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What's Dvorak, and why did my keyboard layout suddenly change?

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I think I can answer this one. Spyware/Adware creators are on the run.

However, they are probably bored. I mention this because usually if I am browsing around I'll get messages asking to install plugins.

Yesterday it said there was a Microsoft Corporation plugin that was going to install. There was NO way to cancel it.

At this point, I could have clicked anything and the program just installs -- in your case -- a keyboard driver and made it active.

The only way I could avoid it was by opening Task Manager (I use Ctrl-Alt-Del for fun), then I clicked IEXPLORE.EXE and clicked End Task. The horrifying installation dialog box disappeared.

Just thought it might apply to this situation!

Posted by: Benjamin Lindelof at November 12, 2004 5:03 AM

Hi!
By default, the short keyboard way to toggle between keyboard is "left alt+ Shift". Perhaps you did that sequence... you can change this behavior with the specific tool in the taskbar. Just try to delete the short way!

Posted by: pappoonet at November 20, 2004 1:37 AM

You haven't listed a fix to this. I'm having this exact problem. Generally, it only affects one or two programs and the others will work fine. The problem I have is in MSN Messenger. I'll be using it quite happily and suddenly it will randomly switch to Dvorak. Is there a remedy? This guy is right, restarting the program or restarting the machine solves it but it is quite the annoyance.

Mike Farrow

Posted by: Michael Farro at March 26, 2006 11:19 AM

I have specifically installed a Danish keyboard layout, so I can change layouts using control+shift to write æ, ø and å.

The trouble I have is that it sometimes spontaneously switches (without control-shift) if I change programs or sometimes within the same program if I pause when typing. I can switch back again, but it is annoying, especially if it happens when you select a password field!

If anybody knows how to disable this "feature", I'd be very grateful.

Posted by: Nikolas Andersen at May 4, 2006 5:33 AM

I've had the same problem for a while. A few months back i was messing with the diffrent keyboard languages, and the thing is, is that there is hotkeys to change them. For instance when im playing a game, i hit alt + shift somtimes, and then all of a suddent my keys are changed. If you go to the control panel, then to regional and language options. Hit the languages tab, and then hit details and your there. Make sure that US is bolded, and not devorak or left handed devorak. If you want just remove those because you wont have to worry about those. Hope that this helped. :)

Posted by: kyle at November 4, 2006 6:34 PM

also, if you want to see the hotkeys for it, while your in the details, if you hit the key settings, it will show you that you can switch the languages buy pressing left shit + alt.

Posted by: kyle at November 4, 2006 6:36 PM

Tfne is right: When I installed Dvorak, my system had only the standard US keyboard listed. Dvorak wasn't even on the list until I put it there from the installation CD. If I decide that Dvorak is not for me, then I will delete the listing -- a habit since Win31.

Posted by: Cliff at November 25, 2006 6:48 AM

I have been trying to add a second keyboard for a user who has one hand that doesn't work as well. When I change applications it always seems to go back to US standard. I am thinking about having a second user created for her so that only one keyboard is installed for each user.

Posted by: Rhys at September 3, 2007 5:49 AM

I don't remember when, but at some point last year I had installed the Dvorak keyboard option (I guess I was just curious) and had forgotten about it. Flash-forward to this year and I'm typing in Lotus Notes and go to cut+paste something and start to type again - and the keys have gone all funny.

I called my helpdesk and they said my keyboard was going bad, which I knew wasn't the case because it was only happening in Lotus Notes (twice in two weeks!) and exiting and coming back in resolved the problem.

So to appease the helpdesk, I switched keyboards with someone else to see if I could eliminate the problem, and two weeks later, it's happening again, only this time it happened in Microsoft Word. And to cap it off, I found the key combination that was turning it off/on. For me, it was left ctrl+shift.

Searching for "control + shift" and "dvorak" brought me here and the posted information helped me find the issue. I removed the dvorak option from my settings and I no longer have the issue.

Posted by: Mike Cooper at December 27, 2007 8:56 AM

i dont get my normal keyboard on my laptop.i have to use Fn key to Get normal Keys on my laptop?
help me

Posted by: Ramesh at July 31, 2008 1:15 AM
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