Using Japanese IME

Michael Merritt · 04-05-2007

I have Vista Home Premium for my OS and I have recntly re-installed my system. The problem that I am having is I need to type in Japanese sometimes and I cannot get the Japanese IME to function correctly with my system. In addition, my system only recognizes my wireless Japanese keyboard as an HID compliant keyboard and the buttons dont match up.

Anyone have this problem? or have any ideas of what I can do to solve this?

One last thing, this whole thing did work for me one time before but for the life of me, I cannot remember what I did to get it working correctly.

xfile · 04-05-2007

Hi,

Hope the following helps:

(1) Windows Vista ? an ever expanding view of Internationalization :
http://www.microsoft.com/globaldev/v...sta.mspx#E4EAE

(2) How do I get additional language files?
http://windowshelp.microsoft.com/Win...b5ecc1033.mspx

(3) Change your input language:
http://windowshelp.microsoft.com/Win...352bc1033.mspx
Note: You may wish to see Change Keyboard Layout as well list at the bottom
of the page.

The first one gives detailed introductions to Vista's MUI capabilities.

I assume you're using Japanese version, if not, only Ultimate and Enterprise
may download additional language files. If you are using Japanese, you may
wish to set everything in Regional and Language Options (especially System
Local under Administrative) back to default values, which should all be
Japanese.

Hope this helps and good luck.

Stephan Rose · 05-05-2007

That is utterly ridiculous and I tell you why. Nobody should need to mess
with their regional settings to use another language keyboard. I personally
live in Germany right now and use a Japanese keyboard on a US version XP
machine! Nor would I want my regional settings in anything but the region I
am actually living in!

OS Language, Regional settings, Keyboard layout are 3 things that should not
be tied together in any way whatsover.

XP has only mild problems with this, it occasionally forgets my layout is
Japanese and revert to US layout forcing me to open the keyboard settings
and reset it. Does this randomly once every few days...this happens on BOTH
XP systems I use that have japanese keyboards so it is not specific to one
system.

But no OS should EVER force the user to change the entire operating system
language! I would not want my OS in Japanese or German even though I can
read both. 100% of my software is in english, so I want my OS in English.
Period.

A keyboard is nothing more than an input medium! There should be nothing
preventing a user from using a japanese input medium on a non-japanese
language operating system.

Btw, do you need Ultimate and a MUI as well to view asian languages and say
go to a japanese website? Just curious. =)

The only OS so far that I use that gets this all right is quite honestly
Linux. I can set my OS langauge to anything I want. I can set my keyboard
layout to anything I want regardless of OS language. IME works flawlessly
(something I can't say about the WinXP IME at times). It does not randomly
forget my settings. It simply just works....

xfile · 05-05-2007

Hi,

With all due respect but I guess you misunderstood the purpose of setting
the three things:

Nowhere did I mentioned viewing web sites do you need MUI and MUI is not
designed for that purpose.

Although I am a bit of confused about the new MUI included in Vista and
still learning it as it seems to include language packs in the past, but MUI
in the past is to display interface in the said language. It is not for
viewing web sites and I do seem mention that, maybe it's just your
understanding :)

That's fine for you. Nobody forces you to change. But in your case, it
seems that you have no experience in using a foreign language application,
especially those are not written in non-Unicode in your system. If that is
the case, you have literally no experience of what will it turn out in that
situation.

System local is designed for that purpose.

Again, nowhere did I say it is applied to anyone, maybe from your
imagination.

Of course, it is. And did I suggest it is not? As I mentioned in another
thread for someone who believed he already got IME for Chinese lanague but
still couldn't input Chinese, and suggested him to change keyboard to
Chinese input.

Overall, the three things are different, and can be used in combination.
You may only have 1-2 experiences in living and working in multinational
environment, and I can't say I have more or less, but our experience in
multination environment including application developments do tell us in
many cases, those need to be changed based on certain circumstances.

One final question, how do you know OP is not using Japanese version? Did
you read my lines, I said if you are using Japanese version, set everything
back to default and that means one's location and in this case it is assumed
to be in Japan, which is as you said - " Nor would I want my regional
settings in anything but the region I am actually living in!"

xfile · 05-05-2007

I wish to add something GOOD about Microsoft.

In dealing with multilanguage environment, Microsoft is way ahead of anyone
else, and this is one crucial factor favored by multinational companies
around the world regardless of its origin.

Ultimate edition, as far as I know, is the first consumer OS (without
business license) that can deal with multi-languages.

Image the following scenario - You have a foreign friend or relative come to
visit you without brining their heavy systems. You could simply change your
system to another language for their use, and switch back at a later time.

You could easily put that scenario into a business environment, such as for
business travelers and expatriates. In the future, maybe we only need a
pocket size HDD for data, or even that can be skipped, if we are traveling
to different countries.

That is the tangible benefit that we can realize and MS is ahead of anyone
else and we certainly hope it won't drop the ball.

Of course, I have much higher expectations to this company and it doesn't
mean I agree with everything they've designed.

But just to let some of you know that I do have something nice to say about
the company and reasons why many of us use their products.