Remapping your keyboard keys

Keyboard remappers like SharpKeys work by editing the registry key which Windows looks at to determine if it should modify the configured keyboard layout.

Are you using an unfamiliar keyboard and keep hitting the wrong key? Or are you typing on the same 104-keyboard you always have, but hit the Caps Lock key when aiming for Tab or Shift? Perhaps your notebook or netbook has some misplaced or missing keys? You can eliminate these keyboard annoyances by changing the scan code Windows sees when you press a key. The painless way to do this is with a keyboard remapper. Here we provide some tips on using two free remappers: SharpKeys and KeyTweak.

Both work on the same principle: namely, editing the registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Keyboard Layout\Scancode Map, which is where Windows looks at startup to determine if it should modify the configured keyboard layout. That’s why you need to either restart your PC or log off and log back in to enable the remapping you’ve set up. Both programs let you change the character/function for most keys, including disabling the key completely, and both include keys you may not have on your keyboard, including those for your browser, media control, and opening My Computer and other applications.

SharpKeys (www.randyrants.com/sharpkeys) was recommended by reader John Whitehead in PC User's September 2010 edition. It requires .NET Framework 2.0 (http://tinyurl.com/NET-FW-20), which comes with Vista, but needs to be installed separately in XP. SharpKeys gives you the option of selecting one or both of the From and To keys from a list, or typing either or both at the keyboard. The list includes shortcut keys for Office. There’s no Disable button as such; to disable a key completely, choose the first entry in the To list: ‘Turn Key Off (00_00)’. If you need help, check out http://www.randyrants.com/sharpkeys/faq.htm.

KeyTweak (http://webpages.charter.net/krumsick) doesn’t add any DLLs or registry entries, but merely expands KeyTweak.exe, the Help file and an uninstaller to C:\Program Files\KeyTweak. Since the .exe file is standalone, you can copy it to a USB flash drive, for example. Another unique feature is the ‘Restore All Defaults’ button.  The KeyTweak interface is quite different from SharpKeys. The screen is dominated by a standard keyboard diagram, but the keys are identified by number rather than the character or effect they produce. This means you have to visually match a key to the corresponding position on the diagram. You can check your choice by hovering your mouse pointer over a key in the diagram, which shows the current lower-case mapping for that key.

‘Full Teach Mode’ and ‘Half Teach Mode’ are alternative entry schemes. In the former, you must type a key on your keyboard for both the From and To keys. In the latter, enter the From key on your keyboard and select the To key from a list, just like on the main entry screen. ‘Half Teach Mode’ is invaluable if your keyboard doesn’t have the key you want to map to.

Remap keys with KeyTweak

1. Hover the mouse pointer over the numbered key to be sure it’s the one you want to remap (here we’ve chosen the + key). Then click the key to enter its current mapping into the ‘Keyboard Controls’ box.

2. Select Tab from the ‘Choose New Remapping’ list and then click the ‘Remap Key’ button to add the remapping to the ‘Pending Changes’ list.

3. Click the Apply button and click No at the prompt to restart your computer. This will list the remapping in the ‘Remapped Keys currently in effect’ box. Log off Windows and log back in to enable the remapping.