My site http://WinRus.com
has a section
the Russian letters are located where the closest English letters are:
'O'-'O', 'A'-'A', 'T'-'T', Russian 'Ô' - English 'F', etc.
MS Windows offers to have several keyboard layouts for one language...
A user can choose as 'active' one of the existing layouts.
This alternative layout approach is covered in details in the section mentioned above and here
is the direct link to the coverage text:
This set of files is to add to the Windows system (see instruction below, after the images)
a new Russian keyboard
Below is the image of such layout as well as the images of some other Phonetic variants offered in the section mentioned above (not included into ZIP file you are working with now).
Symbol 'number' - ¹ - that a Standard Russian layout has, can be obtained on Phonetic layout,
Symbol currency Euro - via a combination of buttons
NOTE. The Phonetic layout section offers two more variants of the location of the letters and symbols, each has its own ZIP file. Please see the images of those variants and links to their ZIP files at the bottom of this page.
Please find, among the files here, one called setup and click on it.
You'll see a windows with
That's it! Now if you switch to "RU" you'd work with this Phonetic layout.
If you already activated Standard layout before, you'd rather remove it to have just Phonetic layout working as "RU" (only one layout can be 'active"):
Control Panel / "Regional and Language Options" -
(under
if you see there that for language "Russian" you have two active
(under Vista you need to click on '+' next to word "Russian" to see active layouts),
then place cursor to "Russian" layout line (which is right above
Click again on the same
it will offer you two
Or you can just remove Phonetic layout from the list of active layouts, choosing another layout as 'active" for "RU".
By the way, if you install and use such Russian Phonetic layout at home, then you will be able to type the same way, with the same layout, while outside of your home.
It's handy! Typing Russian with the same layout both at home and say in Internet-cafe in Barcelona!
Just visit my Virtual Keyboard page "type as at home" where one types using regular keyboard (though mouse-based input works, too):
http://Kbd.WinRus.com
You just choose there, in "Phonetic layouts" menu, same layout - "YaWert" and type exactly as at home!
Here is the image of the 1st additional variant I offer. It differs from the main one only
by assignments for Russian letters 'Æ' and 'Â'.
This variant of Phonetic layout is usually called "YaZHert", because Russian 'Æ' is assigned to 'W':
It can be downloaded as kbdru_zh.zip and Info page there has all the information needed.
Here is the image of the 2nd additional variant I offer. It's called "Student" and is also widely used:
It can be downloaded as student.zip and Info page there has all the information needed.