Most conventional PS/2 keyboards connected to fixed terminals or laptops come with standard settings. Even if the equipment breaks down, you can afford to buy a new keyboard, because it costs a penny. With laptops, the situation is somewhat more complicated. Keyboard replacement is not cheap. Therefore, instead of buying it, you have to solve the problem of how to remap the keys on the keyboard of Windows 7 or another system if some buttons do not work. This can be done in several ways. But not all of them are very simple. At the very least, you can get confused in the native tools of Windows systems. But for the sake of completeness, we will consider all methods.
What is key remapping for?
Let's start with laptops. The main problem isin that different manufacturers add additional keys to keyboards or set standard buttons to execute different commands and start processes.
And the difference is especially noticeable when using Windows on Apple computer devices. But in the Windows systems themselves, some buttons and keys have not been used by many users for a long time (for example, the same CapsLock button, which many people accidentally press when typing). It is in such situations that we have to solve the problem of how to remap the keys on the Windows 7 keyboard on a laptop or on a stationary terminal, or disable some buttons completely. It goes without saying that the proposed solutions can be applied when the keys are not working, and some even specially “sharpen” their keyboards for more comfortable control of processes in modern computer games.
How to remap keys on a Windows 7 keyboard without third party software?
First of all, consider the methodology proposed by the developer of Windows systems. To do this, you need to download a small applet designed to control the keyboard and pointing device (mouse) on the Microsoft website.
How to remap keys on a Windows 7 keyboard using this app? There is nothing easier! After starting the program, you need to select your device from the list and use the basic parameters. A list will appearcurrent settings. To change the assignment of a command to a specific key, use the display of all commands. After selecting the button and the desired command, you just need to save the current setting. If button deactivation is required, the button/key disable option is used.
How to remap keys on a Windows 7 keyboard: registry
You may or may not use the above applet. By and large, the question of how to remap the keys on the Windows 7 keyboard can also be solved through the registry. But here some difficulties may arise, since for each key you need to know its scan code in hexadecimal.
So, first, the regedit command calls the registry editor (mandatory with administrator rights), after which the transition is made along the HKLM branch through the SYSTEM and CurrentControlSet directories to the Keyboard Layout directory. To replace one code with another, it is necessary to create a new line parameter through the RMB menu in the right window, specifying the name Scancode Map for it, then enter the editing window, and first enter the scan code of the key in the window, the function of which will be performed after reassignment, then enter the new key code.
For example, to reassign a space to the right "Image" the combination looks like this: 0E 00 38 E0. To disable a key (let's take CapsLock as an example), the combination must start with four zeros and will look like 00 00 3A00. As is already clear, the process is quite laborious, since you need to know not only the codes and the order in which they are entered. Remapping can only be done once, so many new string parameters will have to be created.
MapKeyboard Application
In order not to deal with such complex procedures and solve the problem of how to remap keys on the Windows 7 keyboard in an easier way, it is better to use some utilities designed for this. One of these is a small program called MapKeyboard.
After launching the application, a virtual keyboard will appear. First of all, you need to select a button or key, the function or symbol of which will be reassigned, then a new key is selected from the scrollable list to the right, called by the Remap selected key line, and then the Save layout confirmation button is pressed. Next, a reassignment notification will follow, and the changes will be activated only after a complete restart of the computer.
SharpKeys
Another simple program is SharpKeys. Alas, if you decide how to remap the keys on the Windows 7 keyboard, the Fn button in particular, you cannot use it. It is better to use other solutions (the program does not recognize this key, and when changing Cyrillic letters, you need to use similar keys in the Latin layout).
The question is how to remap keys toWindows 7 keyboard is just as easy to solve. First, the Add button is used, after which the “reassignable” button is selected, and a new action or symbol is selected in the list on the right (the topmost Turn Key Off line is used to completely disable it). Upon completion of the actions, the Write To Registry button is pressed (saving the parameters in the system registry), and a reboot follows.
MKey Applet
Finally, another very interesting utility called MKey or Media Key. After installation, it will be in the system tray.
In the running program, the add button is pressed, then the key to be reassigned is marked, after that the pressing emulation line is marked, and a new button is selected from the list below. Now it remains to click on the button with the image of a diskette at the very bottom to save the changes.
By the way, it is this program that allows you not only to reassign individual buttons. With it, you can create your own "hot" combinations, including combinations with the Fn key, as well as customize any manipulators, gamepads and other similar equipment.
Instead of afterword
It remains to find out the most important question: what exactly to prefer for setting such settings? I think most users will agree that using the registry editor is quite troublesome. And of the programs reviewed, perhaps it is best to choose MKey, since the application has more features compared tothe first two applets and is completely Russified. By the way, please note that before using any of the presented methods, it is first recommended to create a restore point in case of an emergency. But in any program, even after reassignment, you can set the standard default settings by completely resetting the settings.
And, of course, only the most popular methods and programs were considered here, since today there are quite a lot of such applications on the computer software market. But they all work according to similar principles, and the interface does not differ much.
