>>
>> I hope this helps.
>
>

[Ken Blake, MVP]

Alias wrote:

> Ken Blake, MVP wrote:
>> GeorgeJ wrote:
>>
>>> Hello,
>>>
>>> I am using WINDOWS XP professional I am trying to use my keyboard to
>>> write in Spanish. I have figured out, by means of the help file,
>>> how to use the control-panel to configure the keyboard so that I
>>> could have the Spahish keyboard loaded. I know how to switch
>>> between this keyboard and the normal English keyboard. However,
>>> nowhere have I been able to find information on how to actually
>>> produce the distinctly Spanish characters when using the Spanish
>>> keyboard. Through trial & error I have discovered how to produce
>>> the accented vowels such as á and I have also discovered how to
>>> produce ñ and Ñ. But I still can't figure out how to produce the
>>> upside down question mark and the upside down exclamation point. Could
>>> someone help me with this?
>>
>>
>> The ¿ and ¡ characters can be produced in several different ways.
>> Personally I use a little freeware background program called
>> AllChars. This lets me type many common special characters (many of
>> these are used in other languages) by pressing the ctrl key followed
>> by a two character mnemonic combination.
>>
>> For example, for ñ the two characters are ~ and n. For ¿ it's ? and
>> ^. For ¡ it's ! and ^.
>>
>> Go to http://allchars.zwolnet.com/
>>
>> As a matter of fact, you may find it more conveneinet *not* to switch
>> between the Spanish and English keyboard characters, but instead to
>> stay with the Eng;lish keyboard and use Allchars.
>>
>
> I find it more convenient to switch between keyboards.


That's fine, and I certainly don't insist that anyone do it my way. I just
presented an alternative, as a suggestion.

--
Ken Blake - Microsoft MVP Windows: Shell/User
Please reply to the newsgroup

[GeorgeJ]

First off I'd like to thank everyone who responed for their prompt help.
FYI, after investigating alternatives, I decided to go w/ Allchars, which I
have downloaded and installed and seems to be working fine. With the help of
some of the other posts I was able to figure out how to get all the
characters I needed when using the Spanish keyboard, but this keyboard moves
around alot of other characters (such as the parentheses and many others)
which can cause confusion and delays so I decided to go with AllChars. I can
see how its a matter of choice. I suppose if I were writing alot in Spanish
I might find it faster to use the Spanish keyboard becasue it takes fewer
keystrokes to product the special characters than it does w/ Allchars, but in
my case this fact is not enought to compensate for the inconvenience of
having so many keys moved around.
--
-regards


"

[Alias]

GeorgeJ wrote:
> First off I'd like to thank everyone who responed for their prompt help.
> FYI, after investigating alternatives, I decided to go w/ Allchars, which I
> have downloaded and installed and seems to be working fine. With the help of
> some of the other posts I was able to figure out how to get all the
> characters I needed when using the Spanish keyboard, but this keyboard moves
> around alot of other characters (such as the parentheses and many others)
> which can cause confusion and delays so I decided to go with AllChars. I can
> see how its a matter of choice. I suppose if I were writing alot in Spanish
> I might find it faster to use the Spanish keyboard becasue it takes fewer
> keystrokes to product the special characters than it does w/ Allchars, but in
> my case this fact is not enought to compensate for the inconvenience of
> having so many keys moved around.

I learned to type with an English keyboard and I touch type but, living
in Spain, I use Spanish keyboards so if I don't remember where the ñ is,
I just look.

Funny with Linux, you hit the Windows key plus the ; for example and you
get an ñ. I wonder if this is one of the patents MS is crying about?

Alias

[Alias]

Ken Blake, MVP wrote:
> Alias wrote:
>
>> Ken Blake, MVP wrote:
>>> GeorgeJ wrote:
>>>
>>>> Hello,
>>>>
>>>> I am using WINDOWS XP professional I am trying to use my keyboard to
>>>> write in Spanish. I have figured out, by means of the help file,
>>>> how to use the control-panel to configure the keyboard so that I
>>>> could have the Spahish keyboard loaded. I know how to switch
>>>> between this keyboard and the normal English keyboard. However,
>>>> nowhere have I been able to find information on how to actually
>>>> produce the distinctly Spanish characters when using the Spanish
>>>> keyboard. Through trial & error I have discovered how to produce
>>>> the accented vowels such as á and I have also discovered how to
>>>> produce ñ and Ñ. But I still can't figure out how to produce the
>>>> upside down question mark and the upside down exclamation point. Could
>>>> someone help me with this?
>>>
>>> The ¿ and ¡ characters can be produced in several different ways.
>>> Personally I use a little freeware background program called
>>> AllChars. This lets me type many common special characters (many of
>>> these are used in other languages) by pressing the ctrl key followed
>>> by a two character mnemonic combination.
>>>
>>> For example, for ñ the two characters are ~ and n. For ¿ it's ? and
>>> ^. For ¡ it's ! and ^.
>>>
>>> Go to http://allchars.zwolnet.com/
>>>
>>> As a matter of fact, you may find it more conveneinet *not* to switch
>>> between the Spanish and English keyboard characters, but instead to
>>> stay with the Eng;lish keyboard and use Allchars.
>>>
>> I find it more convenient to switch between keyboards.
>
>
> That's fine, and I certainly don't insist that anyone do it my way. I just
> presented an alternative, as a suggestion.
>

Different strokes for different folks ;-)

Alias