[SOLVED] Mom's mac typing in Russian

[zofiava]

My mom called me super early today to tell me that she is afraid her mac has a virus. She can't log in (her password is wrong) and when she gets in using guest, her computer types in russian (or some other language) which is why her passwords are coming up wrong.

Somehow, she says it took her to a facebook page in another language, but my guess is that she typed facebook in whatever language her mac is typing in, and that's how she got there... she is a facebook fiend, it's not like she never goes to that site, and it just popped up. Plus, she types EVERYTHING into the browser or search bar, she has no bookmarks, so it seems likely that she just typed it in, and the only problem is why her typing is all coming up in a foreign language.

She is freaking out, but I think it's probably something simple, I've had macs for years and years and never got a virus and I download a lot more than she has ever had.

I am not at her house, so I can't mess around with it myself, so I was wondering if you had any suggestions?

Thank you all so much!

 

[Walrus666]

Re: Mom's mac typing in Russian

Hello,

Typing in another language:
You can type in a language that uses a different writing system (or “script”) from yours without having a keyboard designed for that language. The language you write in can also be different from the language used in your menus and dialogs.
To write in another language, turn on the input source for the language in Language & Text preferences. After turning on the other language, you can choose it from the Input menu in the menu bar whenever you want to type in it.
To turn on the input source for a language:
Choose Apple menu > System Preferences, click Language & Text, and then click Input Sources.
Open the Input Sources pane of Language & Text preferences
Select the checkbox next to the input source you want to use.
Select the “Show Input menu in menu bar” checkbox.
To choose the language to type in:
Choose the input source for that language from the Input menu (looks like a flag or character) in the menu bar.

When you choose an input source that doesn’t match the keyboard you have, the keys you see (and press) on your keyboard may be different from the characters that are displayed when you type. To see what keys to press to produce different characters, you can use the Keyboard Viewer.

Some applications may not support all languages. If the input source is dimmed (not available) in the Input menu, the application doesn’t support that language.
Some languages may not appear unless you install additional fonts for that language. Check your Mac OS X installation discs for additional fonts that you may want to install. For more information about the languages and fonts installed with Mac OS X, visit the Apple Support website and search for “using different languages.”

 

[zofiava]

Re: Mom's mac typing in Russian

Just as I suspected, she had something wrong with her keyboard. her option key was stuck.

Not sure how that made her type in Russian, (in her words) but whatever. Crisis averted.

 

[Walrus666]

Re: Mom's mac typing in Russian

Good to hear.