Knowledge Base

FIX: Pressing SHIFT+ESC Doesn't Generate WM_CHAR on Windows 95 and Windows 98

Article ID: 129861

Article Last Modified on 7/11/2005

Microsoft Platform Software Development Kit-January 2000 Edition, when used with:
- Microsoft Windows 95
- Microsoft Windows 98 Standard Edition

This article was previously published under Q129861

SYMPTOMS

If you press SHIFT+ESC in an application running under Windows 95 or Windows 98, it doesn't generate a WM_CHAR message even though it does generates a WM_CHAR message for applications running under Windows version 3.x and Windows NT.

CAUSE

The key table that TranslateMessage on Windows 95 and Windows 98 uses to generate the WM_CHAR messages doesn't include the SHIFT+ESC key combination.

RESOLUTION

If you need to use this key combination, use the WM_KEYDOWN or WM_KEYUP messages.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a bug in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article.

This problem was corrected in Windows 2000.

Keywords: kbbug kbfix kbkeyin kbinput kboswin2000fix KB129861