Step 1: After you unzip the file, double-click on setup.exe. The Asset Layout will be installed automatically, but it is not activated at first.
Step 2: To replace Caps Lock with backspace, you must run "Caps to backspace.reg". The change will take effect when you restart your computer (but wait until the end of the instructions to restart.) Please note: there is no replacement key for Caps Lock, i.e. no way to turn on Caps Lock.
You must use the Control Panel to activate the layout. Microsoft keeps changing how the Control Panel works, so there are separate instructions for Windows XP and Windows 7.
Step 3: Open the "Regional and Language options" (if your Control Panel has a blue background instead of a white one, you'll have to open "Date, Time, Language, and Regional Options" before you get to "Regional and Language options").
Step 4: Open the "Languages" tab, then click "Details".
Step 5: Hopefully, the Asset keyboard is already listed under "Installed Services". But if not, Click "Add". Under "Input Language", select "English (United States)". Under "Keyboard Layout/IME", select "Asset" or "Asset - EO/ES/EN" depending on which version you installed. Click OK. "Asset" or "Asset - EO/ES/EN" now appears in the list.
Step 6: Under "Default input language", choose "English - United States (Asset)" or "English - Asset - EO/ES/EN" depending on which version you installed.
By the way, on this "Settings" tab there is a "Key settings" button which leads to yet another box that controls the key combination that will switch between Asset and your original layout. Normally the combo is set to "Left Alt + Shift". REMEMBER THIS COMBINATION, because in certain situations (e.g. on the Welcome screen), pressing this pair of keys (at once) is the only way to switch between layouts. Unfortunately, Windows will not give you any indication when the layout changes, except of course that the keys put out different letters. Also, unfortunately, the key layout is a "per-application setting", which means if you change the active layout in one application, it will not change in the others. In my opinion this is very confusing and a bad decision by Microsoft.
Click OK repeatedly until the Control Panel stuff is closed.
Step 7: Asset will not work until you restart your computer. So if you want, put some stickers on your keyboard keys and write new labels. Then restart your computer.
How to disable Asset (permanently): To restore Caps Lock, run the file "Clear Remapping.reg", which came in the zip file.
Then, open the "Regional and Language options" control panel again. Open the "Languages" tab, then click "Details". Select Asset from the list of "Installed Services", then click "Remove". Click OK repeatedly until the Control Panel stuff is closed. You should restart your computer to ensure that the changes take effect.
Step 3: If your Control Panel is showing 8 categories, find the one called "Clock, Language, and Region" and click "Change keyboards or other input methods". If your Control Panel has lots of icons, click "Region and Language" instead -- thanks Microsoft for giving two different names to everything.
Step 4: Open the "Keyboards and Languages" tab, then click "Change keyboards".
Step 5: Hopefully, the Asset keyboard is already listed under "Installed services". But if not, click "Add". Under "Add Input Language", open the "English (United States)" section, and under "Keyboard", find "Asset" or "Asset - EO/ES/EN" depending on which version you installed. Click OK. "Asset" or "Asset - EO/ES/EN" now appears in the list.
Step 6: Under "Default input language", choose "Asset" or "Asset - EO/ES/EN".
By the way, on this "Text Services and Input Languages" dialog there is an "Advanced key settings" tab which controls the key combination that will switch between Asset and your original layout. Normally the combo is set to "Left Alt + Shift". Nowadays I turn this off because it is too easy to switch layouts accidentally; but it might be useful to enable a shortcut key that changes directly to Asset (or Qwerty). Just click a layout for which you want a shortcut key, click "Change Key Sequence", and choose a key combination.
Unfortunately, Windows will not give you any indication when the layout changes, except of course that the keys put out different letters. Even more unfortunately, the key layout is a "per-application setting", which means if you change the active layout in one application, it will not change in the others. In my opinion this is very confusing and this behavior was a very bad decision by Microsoft.
Step 7 (optional): If you want to be able to use your mouse to switch back to the standard Qwerty layout, click the "Language Bar" tab and then "Docked in the taskbar". When you click Apply, there should be an icon that looks like a keyboard on the bottom/ right area of the taskbar. When you click this icon, you will get a list of installed keyboard layouts so you can switch between them.
Click OK repeatedly until the Control Panel stuff is closed.
Step 8: If you want, put some stickers on your keyboard keys and write new labels. Restart your computer for the backspace-as-caps-lock feature to take effect, and for all apps to use the new default layout (Asset).
How to disable Asset (permanently): To restore Caps Lock, run the file "Clear Remapping.reg", which came in the zip file.
To remove access to Asset, open the "Region and Language" control panel again. Open the "Keyboards and Languages" tab, then click "Details". Select Asset from the list of "Installed Services", then click "Remove". Click OK repeatedly until the Control Panel stuff is closed.
To uninstall completely, go to the "Programs and Features" Control Panel (which is called "Uninstall a program" in Category view), right-click "Asset - EO/ES/EN" or "United States-Asset" and choose "Uninstall".
