Customizing Windows Operating Systems
There are many ways you can customize Windows operating systems to make your computer more accessible.
- Accessibility features have been built into Windows operating systems since the introduction of Windows 95. These features are useful for individuals who have difficulty typing or using a mouse, have moderately impaired vision, or who are deaf or hard-of-hearing. The features can be installed during setup, or you can add them later from your Windows installation disks. Look up "accessibility" in the Help Index for information about installing and using these features.
- Some of the accessibility features built into Windows operating systems can be added to earlier versions of those products, and to MS-DOS, through Access Pack files. You can download these files or you can order them on disks from Microsoft. (See details in "Accessibility Notes and Utilities to Download or Order" later in this topic.)
- You can also use Control Panel and other built-in features to adjust the appearance and behavior of Windows operating systems to suit varying vision and motor abilities. These include adjusting colors and sizes, sound volume, and the behavior of the mouse and keyboard.
- In Windows Millennium Edition, the majority of accessibility settings can be set through the Accessibility wizard or Control Panel. The Accessibility wizard presents features sorted by disability, making it easy to customize Windows to each individualÆs needs. The Accessibility wizard also enables you to save your settings to a file that can be used on another computer.
- Dvorak keyboard layouts make the most frequently typed characters on a keyboard more accessible if you have difficulty using the standard QWERTY layout. There are three Dvorak layouts: one if you are a two-handed user, one if you type with your left hand only, and one if you type with your right hand only. You do not need to purchase any special equipment to use these features.
The specific features available, and whether they are built-in or must be obtained separately, depend on which operating system you are using.
For full documentation on the accessibility features available in the operating system you are using, obtain the appropriate application notes listed below. Accessibility features are also documented in the Microsoft Windows 95 Resource Kit, the Microsoft Windows 98 Resource Kit, and the Microsoft Windows NT Resource Kit.
Accessibility notes and utilities to download
The following documents explain how to customize Windows operating systems for users with disabilities. Specific instructions for downloading the files immediately follow this list.
| For this |
You need |
| Customizing Windows for Individuals with Disabilities (describes all of the other documents in this list and includes links to download them; this article will be updated when new versions of Microsoft operating systems are released) |
Microsoft Knowledge Base article Q165486. |
| Customizing Microsoft Windows 98 for individuals with disabilities |
Cst_W98.exe |
| Customizing Microsoft Windows 95 for individuals with disabilities |
Cst_W95.exe |
| Customizing Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 for individuals with disabilities |
Cst_NT4.exe |
| Customizing Microsoft Windows NT 3.1 and 3.5 for individuals with disabilities (includes Access Pack for Microsoft Windows NT, which provides features for people who have difficulty using a keyboard or mouse, or who are deaf or hard-of-hearing). |
Cst_NT3x.exe |
| Customizing Microsoft Windows 3.1 for individuals with disabilities |
Cst_W3x.exe |
| Customizing Microsoft Windows for Workgroups 3.1 for individuals with disabilities |
Cst_WG3x.exe |
| Customizing Microsoft Windows 3.0 for individuals with disabilities |
Cst_W30.exe |
| Access Pack for Microsoft Windows 3.0 and 3.1, which provides features for people who have difficulty using a keyboard or mouse, or who are deaf or hard-of-hearing |
ACCP.exe |
| Dvorak keyboard layouts for people who type with one hand (already included in Windows NT version 3.5 and 4.0) |
GA0650.exe |
Downloading the files
If you have a modem or another type of network connection, you can download the accessibility files from the following network services:
- Microsoft Accessibility, at http://microsoft.com/enable.
- Support Online from Microsoft Product Support Services at http://support.microsoft.com/search. In the list labeled My search is about, choose All Microsoft Products, select Specific article ID number from the list labeled I want to search by:, and then enter Q165486 in the box labeled My question is. The search results will display a link to the Knowledge Base article, "Customizing Windows for Individuals with Disabilities," which includes links to all of the documents listed above about customizing Windows operating systems.
- For other accessibility articles, choose the appropriate application from the list labeled My search is about, and enter kbenable in the box labeled My question is.
- Microsoft Internet server at ftp.microsoft.com, in /softlib/mslfiles.