Configuring the Input Method Editors (IMEs) in Windows XP

1. Open Start then open Control Panel.

2. The Control Panel appears. From the Control Panel open Regional and Language Options.

3. The Regional and Language Options window appears. Select the Languages tab then choose Details.

4. The Text Services and Input Languages window appears under the Settings tab.  Click Add.

5. The Add Input Language window appears.  You can choose a particular language you wish to configure by opening up the drop down box labeled Input language and clicking on that language. The Keyboard layout/IME drop down box allows you to choose the keyboard layout for that language.  Some languages have only one choice of keyboard layout and others such as Chinese (Simplified) have more than one choice.

 

6. Once you have chosen an Input language and Keyboard layout/IME click OK. You should be able to see your chosen languages in the Installed services box of the Settings tab of the Text Services and Input Languages window. You can choose additional languages and keyboard layouts by repeating steps 4 through 6 again.

7. To set the language bar in the taskbar click the Language Bar button in the Text Services and Input Languages window.

8. The Language Bar Settings window appears. To place a language bar icon in the taskbar, put a check in the checkbox Show the Language bar on the desktop. The other checkboxes will add more functionality to the language bar. By putting a check in the checkbox Show additional Language bar icons in the taskbar you can place more icons in the language bar that may prove helpful in using it.

9. Click OK to close the Language Bar Settings window. Click OK to close the Text Services and Input Languages window.  Click OK to close the Regional and Language Options window.

10. Windows XP will put the language bar icon in the taskbar.  From the language bar you can easily switch input between English and the various Chinese input methods you chose

 

All images above are Microsoft product screen shots reprinted with permission from Microsoft Corporation.