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Page Checked & Updated 1st June 2004

Non USA Keyboard Layouts

Default USA English QWERTY Keyboard Layout
This is the MS-DOS Default Keyboard setting. Even for United Kingdom versions. Some keys are different. The # Key is at 'Shift 3' where the UK £ symbol normally is, And the \ Key needed so much on the internet is not easy to find! Unless you state during MS-DOS setup the USA Keyboard is installed by default.

Example 1 - Lines to be added or edited for permanent QWERTY UK English Keyboard and Display Support under MS-DOS

[AUTOEXEC.BAT]
mode con codepage prepare=((850) c:\dos\ega.cpi)                          (850 = Codepage)    
mode con codepage select=850                                                          ( 850 = Codepage)
keyb uk,,c:\dos\keyboard.sys                                                             (uk = United Kingdom)

[CONFIG.SYS]
Device=c:\dos\display.sys con=(ega,,1)                                                                 
Country=044,850,c:\dos\country.sys                                                  (044 = Country Code, 850 = Codepage)  

UK English QWERTY Keyboard Layout

Example 2 - Lines to be added or edited for permanent AZERTY French Keyboard and Display Support under MS-DOS

[AUTOEXEC.BAT]
mode con codepage prepare=((850) c:\dos\ega.cpi)                          (850 = Codepage)    
mode con codepage select=850                                                          ( 850 = Codepage)
keyb fr,,c:\dos\keyboard.sys                                                              (fr = France)

[CONFIG.SYS]
Device=c:\dos\display.sys con=(ega,,1)                                                                 
Country=033,850,c:\dos\country.sys                                                  (033 = Country Code, 850 = Codepage) 

French AZERTY Keyboard Layout

(Blue highlights are files required to be in C:\DOS\ or C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\ if working with Windows 95/98)
(mode = mode.com & keyb = keyb.com) - (Red highlights are sections to edit for other country's)
If you use the keyb command with no Codepage Parameters or switches, MS-DOS lists the current keyboard
layout (keyboard code), the current keyboard’s related character set (code page), and the current
character set (code page) used by your keyboard and monitor. The information is displayed in the
following format: (Some countries do not need the Codepage to be set)

Download a copy of the MS-DOS 6 Command Reference for full details of above entries or other MS-DOS Commands in AUTOEXEC.BAT, CONFIG.SYS and at the Command Line (C:\    )

Codepage - Value Country/Language
437               United States                     (MS-DOS & Windows Default)
850               Multilingual (Latin I)
852               Slavic (Latin II)
860               Portuguese
863               Canadian-French
865               Nordic

      In the following table the Codepage is shown as xxx,yyy (i.e. 437,850 for the United Kingdom) Use the xxx setting for
      codepage in autoexec.bat, Use yyy are a second alternative setting.