Manually adding code pages to Windows

Code Page Editor

Code pages are used as translation tables in different geographical and international regions. Depending on the language being printed, different code pages might be used. Some code pages are automatically installed with Windows. Other code page files can be found on the on the Windows CD. (They might be stored in the \i386\ or the \langpack\ folder.) These code pages can be identified by a unique Code Page ID (that is, c_xxxx.nls, where xxxx is the ID). To install additional code pages, you must place the code page file in the \\Winnt\System32\ folder and edit or add a registry value pointing to the code page file.

This procedure is not needed for code pages created using the Barr Code Page Editor. The registry settings are automatically edited by the utility. These steps require you to use the Windows Registry Editor. The system registry contains information about how your computer runs, and your computer might not work if there is an error in your registry. If you are unfamiliar with the Registry Editor, we do not recommend that you perform this procedure. Please contact Barr Systems Technical Support and reference this topic to be walked through this procedure.

  1. Place the code page files in the \\Winnt\System32 folder. From a MS-DOS prompt, run the expand command. For example if your system root is on C:\Winnt and your CD is on E:, then type: Expand E:\I386\c_XXXX.nl_ C:\Winnt\System32\c_XXXX.nls

  1. On the taskbar, click Start | Run.

  2. Type REGEDIT, and then click OK. The Registry Editor displays.

  3. Select HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE | SYSTEM | CurrentControlSet | Control | Nls | CodePage.

  4. Look for an entry with a Code Page ID in the Name column and a set of empty quotes in the Data column. If you cannot find this entry, proceed to step 5.

  1. Right-click the ID and select Modify.

  2. In the Value Data box, type the file name of the code page you copied. Typically, the file name is the same as the ID preceded by 'c_' with the extension '.nls'. If you are able to complete this step, proceed to step 6.

  1. If there is not an entry in the Name column, follow these steps to create an entry.

  1. On the menu bar, select Edit | New String Value.

  2. A new entry will appear and you will use the numeric Code Page ID for its name.

  3. Assign a value by right-clicking the ID and selecting Modify.

  4. In the Value Data box, type the file name of the code page you copied. Typically, the file name is the same as the ID preceded by 'c_' with the extension '.nls'.

  1. Restart the computer.

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