Urdu Language Support in Windows XP

Since I have been using Urdu language support of Windows XP in MSN Messenger, emails and MSN Spaces, I am getting a lot of ?Wow! How did you do it?? questions. So I thought I should write a small HOW TO for using Urdu in Windows. To use Urdu in Windows, you need Windows XP. It wouldn?t work on Windows 98. The reason is the better support for Unicode in Windows XP.

To enable Urdu language support in Windows:

1. Go to Control Panel
2. Select Language and Regional Options
3. Select Languages tab
4. Check ?Install files for complex script?
5. Click OK

This will install additional files from your Windows XP CD and may require a reboot. After the reboot, follow these additional steps:

1. Go to Control Panel
2. Select Language and Regional Options
3. Select Languages tab
4. Click on Details
5. Click on Add
6. Select Urdu from the dropdown box
7. Click OK. Urdu will appear in Input Languages
8. Click OK on all dialog boxes

Now you are all set to use Urdu language in Windows XP. To switch to Urdu mode in any program, simply press left Alt + left Shift. Use the same key combination again to switch back to English. To change alignment of text to Right Alignment, press right Ctrl + right Shift. To change it back to Left Alignment, press left Ctrl + left Shift.

More Resources

Urdu Keyboard Layout: www.microsoft.com
Urdu Language Interface Pack for Office 2003: office.microsoft.com
Urdu Fonts and Layouts: www.crulp.org
Urdu Keyboard Overlay Stickers: www.datacal.com

I hope this helps!