Problem with pinyin input in Word

[jerry42]

I use Windows XP and Word 2002 and input pinyin using Microsoft Pinyin IME 3.0 -- and I have a small problem: once in a while for no reason that I can fathom, the pinyin input stops working. That is, I'm happily typing along, dots underneath the pinyin for simplified Chinese, bringing up characters -- and then all of a sudden no more dots, just plain English letters, no characters. The same thing happens from time to time when I'm inputting pinyin in email. Tweaking Settings/Text Services and Input Languages does no good.

Anyone have any idea what might cause this? I've had the problem for a couple of years. The only solution is to save what I have written, restart the computer, and continue where I left off.

[muirm]

Most Chinese IMEs have an English mode as well where you can easily type the occasional English word without having to switch your whole language back to English. Could you be entering this mode by mistake (perhaps by pressing shift or some other modifier key)? If that isn't it then I would try switching to a better IME like sogou or google.

[JenniferW]

From time to time I get what sounds like the same thing. If I then switch input keyboard, back to English, and then switch back to Chinese input, it then works again. Annoying, but as it only happens from time to time I put up with it - and I'm working on a computer that's acquired a variety of glitches, so I wasn't surprised.

I've also been using the wonderful pinyininput which I downloaded from this forum, and today that's shown a glitch! The tone marks have suddenly switched to being placed over the word-final letter, regardless of the letter, and then occasionally in the space following a word. I'm hoping I can remedy this by uninstalling and then re-installing.

[xianhua]

I used to suffer with a similar problem whereby Chinese input would disappear and no amount of key pressing would bring it back. As muirm suggests, download an alternative. I downloaded sougou a few months back and have been using this without issue - so far. There are numerous other advantages such as wider recognition of names.

[dali3927]

yeah, as everyone mentioned, I would strongly recommend Google pinyin input or Sogou pinyin, they are very similar both very good, I've using Google pinyin for years now, i liked it, and it's much faster than Microsoft pinyin

Here is where you can download:

Google pinyin : http://www.google.com/ime/pinyin/

Sogou pinyin: http://pinyin.sogou.com/

[马盖云]

I use MS IME as well, and the same thing happens to me quite often. I think it does indeed get stuck in English mode while it still says: "CH" on the language bar. Sometimes when the language bar is shown full size, you can see that you are in this mode. Not sure what keystroke combos we are doing to get into it! But ,yeah, clicking EN than back to CH usually clears it up. Also, Iv'e noticed that it seems to keep track of the language differently "per window", so if you enter text in more than one active window, that could be confusing as well.

[skylee]

I use MS IME as well, and the same thing happens to me quite often.

I agree. I also use MS IME at office (sogou IME not allowed there).