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

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

 

• Click on the Date, Time, Language, and Regional Options link:
  

 

• Click on the Regional and Language Options link:
  

 

• On the Languages tab, check both the boxes under Supplemental language support, and click Apply:
  

 

• If you get asked to insert the Windows XP CD, click on OK:
  

 

• At the next window, change the first letter in the Copy files from: box to C, and then press OK. You may need to repeat this step a few times to get all of the files installed correctly.
  If it asks more than five times, you will need to locate and insert your Windows installation CD.
  

 

• Windows will ask if you wish to reboot your PC. You don't need to do this right now to complete the installation, so click No:
  

 

• On the Languages tab, click on the Details button:
  

 

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

 

• Select Chinese (PRC) from the Input language drop-down box. The Keyboard layout/IME should automatically change to Chinese (Simplified) - Microsoft Pinyin IME 3.0 - if not, change it manually. 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).