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Can't (completely) remove language keyboard layout
I have searched high and low and no one else seems to have had this issue, or at least I coudln't find it, so here goes:
(Using Windows 10 Home 64 bit with all the latest normal updates).
I used Microsoft Keyboard Layout Creator to create a custom keyboard, based on and nested within the US English keyboard configuration. Within that program in the "Description" in the Options menu I had a long description that also contained backslashes. When I compiled the installer and ran it, the installer came up with errors and said to run it again. I figured this might be the problem. So I ran the installer file and chose to remove the keyboard, so I could remove the old DLL file.
So far, no problem.
I then edited the file and recompiled it within MKLC. I reinstalled it and again it gave me an error. This time I re-ran the setup file and chose to repair, and it said it was successful. Sure enough, the keyboard is there and it works.... BUT it has the description from the previous keyboard (they both had the same name).
So, look, long story short, here is what the issue is. If I go to Settings-> Time and Language -> Region then I have "US English" installed as the only language, which is correct. When I click it and choose "Options," it currently only has "US QWERTY" installed as a keyboard. If I choose "Add a new keyboard" then ---- and here is the problem --- the custom keyboard I had installed AND uninstalled is listed there four times, all of them with the old/long description that was only included in the first installation!
I am still working out the kinks with this custom keyboard, before it gets distributed to friends who are working on a text input project with me. So I might be installing and uninstalling it a few times before I am 100% happy with it. But why is it not disappearing from the list?
Basically, somewhere within Windows, however it stores the information for the US English language input, it has a number of keyboards installed/associated with it. That is where I need to get my dirty little paws.
I am not having a problem with the language bar showing up, or with the keyboard not being removed... When I remove it from the active keyboards it is gone, my system is like normal. But when I want to add a new keyboard there it lurks, even though it has been repeatedly uninstalled AND even though the newer versions of the installer package had a different description!
And the real reason this is a problem is because when I distribute this keyboard to others, I want to be confident in what it will appear as in their system, and so forth. I want to make sure the new description is included, not the old one, and so forth. But no matter what I do, all I keep getting is the same description with each subsequent build, regardless of what I compiled using MKLC. I could list it as a different keyboard, English UK or something like that, but really at this point I want to know why even after uninstalling it the keyboard is still lurking, and how to get rid of it entirely...
ALSO - Even though I have uninstalled it, if I choose to add one of those keyboards? It works fine. Well, the input is fine. But in the language bar it shows that keyboard always highlighted, whether it is active or not...
::Edit:: Just to add:
(1) Yes, I have restarted Windows a few times in this process, without any change;
(2) Whether I access the language settings through the Control Panel or through the Region and Language menus the issue is the same. The way those two menus lay out the options are different, but in the end I have the same issue, underneath the US English language option I have this keyboard listed 4 times with the old name;
(3) I have seen suggestions abuot deleting or modifying the registry key HKEY_USERS.DEFAULT\Keyboard Layout\Preload , but that seems to be dealing with which keyboards are installed and/or showing up in the language bar. My custom keyboard is not showing up the language bar, and not giving me that kind of problem, so I do no think that is the solution... Though within that folder in my registry I have an entry for "1" which has a value of 00000409 which is US English and then an entry of "(Default)" which is not defined.
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