Geek Software of the Week: KeyTweak!
KeyTweak is a simple utility that allows users to redefine their keyboard input signals. The functionality is made possible by a registry value first documented in Windows 2000, but also present in Windows NT 4.0. and included in XP, Vista and Windows 7.
How Does It Work?
“Simply put, KeyTweak is just a front-end interface for editing a particular registry key. Microsoft did the low-level heavy lifting by creating this registry key. KeyTweak makes the editing of it a little less geeky.
Your keyboard communicates with your computer typically through a PS/2 port or a USB port. The data sent by your keyboard is referred to as Scan Codes. When you press a key, the ‘make’ scan code for that key is received by your computer’s i8042 controller chip. When you release a key, the ‘break’ scan code is sent. Prior to Windows 2000, device drivers had to be written to modify scan codes. Happily, Microsoft incorporated this feature into their operating system, thereby allowing fools like you and me to hack our registry and change the values to anything we see fit.”