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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: jayfinger on Sun, 25 September 2011, 11:09:07
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Probably a weird request for swapping those keys, but I'm running Win7 on a MacBook Pro. I want to swap these keys because on a Mac the Alt key is to the left of the Command key (used as the Windows key), which is different from PC keyboards. I want to swap them so that I don't have to think about it when I'm switching from from the MBP to a real PC keyboard.
I would prefer to do this with the registry setting (in ...\Keyboard Layout\Scancode Map). Anybody have the right values for that?
Instructions for how to do this in AutoHotKey would also work. I prefer the registry setting because it's in effect all the time, and not just after I log in and start AHK.
Thanks!
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You're looking for an application called KeyTweak. It let's you swap keys to your hearts content. You can either select from a list, or use what it calls "Teach" mode to just press the keys you want to swap.
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Thanks!
And at the same time you were posting that, I found SharpKeys and got it set up how I wanted. Ok, I just played with KeyTweak and does basically the same thing: a GUI around the low level registry entry that the Windows keyboard driver reads. They're both exactly what I want.
In case anybody else wants to do this, here's my remapping (put this into a .reg file, save it, and import with RegEdit). It does the follow:
Caps Lock --> Control (I do this on all my Windows machines, for emacs and frankly anything else)
Bottom Row: remaps so that Macbook Pro works as:
Fn, Control, Windows, Alt, Space, Windows, ContextMenu
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Keyboard Layout]
"Scancode Map"=hex:00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,05,00,00,00,1d,00,3a,00,5b,e0,38,00,\
38,00,5b,e0,5d,e0,38,e0,00,00,00,00
What would now make this perfect is to find some new keys for the MBP so that the legends were correct: a 1-unit Windows key and a 1.25-unit Alt key. But for the squirelly MBP keyboard.
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Oh crap. No Ctrl-Alt-Del doesn't work. Everything is fine once logged in. But the only way to log in is to pull up the on-screen keyboard and click on Ctrl-Alt-Del. Ouch! Anybody have any ideas?
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Really? I remap control all the time that way, and never have an issue with it.
Silly suggestion: try using the original location of Alt. See if that works. Though, the new one should be system wide...
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Are there any per user settings in those programs? If not, I can't think of why that would be a thing.
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Ctrl-Alt-Del was a special key combination that was supposed to provide a measure of security at the login screen, since it could not be captured by any other utility than Windows itself. It's completely possible that any key remapping software will simply not work at the login screen, but I'm not familiar with the software in question.
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you dont need any kind of application for this, i've done this switch as well. Its simple system preferences drop down panel swapping.
1_ Open System Preferences
2_ Click on keyboard
3_ Click on the Keyboard tab
4_ Click on Modifier Keys (bottom right)
5_ Use the dropdown menu to select USB Keyboard
6_ Swap command for option, and option for command.
That easy.
-Trowa
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Why gundam wing?
Also, he's asking about doing it in windows, not the mac os.
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Why gundam wing?
Also, he's asking about doing it in windows, not the mac os.
It worked for me that way... as I used to run 7 on my mbp as well.
Well because I pilot one? My name is Trowa Barton you know.
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Really? I remap control all the time that way, and never have an issue with it.
Silly suggestion: try using the original location of Alt. See if that works. Though, the new one should be system wide...
Forgot to hold down "fn" while hitting the delete/backspace key. It's Ctrl-Alt-Fn-Delete :-) Works fine as long as my head isn't up my butt.
And it works with the remapped keys. The labels on the keycaps are Ctrl-Command-Fn-Delete.
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Oh, right, that ridiculous Mac laptop layout. I always forget about that.