Changing the Code Page

The code page is an internal table that the operating system uses to relate the keys on the keyboard to the characters displayed on the screen. Different code pages provide support for the character sets and keyboard layouts used in different countries.

When you install Windows 95, Setup checks the current system configuration to determine the regional settings:

• For Typical Setup, Windows 95 Setup automatically chooses the regional settings for the current system configuration, and then automatically installs the related code pages for Windows and MS-DOS based on the current configuration.
• For Custom Setup, you can choose to specify alternate regional settings. Windows 95 Setup automatically installs the standard Windows and MS-DOS code pages for the regional settings selected.

You can use the Regional Settings option in Control Panel to change the locale. This will affect the display in Windows-based applications. However, for MS-DOS – based applications and for the MS-DOS prompt, the code page installed during Setup is always used. Windows 95 does not include any feature that allows you to change the code page used by MS-DOS.

However, you can use one of the Windows 95 Resource Kit utilities CHANGECP.EXE, to change the code page used for console displays (MS-DOS – based applications and the MS-DOS prompt). This application makes all the changes for fonts and other system elements in the Registry and other configuration files.

This application is useful to you if your site uses an alternate character set other than the default code page the Windows 95 Setup uses. You know that you need an alternate code page if, after installing Windows 95, your MS-DOS – based applications do not display properly — specifically, if the wrong fonts appear or the wrong characters appear as you type.

For example, the default code page installed for French Canadian under Windows 95 is 850, but your site might use code page 863 as a standard. As another example, the United States default is 437, but some companies choose to use code page 850. In these cases, use CHANGECP to install the alternate code page.

To change the code page used for MS-DOS – based applications

1. Copy CHANGECP.EXE and any other files in the CHANGECP directory with the Windows 95 Resource Kit utilities to your local Windows directory.
2. At the command prompt, type changecp
3. Select the code page you want from the list that appears.

   Alternately, you can type changecp code_page_number if you know the code page that you want.

CHANGECP automatically makes all related system changes. The next time you start Windows 95, the new code page will be used for all MS-DOS sessions.

Important

The CHANGECP utility is not designed to be used for changing code pages on a regular basis. Also, frequently switching the MS-DOS code page will confuse users of MS-DOS – based applications.