Windows: login keyboard layout

Problem: 

How to configure the keyboard layout you will face by default if you want to login to a Windows system?

Solution:

First add your desired keyboard layout to available keyboard layouts:

1. In Start\Control panel open Region and Language.
2. In Region and Language, on tab Keyboards and Languages, click Change keyboards...
3. In Text Services and Input Languages, on tab General, in section Installed services, click Add...
4. In Add Input Language, select the desired language, then click OK.
5. In Text Services and Input Languages, click OK.
6. In Region and Language, click OK.

Steps 1-6 describe the procedure in Windows 7. In other Windows operating systems do it in similar way.


Second edit registry to change the default keyboard layout on login screen:

1. Run regedit to open Registry Editor.
2. Go to HKEY_USERS\ .DEFAULT\ Keyboard Layout\ Preload
3. Modify value 1 with data for your desired keyboard layout.
    Example:
       English:     409
       German:    407