To activate Pinyin input on Windows Vista, follow the steps below.

• Click on the Start button, and then click on Control Panel:
  

 

• Type regional in the Search bar in the top right of the window that opens, and then click on the link to Regional and Language Options:
  

 

• Click on the Keyboards and Languages tab, and then on the Change keyboards button:
  

 

• On the General tab, click on the Add button:
  

 

• Browse down the list to Chinese (Simplified, PRC), and click on the + next to it. Then click on the + next to Keyboard. Place a check next to Chinese (Simplified) - Microsoft Pinyin IME. Click OK:
  

 

• The new Pinyin keyboard will appear in the list of installed keyboards on your computer. Click Apply and then OK to close the window:
  

 

• The Language bar will appear on your Taskbar, usually near the clock and System Tray. By clicking on EN you can change to other input languages:
  

 

• If you change your input language to Chinese, the appearance of the Language bar will change:
  

 

You can now switch between input languages by pressing Left Alt + Left Shift.

When in Chinese input mode, you can toggle between English and Pinyin by pressing Left Shift. Note that the English input will be US English (@ and " will be swapped on the keyboard).