Windows 95/98/ME - Configure your System for Yiddish
Adding Language Settings and a Keyboard

NOTE: This is an old, outdated web page. Instead, please download the Yiddish Keyboard Layouts Installer and you will have the most current, updated instructions. This page is remaining on the web only temporarily - until the Yiddish Keyboard Layout installer will be available on CD for those who wish to avoid large downloads.

If you came to this page directly, please click here for the complete list of Configuration Instructions for Windows 95/98/ME for Yiddish in Unicode.

The following instructions were gleaned, in large part, from Gyula Zsigri's web page. Thank you, Gyula!

1. Add Hebrew Language Support to Internet Explorer

• Method 1: It is recommended  you download the most current version of Internet Explorer (IE) for your operating system. (Version 6.0 is the current version as of September, 2001.) You must have version 5.0 or higher. (To check your version, open IE, click on Help, and then About.)

  • If you already have version 5.0 or higher and you do not wish to upgrade IE at this time, skip to Method 2, below.

  • To upgrade IE now, go to <www.microsoft.com>. Click on Downloads - Internet Explorer, and follow the instructions.

  • When you finish the installation, you'll be asked to Restart your computer. Then, skip to Step 2, below,  "Install a Yiddish keyboard layout".

• Method 2: If you already have version 5.0 or higher and you do not wish to upgrade IE at this time, you must install the Internet Explorer Language Support, as follows.

• Go to <http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/>.

• Click on Product Updates.

• Scroll down to International Language Support, and check Hebrew Text Support or Hebrew Language Support. Click Download. (Note - If you don't see Hebrew Language (or Text) Support on the list of languages, it may be because you'd previously added it to your computer. Nisht geferlekh. In that case, just go to the next steps.)

• To update your fonts, go to <http://www.microsoft.com/typography/fontpack/> and download the latest versions of the following 3 fonts: Arial, Times New Roman, and Courier New. Scroll down until you find each font, and then click on "current server" for the version for "windows 9x." When asked if you want to open the file or save it, click on "open" or "run from current location" and follow the instructions for each font.

2.  Install a Yiddish keyboard layout. This is software controlled. You do not need to buy a new physical keyboard. You can always change your mind later about which keyboard layout to use.  Note that your selection of a Yiddish keyboard layout does not affect your ability to exchange text with people who use different keyboard layouts. The resulting text is the same, whether you choose, for example, to type "O" for komets-alef (as in one of the "phonetic" keyboards) or Right-Alt+"R" for komets-alef (as in one of the "Israeli based" Yiddish keyboard layouts); the result is the same komets-alef.