Keyboard Canadian English

[ShirlyKnott]

I need the drivers for the HP Canadian/English  keyboard 643691-DB1, KU-1060 HP Omni 120 for both Windows 10(64) & XPsp3 (32).
It's a really nice piece of kit which has extra function keys but no driver for English (United Kingdom)

[itsmyname]

@ShirlyKnott -- Eh? Those drivers are included in Windows 7/8/10. 

So, just click "add keyboard", and select "Canadian English".

[ShirlyKnott]

Windows assumes that I am in Canada and then links to the wrong dictionaries and grammar checkers for the UK.
I have used Microsoft's Keyboard Creator 1.4  to copy the Canadian French clavier and selected English (United Kingdom) as the region, (needs to run from a directory with 8 characters or less) and named CAFR

When I originally tried to select the Canadian French or Canadian English in the Language options in Win10 neither would appear as an option under the English (United Kingdom) regions, hence the stupid sounding question. I searched around but didn't find a solution elsewhere and made my own. I presume that Microsoft didn't consider that anyone would want to run an out of region keyboard and created their infrastructure on this basis.
I have run Canadian French keyboards for many years under XP. They give an extended character set which I need, while the board uses the QWERTY layout, but some applications cause every word to be a spellcheck error as the French spellcheck has been engaged. Sometime AOL will start up  in French.
There may be better solutions, but this one works without any pitfalls that I have found ... so far.

[itsmyname]

@ShirlyKnott -- Windows 10 supports multiple keyboards, e.g., "Us English" and "English UK".

Microsoft calls these "input methods". 

You can dynamically tell Windows which keyboard you are about to use.

Windows + Spacebar – activates the next keyboard language or layout. 

Further, the same Windows app that lets you add/delete input methods also lets you choose your working language, e.g., "UK English", instead of "Canadian French". I presume that the spell-checker will recognize your working language, and will accept "labour" and "cheque", not "labor" and "check".

Give it a try.

P.S. a confused friend called me, because she accidentally clicked on the word "french" near the top of a Google Chrome window, and Chrome changed everything to French. I blame her poor eyesight, and shaky hands, for the accidental "click".

[ShirlyKnott]

Thanks for your input, but Windows doesn't work in that way, at least not in my experience.

When you install it and configure (select Region) you get keyboards appropriate to the region, so you only get English (United Kingdom) if you install Windows for the UK. It also uploads the Language Pack for the UK.

There is no option available in Windows 10 for another keyboard.  I tried all ways to get around it.

If you change tack you can install as if you are in Canada. You will get options for Canadian French, Canadian English. Canadian Multilingual but then you might end up with French as the working language, On some occasions  I have.

The simple solution I worked out was to create the French Canadian keyboard under the English Region where it doesn't exist already as an option. Once created using Microsoft's Keyboard Creator program (load Keyboard & change region) and the .DLL file installed, it then appears as a selection option under English (United Kingdom). Dictionaries and spellcheck are now engaged properly under the English Language Pack.

It would have been tidier if Microsoft had allowed a greater range of Keyboards for the UK. Possibly there has never been a demand, but on searching the net for answers I found several others who had run up against the same issue. I can now typeset Crème Brulée and Côtes du Rhône directly from the keyboard.

I was aware of the ability to switch languages. There is  a Language Bar and a key combination that can be set and varied for the operation. I actually also have an Anglo-Greek keyboard and can switch to Greek and back easily enough.
Ευχαριστώ kai tα λέμε

[itsmyname]

@ShirlyKnott --  There is no option available in Windows 10 for another keyboard. 

I disagree. I have done it (add Norwegian keyboard) to add another "input method".

If you change tack you can install as if you are in Canada. You will get options for Canadian French, Canadian English. Canadian Multilingual but then you might end up with French as the working language, On some occasions  I have.

Once you have installed that additional "input method", click on the Canadian item.

You will see options to remove Multilingual and Canadian French. 

Voila!  Uff da!  QED