Q129807: Running Non-Latin Based Version of Windows Application

Article: Q129807
Product(s): Microsoft Product Support Information
Version(s): 
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): 
Last Modified: 30-JUL-2001

SUMMARY
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If you attempt to run a non-Latin-character-based version of a Windows
application under the U.S. version of Microsoft Windows, it will not work
correctly. For example, the Korean version of Microsoft Excel will not run
properly under the U.S. version of Windows. The Korean version of a Windows
application must be run under the Korean version of Windows.

Latin-character-based language versions are those that use the Latin alphabet and
include English, Spanish, and German (as well as other Western European
languages). Non-Latin-character-based languages include right-to-left languages
such as Arabic and Hebrew; Cyrillic alphabet languages such as Russian; and
double-byte character languages such as Japanese, Chinese, and Korean.

MORE INFORMATION
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The reason for this incompatibility is that a non-Latin-character-based language
version of an application uses double-byte characters, which allows the computer
to make an Oriental-type character. A double-byte character, that is, 16 bits
for each character, allows for 64,000 possible characters, instead of the 256
possibilities for a single-byte character. If you run a
non-Latin-character-based application under a U.S. version of Windows, all of
the text in the application (on menus and in dialog boxes) appears in unreadable
ASCII extended characters, rather than in English or Korean.

The non-Latin-character-based versions of Windows are "super" versions; they
include all of the features of the U.S. version of Windows, and in addition,
they accept the double-byte character set. Therefore, you can run either a
non-Latin-character-based version or a Latin-character- based version of an
application under a non-Latin-character-based version of Windows. For example:

- If you want to run the Korean version of Microsoft Excel, you must install
  the Korean version of Microsoft Windows. However, in the super version of
  Windows, you can still run the U.S. versions of Microsoft Word, Microsoft
  Money, and so on.

- When you run a non-Latin-character-based version of Microsoft Windows, you
  can also run the Arabic version of an application.

NOTE: When you start a non-Latin-character-based version of Microsoft Windows, a
toolbar is provided to allow you to toggle the keyboard between single-byte and
double-byte characters. However, Latin-character-based versions of applications
do not understand double-byte characters and may interpret a double-byte
character as two separate characters. Because of this, when you run a
Latin-character-based version of an application under a
Non-Latin-character-based version of Microsoft Windows, you should not enter a
double-byte character in the application.


Additional query words: foreign language intl int'l international

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