Thai keyboard layout for Windows95

Windows95 supports multilingual but microsoft provides a few information on this. From control panel | keyboard, you can choose which language you want to use. For example, If you are using Windows95 Japanese edition, default language is Japanese. You can add other language by choosing the language listed in the list box. Unfortunately, Windows95(Japanese) does not support Thai language, there is not "Thai" for you to select in that list box. Here we will show how to set Thai keyboard layout in Windows95.

No responsibility for any harm to your computer that causes from this instruction.

Zthwin.exe package

Zthwin.exe is the package with Thai fonts, zthai0.kbd, thai.reg and setup script. Only run setup.bat script, setup.bat will install Thai environment to your computer. After setup and restart windows95, you can type Thai characters by choosing languages from taskbar or press Alt+Shift.

ftp://ftp.fedu.uec.ac.jp/pub/thai/UEC/ZzzThai/Software/Win95/zthwin.exe

After you double-click on zthwin.exe, please read readme.txt for installation instruction.

The followings will explain how this package works.

Technical background

Don't follow below instruction if you don't know what you are donig.

Keyboard layout file

You need Thai keyboard layout file (zthai0.kbd) to be loaded when you want to type in Thai.

If you use Windows95 Thai edition, you will find kbdth0.kbd, kbdth1.kbd, ... these keyboard layout files came with Windows95 Thai edition. But zthai0.kbd was generated by Janko keyboard generator, map to Thai Kedmanee keyboard layout. I didn't rename kbdth0.kbd to zthai0.kbd!

Configure with regedit.exe

If you can not find Thai keyboard layout in control panel | keyboard. You need to run regedit.exe to set somethings. Then Thai keyboard layout item will appear in control panel | keyboard.

Step 0. Copy zthai0.kbd to C:\windows\system

Step 1. Open program "regedit.exe" in windows directory. This program is for configure your computer, usually configure the system is done from control panel.

Step 2. Open HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE | System | CurrentControlSet | control | keyboard layouts.

Step 3.Click at keyboard layout then click the right mouse button. Create the new key, name it as "0000041E".

Step 4. Place cursor to the right window, and click the right button to create the 2 new strings. Name them as "layout file" and "layout text".

Step 5. Double clicks on the new strings and set "layout file" 's value to "zthai0.kbd", set "layout text" 's value to "Thai Kedmanee"

Step 7. Double clicks on "0000041E" key and set value to "Thai".

Choose Thai keyboard layout from control panel

Step 1. Open "keyboard" from control panel.

Step 2. Press the button Add(D), choose Thai from the list box.

You will see something like this. You can choose the toggle key. In this example, left Alt+Shift key will change keyboard layout between Thai Kedmanee and MSIME95. Press OK button.

Input Thai characters

Now you can change language by choosing languages from task bar.

        <--look like Windows95 Thai

Make sure you have Thai fonts in your machine! Open wordpad or MSWord and try Thai input. There is a problem that when you change to Thai mode, font displays incorrectly. In this case try to select font again then input type.

Acknowledgment

Thank you to Phaisarn Techajaruwong who showed me this idea.
Keyboard layout file was generated with "Janko's Keyboard Generator for Windows95", Janko Stamenovic

-PLV

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