Help with windows pinyin IME - all my text was changed

[Rrina]

Is there a way to make Windows XP leave traditional characters alone when using the MS Pinyin IME?

I'm referring to the first of instructions in this wonderful guide -

http://www.chinese-forums.com/index.php?/topic/14636-input-methods-for-typing-characters-and-pinyin

Everything works beautifully, and I was so glad to not to have to do cut-and paste.

But when I typed a few characters in a Word document which I had cut-and-pasted with traditional characters, Windows changed everything to simplified.

I'd like to ''tell'' Windows to leave everything else alone when using this... and to restore my document to the traditional format!

Actually, is there a way to type 'traditional' with Windows, or is this simplified version the only one? I'm learning on the traditional system and it's a drag to get the simplified.

Thanks!

[shibole]

To get traditional characters, "show" the language bar and click the button that looks like 简

[magus]

maybe you could try Google PinYin Input Method, which allows you to type traditional Chinese..

here: http://www.mydigitallife.info/2007/04/18/free-simplifiedtraditional-chinese-pinyin-input-method-ime-from-google/

or:

http://www.liewcf.com/blog/archives/2007/04/download-google-chinese-pinyin-input-method/

hopefully it could help

[Rrina]

To get traditional characters, "show" the language bar and click the button that looks like 简

I must be missing something because I don't see that one, only 中... and of course 英.

The only option I have chosen besides English and ''Microsoft Pinyin IME'' is ''Chinese [Traditional] US Keyboard''. But when I try to type with that, nothing happens...

[imron]

Download Google's pinyin IME, then right-click on the IME's toolbar. You will get a popup menu and one of the options will allow you to change to traditional.

[ipsi()]

EDIT: Bah, beaten by Imron who didn't do screenshots. Still, my way doesn't require downloading more stuff

It's not visible by default. You should see a little arrow somewhere on the language bar. Click it and you'll see a list of icons appear. One of those should be as posted above. Check the attached JPGs for help.

The first JPG shows the button you'll need to click (in the red circle). The second shows what you should see after you click. The icon in the green circle will appear (until unchecked) once you have selected the button in the red circle. As you can see, I've already done that, so on yours there should be no tick beside '简'. Tick it, and you'll see the icon in the green circle appear. When you click on that (the icon in the green circle), it will change between simplified and traditional. For converting stuff between them, you can give Google a shot (though it's never going to be perfect...).

Does that help any? Things might appear in a different position, but the idea's the same.

[Rrina]

Good you posted the screenshots - now I can see where's the problem. When I click on the arrow I only get half the menu!

My menu only goes up to the ''help'' icon; it doesn't show any of the neat icons you have between ''context menu'' and ''conversion mode''.

The little 英 and 中, the cute half moon and the ugly MS/PY square are visible only on the language bar itself, not on the menu.

It looks as if I'll have to download the google IME... But I'd love it if there was any way for this to work without downloading anything, indeed, because this is a cranky slow little computer and even small programs tend to give it arthritis. Also by now I'm curious to know why I don't have all those icons after installing the language bar...

In case it makes a difference: I'm using MS Word 2003 and Windows XP. Thanks all - even the simplified IME is a fantastic discovery for me.

[ipsi()]

Just to check: You are using MS Pinyin IME 3.0, right? If you're using something else, that might explain it. When I get home, I'll look around some more and post some more screen shots if need be.

[imron]

To get the extra buttons, click on the "additional icons in the taskbar" option, and then you'll have a whole lot more options to play with.

In any event, the google IME is far more advanced that the MS IME, and has far superior sentence prediction. It's worth downloading for that alone.