http://johnhaller.com/jh/useful_stuff/disable_caps_lock/

The post describes how to disable the caps lock key or remap it to a control key. And various other permutations to boot!

Here’s the registry information if you’re into running regedit.

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Keyboard Layout]
"Scancode Map"=hex:00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,02,00,00,00,1d,00,3a,00,00,00,00,00

Now if I could figure out how to disable my num lock key at startup… (edit: it’s a BIOS setting)

I’ve longed for a decent small keyboard for many spins round the sun now. It seems like a simple thing. Make a keyboard with no number pad with a bunch of keys on it suitable for a Windows computer. Simple! It should be wired with a USB connector because I don’t want to fiddle with batteries or yet another USB wireless dongle. The keys should be decent with good tactile feedback. They should also be full-sized. It should do these things and take up as little space on my desk as possible.

Enter the XGene Multimedia Mini Keyboard. Take a moment to have a look at it.

That’s it. Sitting above my Apple Wireless keyboard. You’ll note that I have different requirements for my PC keyboard compared to my Mac’s, otherwise, I’d just use one of those. So far, keyfeel is pretty solid. It requires a bit of force to type on this thing. I’ve had a couple of keys not register because I wasn’t typing hard enough. The keys themselves get a little tiny when you get out to the edges of the board. The outside right edge is bordered by home/page-up/down/end which means that they’ve shrunk the backspace, backslash and enter keys to accommodate. The same goes for the keys on the left, the tab, caps lock (now a control key) and escape keys are pretty smallish.

Backspace is probably the worst of the bunch because it’s surrounded by a home key, the equal sign, and the decades old and mysterious PrtSc, Scroll Lock and Pause Break keys. Trying to erase a mistake often leads to more mistakes and funny beeps. The backspace key should probably cover the whole top right of the keyboard the way I type.

It doesn’t get much better at the bottom of the keyboard. The space bar is small and shifted just far enough to the left that I often hit the tiny little “alt” key next to it, popping open a menu. Windows key, Context menu key, Ins and Del live next to it, all competing with the arrow keys. Yes, it is a little cramped.

We’ll see how it works for gaming though. The main keys are normal-sized so I’m hoping they won’t hinder my use of the ASDW keys. I’m already considering prying up some of the worst offenders around the edges.

Preliminary review: 3 stars.

Anyway, I was in the Future Shop today buying some blank discs, and noticed something pretty glowing through the aisles. I walked over and saw some iMacs burbling happily to themselves and their state-of-the-art USB keyboards dangling off the front of them. I pushed a couple of keys, thought, hey, these are really nice then did a quick look around for some Apple accessories. Sure enough, tucked away they had some of the wireless keyboards in the middle aisle.

I grabbed two of them —one for me and one for dria — and hurried out of the store before I could do any more damage to my credit rating.

I’m still getting used to typing on the little thing. It is from the future. Kind of a Journeyman of keyboards here on permanent loan. We’re still flirting a bit. Best of all, no more Logitech Crash Center!

listening to Bonus Track from the album “Gang Of Losers” by The Dears