I delete ALL "kbd*.dll" files...which are for foreign language keyboard layouts, except for "kbdus.dll" which is the United States Keyboard layout, and the one I use.

A WORD OF CAUTION about kbd*.dlls. kbd*.dlls are Keyboard Layout files. My settings are for U.S. English, so I only need and keep the "kdbdus.dll". All others I remove from system32.

I've heard about another way to go about deleting the kdb*.dlls your system doesn't need. I've never tried this command, but if you would like to try, it here it is: Go to Start > Run. Copy and paste this in and click OK: del c:\windows.alt\system32\kbd*.dll
Supposedly, this will remove all the kdb*.dlls your system doesn't need.

KBDAL.DLL > Albania Keyboard Layout
kbdaze.dll > Azerbaijan_Cyrilic
kbdazel.dll > Azerti-Latin
kbdbe.dll > Belgian Dutch
kbdbene.dll > Belgian
kbdblr.dll > Belarusian
kbdbr.dll > Brazillian
kbdbu.dll > Bulgarian
kbdca.dll > Canadian Multilingual
kbdcan.dll > Canadian National Standard
kbdcr.dll > Croatian/Slovenian
kbdcz.dll > Czech
kbdcz1.dll > Czech_101
kbdcz2.dll > Czech_Programmer's
kbdda.dll > Dannish
kbddv.dll > Dvorak US English
kbdes.dll > Spanish Alternate
kbdest.dll > Estonia
kbdfc.dll > Canadian French
kbdfi.dll > Finnish
kbdfo.dll > Faeroese
kbdfr.dll > French
kbdgae.dll > Gaelic
kbdgkl.dll > Greek_Latin
kbdgr.dll > German
kbdgr1.dll > German_IBM
kbdhe.dll > Greek IBM 220
kbdhe220.dll > Greek IBM 319
kbdhe319.dll > Greek
kbdhela2.dll > Greek IBM 220 Latin
kbdhela3.dll > Greek IBM 319 Latin
kbdhept.dll > Greek_Polytonic
kbdhu.dll > Hungarian
kbdhu1.dll > Hungarian 101-key
kbdic.dll > Icelandic
kbdir.dll > Irish
kbdit.dll > Italian
kbdit142.dll > Italian 142
kbdkaz.dll > Kazak_Cyrillic
kbdkyr.dll > Kyrgyz
kbdla.dll > Latin-American Spanish
kbdlt.dll > Lithuania
kbdlt1.dll > Lithuanian
kbdlv.dll > Latvia
kbdlv1.dll > Latvia-QWERTY
kbdmac.dll > FYROMacedonian_Cyrillic
kbdmon.dll > Mongolian
kbdne.dll > Dutch
kbdnec.dll > JP Japanese Keyboard Layout for (NEC PC-9800)
kbdno.dll > Norwegian
kbdpl.dll > Polish
kbdpl1.dll > Polish Programmer's
kbdpo.dll > Portuguese
kbdro.dll > Romanian
kbdru.dll > Russian
kbdru1.dll > Russia(Typewriter)
kbdsf.dll > Swiss French
kbdsg.dll > Swiss German
kbdsl.dll > Slovak
kbdsl1.dll > Slovak(QWERTY)
kbdsp.dll > Spanish
kbdsw.dll > Swedish
kbdtat.dll > Tatar_Cyrillic
kbdtuf.dll > Turkish F
kbdtuq.dll > Turkish Q
kbduk.dll > United Kingdom
kbdur.dll > Ukrainian
kbdusl.dll > Dvorak Left-Hand US English
kbdusr.dll > Dvorak Right-Hand US English
kbdusx.dll > US Multinational
kbduzb.dll > Uzbek_Cyrillic
kbdycc.dll > Serbian_Cyrillic
kbdycl.dll > Serbian_Latin
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

If you want to unregister them all at once, this little app puts "register" and "unregister" into the context menu when you right click on a DLL. You can highlight them all and in one click unregister them all.

http://www.programmersheaven.com/zone16/cat633/22092.htm

 

Hello Bold_Fortune. I d/loaded the little box, says it is installed but I can't get it up on the right click.
What is the difference if they are unregistered or not? Would it be OK to just delete them without unregistering?

 

I'm sure it would be fine to delete the ones you don't need.

but

"Don't fix it if it isn't broken." - I live by this quote.

 

Thanks KeithKman, I typed the name of the file into box and hit
unregister/delete and message came back "failed".

As you say "Don't fix it if it isn't broken." I'll leave it as it is in the knowledge that it can be done anyway.

Also thanks to Bold_Fortune. :up:

 

The registry entries for these files are here:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Keyboard Layouts

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet002\Control\Keyboard Layouts

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\Keyboard Layouts

Just remove the ones your system doesn't need.

Unregistering a DLL, "from what I understand", will remove some registry entries for a file that some registry cleaners won't.

I've never found a registry cleaner that will remove these particular entries for kbd*.dlls, so I've always removed them by hand.

 

Thanks Bold_Fortune thats the .reg entries and System32 .dlls
all gone. There are rows of country initials under another Keyboard heading. I see the numbers correspond with ½ dozen
or so that I kept. I'm sure they can go down the same path? Out. You think so? I know I'm taking the risk.

 

"I know I'm taking the risk."

Taking risks has nothing to do with it, boyoh53. It's all about having fun with your computer. Good Luck, buddy. ...And have some fun with it!

 

Thanks for the good wishes, Bold_Fortune. :up:

 

Thanks again Bold_Fortune, another lot cleaned out.
It is fun you know.!!

 

boyoh53, you want to see something about removing unnecessary files from XP...that's really fun?

It's a very long "pinned" thread on another site. I start posting some really fun stuff about midway through it.

This kind of file removal is not for the faint of heart.

http://www.neowin.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=80511&st=165

My XP installation size:

Windows Directory (all files and sub-folders)…
1320 Files
56 Folders
256 MB ...Size on disk

System32 Folder…
1167 Files
17 Folders
229 MB ...Size on disk

 

I stopped off at Neowin to-day reading about the new RegCleaner, somebody mentioned it didn't clean Applications so I put it on disk and deleted it.

 

Hello Bold_Fortune, you are lucky your computer goes at all. That is a lot of stuff out of it.

I notice you have MSN gaming folder and contents gone? I could only get contents cleared, even went into safe mode to delete
folder and "no go". You make quite a hobby out of it.

Got the *.fon's sorted now.

 

Hey, boyoh53. The reason my MSN Gaming folder is gone, along with other "impossible to remove" XP folders, is I have System File Protection disabled.

 

Thanks Bold_Fortune, after I posted first thing I tried was deleting MSN Gaming Folder and away it went. I have tried many
different times to do that and at last it's gone. :up:

I have a feeling I might draw a line under my work for time being
"just in case".