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When you press the kanji hotkey to change from half-width input mode to full-width input mode on a Windows XP SP2-based computer, the IME input mode may not change

Article ID: 895564

SYMPTOMS

You are using the Japanese Input Method Editor (IME) on a Japanese version of a Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2)-based computer. To provide input to a user interface in a program such as Microsoft Office Outlook 2003, you press the kanji hotkey on the keyboard to change from half-width input mode to full-width input mode. However, the IME input mode may not change.

Note This problem does not occur in Windows XP Service Pack 1 (SP1). Also, if you press ALT together with the kanji hotkey, the input mode is changed as expected. However, if you press A or any other character key together with the kanji hotkey, duplicated full-width Japanese hiragana characters appear unexpectedly.

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CAUSE

This problem occurs because duplicate KS_DOWN messages are sent to the operating system when you press the kanji hotkey.

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RESOLUTION

Hotfix information

A supported hotfix is available from Microsoft. However, this hotfix is intended to correct only the problem that is described in this article. Apply this hotfix only to systems that are experiencing this specific problem. This hotfix might receive additional testing. Therefore, if you are not severely affected by this problem, we recommend that you wait for the next software update that contains this hotfix.

If the hotfix is available for download, there is a "Hotfix download available" section at the top of this Knowledge Base article. If this section does not appear, contact Microsoft Customer Service and Support to obtain the hotfix.

Note If additional issues occur or if any troubleshooting is required, you might have to create a separate service request. The usual support costs will apply to additional support questions and issues that do not qualify for this specific hotfix. For a complete list of Microsoft Customer Service and Support telephone numbers or to create a separate service request, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://support.microsoft.com/contactus/?ws=support

(http://support.microsoft.com/contactus/?ws=support)

Note The "Hotfix download available" form displays the languages for which the hotfix is available. If you do not see your language, it is because a hotfix is not available for that language.

Prerequisites

No prerequisites are required.

Restart requirement

You do not have to restart the computer after you apply this hotfix.

Hotfix replacement information

This hotfix does not replace any other hotfixes.

File information

The English version of this hotfix has the file attributes (or later file attributes) that are listed in the following table. The dates and times for these files are listed in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). When you view the file information, it is converted to local time. To find the difference between UTC and local time, use the Time Zone tab in the Date and Time tool in Control Panel.

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File name	File version	File size	Date	Time	Platform
Msctfime.ime	5.1.2600.2657	177,152	19-Apr-2005	08:53	Not Applicable

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STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed in the "Applies to" section.

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MORE INFORMATION

Steps to reproduce the problem

The following steps use Outlook 2003 as an example. However, this problem may also occur when you use other programs.

Log on to a computer that is running the Japanese version of Windows XP SP2.
Install the Japanese version of Microsoft Office 2003 on this computer.
Use a Japanese keyboard with the full-width/half-width hotkey.
In Outlook 2003, set an Outlook profile to log on to one mailbox. You can configure Outlook 2003 to log on to your own mailbox.
In Outlook 2003, set another profile to log on to any other mailbox. It can be a dummy mailbox instead of a real one.
Configure Outlook 2003 to use the Prompt for a profile to be used option instead of the Always use this profile option.
Start Outlook 2003. The Choose Profile dialog box is displayed.
Select the profile that logs on to your own mailbox.
On the Tools menu, click Address Book. Or, on the Tools menu, point to Find, and then click Advanced Find.
Type some text in the user interface. The IME input mode is in half-width input mode.
Press the half-width/full-width hotkey on the lower-left part of the Japanese keyboard. The IME input mode does not change to full-width Japanese hiragana.