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noone
Awaiting Email Confirmation
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
 
2005-04-28, 04:12

First the background: At a complete re-install (erase and install) of my iMac (G4), I missed setting the keyboard to German (which, having a German Keyboard, I should have done). Because of this, using a sign-on password that inculdes non-alphanumeric characters (to help keeping the kids out of the administrator account!!!) has become a problem.

For example, on the German keyboard the asterisk is above the hash sign, which on the German Keyboard has its own key. On a US Keyboard, the asterisk is above the 8, and the hash key above the 2(?).

So, assuming that the password is "...*...". As the iMac on startup apparently uses the US keyboard, instead of typing, "...*...", one would have to type "...(..." to log on. Afterwards "...*..." would, of course, be the correct word (well, not always - predicting which way to type the password e.g. in systems preferences provides also some fun...)

Now the question: is there any way of setting the default keyboard to German without reinstalling the whole system?

Many thanks in advance
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Gargoyle
http://ga.rgoyle.com
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: In your dock hiding behind your finder icon!
 
2005-04-28, 04:32

Cant you just use the username field to type the letters so you can see them? Once you have the correct sequence memorised, then you can access your system and change the keyboard to German!?!

OK, I have given up keeping this sig up to date. Lets just say I'm the guy that installs every latest version as soon as its available!
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skid_boy_99
Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
 
2005-04-28, 05:15

Good plan Gargoyle.

Slight tangent coming up....

What confuses me is, as a Brit living in Germany and requesting an international keyboard on my powerbook, why they shipped it with an American keyboard rather than a British keyboard, which is more international in my opinion.

American keyboards have no Euro or Pound Sterling symbol, but UK keyboards have all the symbols that the American keyboard contains. Strange decision to go with the less-endowed option and to call it 'International'.

So today I collect my PB from the shop, where they switched it to a British keyboard. My rant is now over.
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noone
Awaiting Email Confirmation
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
 
2005-04-28, 06:36

Quote:
Originally Posted by Gargoyle
Cant you just use the username field to type the letters so you can see them? Once you have the correct sequence memorised, then you can access your system and change the keyboard to German!?!
Thanks for the suggestion, but as you can see, I have memorised the sequence - hence on logon "...(...", and afterwards "...*..." see above. Just wanted to know whether there was a quick way out.

As for skid_boy_99's British and US keyboards, don't use for logon any of the signs on your new UK keyboard which are not the same as on the old US keyboard, because you'll run into the same problem as me if you just swap keyboards without reinstalling the system - unless some genius out there can provide a solution ...
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Stevuh
Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
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2005-04-28, 06:59

by opening your International preference Pane you should be able to take control of this by changing you keyboard layout. That's in System preferences --> International
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noone
Awaiting Email Confirmation
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
 
2005-04-28, 07:34

Quote:
Originally Posted by Stevuh
by opening your International preference Pane you should be able to take control of this by changing you keyboard layout. That's in System preferences --> International
Unfortunately not! This is exactly the problem for which I hope there is a solution.

As I indicated before, once the system is up and running, the key allocation is that of the German keyboard, but not on start-up. Not only have I set the preference "international" to German, I have also "unticked" the option of using the US keyboard there (which as default is enabled).

In despair, I even ran "repair permissions" from the disk utility hoping it might help, but despite all that, when the computer starts up it stubornly refuses to use anything other than the US keyboard key allocation.

Anyway, thank you for trying to help.
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skid_boy_99
Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
 
2005-04-28, 08:18

On FreeBSD you change the global keyboard by editing the /etc/rc.conf file, but not sure on OS X... should be similar, but with NT in the office I can't verify now.

Luckily I get the PB tonight and am doing a fresh install of Tiger tomorrow morning when it is delivered :-) select UK on install, crisis averted. Thanks for the heads-up though!
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