I know about holding down [alt] and typing numbers while [numlock] is engaged, but I don’t have any idea about what the characters are. Is there a guide that says what numbers will give what symbols? I really need this for foreign words that might have an umlaut or two in them. Thanks!
I know you asked about using alt combinations, but another way to use special characters is to use the HTML codes. See the thread: How to use HTML special characters
The Windows accessory charmap will give you the codes, as well as letting you put special characters directly into the clipboard.
Try start-programs-accessories-charmap or start-run-“charmap”