Installed new laptop keyboard: Can't get € or £ symbols.

[Eug]

I have an Acer 1810TZ laptop, and it came with the irritating Canadian bilingual / international keyboard (which had the narrow Enter and left Shift keys).

I bought an OEM US keyboard for it and it works fine, except I can't seem to get the € or £ symbol, using Alt-Gr-5 or Alt-Gr-3. Alt-Gr-4 doesn't work either. I've tried the Canadian English US Keyboard layout and the US English US Keyboard layout (which is supposed to be the same).

I also tried Alt-0128 and it doesn't work either.

The function keys work fine.

 

[Ross Ridge]

I bought an OEM US keyboard for it and it works fine, except I can't seem to get the € or £ symbol, using Alt-Gr-5 or Alt-Gr-3. Alt-Gr-4 doesn't work either. I've tried the Canadian English US Keyboard layout and the US English US Keyboard layout (which is supposed to be the same).

I also tried Alt-0128 and it doesn't work either.

The standard US English keyboard layout doesn't have a Alt-Gr key. Also ALT-0128 needs to be typed on the number pad, which may be a problem if your notebook's keyboard doesn't have one.

You can try the US International layout, which does have an Alt-Gr key, and see if that works.

 

[corkyg]

For the pound sign, have tried turning NUM LOCK on and using Alt-156?

£ £ £

Will look for Euro.

Go to your word processor's symbol set, and copy/paste the € € € €

 

[Eug]

Ah I see. That Alt-Gr was new to me, but I didn't realize there was a US-International keyboard.

I just turned that on, and now I can get the € key by pressing Alt-Gr-5. BTW, this US international keyboard has the € symbol printed right on the 5 key in the bottom right corner. No £ symbol anywhere on the keyboard though. Alt-Gr-3 gives me ³ and Alt-Gr-4 give me ¤. However, I just discovered that Alt-Gr-Shift-4 gives the £ symbol. Perfect.

I do have a number pad, but it's one of those annoying integrated one that uses the uiojklm keys (since it's an 11" laptop). However, ALT-0128 and ALT-156 do work if I turn it on.

 

[Eug]

Hmmm... Another problem.

If I type the ' symbol, it doesn't work. If I type it again I get two of them. Same goes for the " symbol. Type it once and I get nothing. Type it twice and I get two of them. To print just one " I have to type it twice and then delete one of them. And I've just discovered it's the same problem with the ^ symbol and the ` and ~ symbols (top upper left).

As far as I can tell, everything else works fine.

 

[LiuKangBakinPie]

Sorry but I got to ask. The other day I was using my wifes laptop messing around with it. So I wanted to type the @ sign. I can see the @ sign I press it nada. What button do you have to push to get the uppercase symbols. I pressed shift and ctrl till I switched the laptop off went and looked for the hammer but realised it was my wifes laptop.

Again sorry OP if it looks like I barge in on your post im curious I was sitting in the same boat as you.

 

[Eug]

Hmmm... My double " problem disappears if I switch back to the regular US keyboard. Takes a reboot too. But of course I lose the Euro and Pound symbols. Arrgggh.

Sorry but I got to ask. The other day I was using my wifes laptop messing around with it. So I wanted to type the @ sign. I can see the @ sign I press it nada. What button do you have to push to get the uppercase symbols. I pressed shift and ctrl till I switched the laptop off went and looked for the hammer but realised it was my wifes laptop.

What keyboard layout is she using? Try going to the regular US keyboard layout, and then rebooting. Then see what happens.

In Windows 7, go to Control Panel --> Clock, Language, and Region - Change keyboards or other input methods.

 

[Ross Ridge]

If I type the ' symbol, it doesn't work. If I type it again I get two of them. Same goes for the " symbol. Type it once and I get nothing. Type it twice and I get two of them. To print just one " I have to type it twice and then delete one of them. And I've just discovered it's the same problem with the ^ symbol and the ` and ~ symbols (top upper left).

It's apparently some sort of mini-IME (input method editor) for entering accented characters. Type a vowel after pressing one of these keys (or an 'n' after typing ~) and you should see an accented character. You can get a single character by pressing space after pressing one of these problem keys.

Unless you actually need to type euro and pound currency symbols in regular use on your computer, I'd just go with the standard US keyboard layout. If you have occasional use for these characters you can set up a hotkey to switch between keyboard layouts. Use the "Advanced Key Settings" tab of the control panel you used to change the layout.

 

[Eug]

Thanks. I've since gone back to the standard US keyboard.

These keyboard layouts are pretty counterintuitive IMO. I guess Americans never need the Euro symbol... Truthfully, I don't use it much either, but I would have guessed that something like this would be standard as a simple shortcut.

(On the Mac for example, the US keyboard is Option-# for the UK pound, Option-$ for the cents symbol, and Option-Shift-@ for the Euro symbol. The first two are intuitive. The last one isn't really, but at least it's easy.)

 

[corkyg]

You're right - in the USA we almost never use the Euro symbol. And, like I said, if it is needed it is always in word processor symbols and can be copied and pasted, like so . . . €

It is also possible to install a font that contains it. I.e.:

http://www.softlist.net/program/euro_sign_mono_truetype_font-software.html

http://www.softlist.net/program/euro_sign_truetype_font-software.html