Source: Dr. Dwight Stephens, NCSU Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures
www4.ncsu.edu/~dfstephe
 
Note:  Do not install French as your language. It will alter your keyboard and create French spellchecks which will drive you crazy in English.  Use my system.

Here's how to do it:

Windows 3.11
1. Click on Control Panel.
2. Click on Keyboard.
3. For Keyboard Layout choose International - US from the menu.
    (You may have to double-click on the existing language to get the other possibilities to appear as
    a dropdown.)
    You may be required to insert one of your Windows diskettes or CD-ROM.
4. Click OK.
5. When finished, shut down your system.
6. Restart your system.
 
Window 95-98, 2000, etc.
1.  Click Start, then Control Panel, then Settings.
2.  Double-click Keyboard icon.
3.  Click on Language tab.
4.  Click on Properties button.
5.  Choose United States - International from the menu.
    (You may have to double-click on the existing language to get the other possibilities to appear as
    a dropdown.)
6.  Click OK.
7.  You may be required to insert your Windows CD-ROM.
8.  When finished, shut down your system.
9.  Restart your system.
 
Windows XP
1.  Log on.
2.  Click the Start button.
3.  Click on Control Panel.
4.  Click Date, Time, Language, and Regional Options
5.  Click Regional and Language Options - a new window will open.
6.  Click the Languages tab.
7.  Click on Text services and Input Languages.
8.  Click on Details...
9.  Window will appear entitled Settings.
10. Under Installed Services, click Add.
11. A new window will open called Add Input Language.
12. Click Keyboard Layout/IME.
13. Scroll down and highlight United States-International.
14. Highlight (by clicking) Keyboard United States International
15. Above, where it says Default Input Language, click on the small arrow to the right of English
    United States, and highlight (choose) English (United States)-United States International.
16. Click OK.
17. Click OK.
 
Note to XP users: You will now have a keyboard icon on the taskbar (usually on the lower right side of your screen). To switch between keyboard layouts (in other words, to turn off or on the accents) double-click the keyboard layout icon and then single-click the choice you want, US or International.
 

Using the U.S. - International Keyboard

Now, to type the accents:

To get acute-accented e (é): type first apostrophe, then e.

To get grave-accented e or a (è,à): type first the grave accent (upper left-hand corner of the keyboard), then e or a.

To get circumflex-accented e or a (ê, â): type first the circumflex accent (shift key plus 6), then e or a.

To get c-cedilla (ç): type first apostrophe, then c. If you need capital C-cedilla, type first apostrophe, then capital C.

To get trema, also called dieresis, the two dots over a letter (ö): type first " (quotation mark, i.e., shift key plus apostrophe), then the letter.

Now, to get apostrophes, you'll have to use the spacebar after the apostrophe key.  For example, to get j'ai, type first j - then apostrophe key - then spacebar - then a.   A little practice, and you won't even have to think about it!

Final note about XP:  if your computer keeps 'voluntarily' shifting back to English US Keyboard, it's because it hasn't accepted International as the default keyboard.  Here's how to set it:

Open Control Panel
Double-click  Date, Time, Language, and Regional Options
Double-click Regional and Language Options
Single-click Languages
Under Text Services and Input Language,  single-click Details...
Under Settings, look at Default Input Language
Specify English (United States)--United States International
Click OK.