Making Foreign Diacritics on Windows XP

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around methods for creating foreign diacritical marks on Windows XP, including characters like the German Umlaut and French accent aigu. Participants explore various techniques, tools, and shortcuts for typing these characters, as well as the challenges faced in using them within different applications.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested
  • Homework-related

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses difficulty finding instructions for typing foreign diacritical marks on Windows XP.
  • Another suggests checking the language settings in the tools menu, prompting questions about the location of this menu.
  • A participant describes using the Character Map to access foreign characters, noting it is tedious.
  • Some participants share alternate methods, such as using ALT codes for typing specific characters, but others report issues with these methods not working as expected.
  • There are discussions about the necessity of using the number pad for ALT codes and ensuring that Num Lock is activated.
  • One participant mentions using Microsoft Word for composing messages in foreign languages, while others discuss challenges with the forum's text box.
  • Participants clarify the layout and function of the number pad, particularly on laptops, and how to activate the number lock feature.
  • There is a humorous exchange about the "any key" and a participant's confusion regarding it.
  • Some participants share links to resources for accent codes, but there are mixed results regarding their effectiveness on Windows XP.
  • One participant notes the presence of smiley faces in the Character Map, leading to a brief discussion about their origins.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree on the methods to access foreign diacritical marks, but there is significant disagreement regarding the effectiveness of these methods on Windows XP, with some reporting success and others encountering problems.

Contextual Notes

Limitations include the unclear effectiveness of certain methods on Windows XP compared to earlier versions, and the reliance on specific hardware features like the number pad and Num Lock, which may vary across different keyboards.

  • #31
With WebTV if I wanted to put an ® all I needed to do was press "alt" + r, and it was done.

Here I either have to hunt up the character map, select the ®, copy and paste it, or, hunt up the 4 digit code, engage the num lk, press "alt", then the four digit code, and be sure to remember to disengage the num lk. before trying to type normally, cause if you don't disengage it all the "keypad" letters come out as numbers.

In so many ways this $1000.00 laptop is simply a 10 step way of doing what was a one step process with the $129.00 WebTv, and, on top of it, the laptop has consistantly poorer, more obscure instructions to get you through the extra, unnecessary steps.

I am not going to go into the trouble I've had with my printer and scanner.
 

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