Pan Chinese WinNT 4.0 Installation Question & Answer

ID: Q166425


The information in this article applies to:
  • Pan Chinese Windows NT Workstation version 4.0

  1. Q. What is Pan Chinese Windows NT Workstation version 4.0?

    A. In the Hong Kong environment, the mixed use of Simplified and Traditional Characters is demanding. Because of this, Microsoft introduced the Microsoft Pan Chinese Windows NT operating system. This operating system combines Traditional and Simplified Chinese Windows NT Workstation features and the core elements are based on the Simplified Chinese version of Windows NT Workstation 4.0. Most of the interface is in English. You can create documents with Traditional and Simplified Chinese Characters by using GBK and Unicode code pages. Traditional Chinese BIG5 Characters are also supported by switching locales.


  2. Q. What does locale mean?

    A. Locales are simply user preference information that is related to the user's language and sub-language, represented as a list of values. For example, Chinese (PRC), Chinese (Taiwan), and Chinese (Hong Kong) locale. At a very high level, Windows Natural Language Support (WinNLS) incorporates several disparate definitions of a locale into one coherent model. Like Windows NT, WinNLS has been designed to be general enough at a low level to support multiple distinct high-level functions.


  3. Q. Which code page supports which locale?

    A. Chinese (PRC, Hong Kong, and Singapore) locales are supported using GBK and Unicode code pages. The Chinese (Taiwan) locale is supported using BIG5 and Unicode code pages.


  4. Q. What are the system requirements for Pan Chinese Windows NT?

    A. System requirements for Intel and compatible systems:*

    - 486/25 MHz processor (or Pentium) - 16 MB of RAM (24 MB recommended) - CD-ROM drive or access to a CD-ROM drive over a computer network - 210 MB of available hard disk space - VGA or higher resolution display adapter - Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device

    System requirements for RISC-based systems:*

    - Workstation with Alpha AXP, MIPS R4x00 (or PowerPC processor) - 24 MB of memory - CD-ROM drive or access to a CD-ROM drive over a computer network - 210 MB of available hard disk space - VGA or higher resolution display adapter - Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device

    Optional for both Intel and RISC systems:

    - Network adapter card - Audio board

    To obtain the latest copy of the Hardware Compatibility List (HCL), please see the following Microsoft World Wide Web (WWW) site:


  5. http://www.microsoft.com/hwtest/hcl/
  6. Q. How do I know if my computer is capable of running Pan Chinese Windows NT?

    A. The minimum system requirements for Pan Chinese Windows NT are a 486/25 MHz processor, 12 MB of RAM and at least 210 MB of available hard disk space. The recommended system requirements for Pan Chinese Windows NT are a Pentium processor, 16 MB or more of RAM, and at least 210 MB of available hard disk space.

    For more information and to review the Windows NT Hardware Compatibility List, please refer to http://www.microsoft.com/hwdev.


  7. Q. Can I automatically upgrade from MS-DOS 6.x, Windows 3.x, Windows 95, or Windows NT to Pan Chinese Windows NT?

    A. No. Pan Chinese Windows NT will be available in full version only. Due to the differences in registry architectures, there is no automated upgrade to Pan Chinese Windows NT. Those systems that are manually migrated from MS-DOS 6.x, Windows 3.x, Windows 95, or Windows NT to Pan Chinese Windows NT will need to have their applications reinstalled.


  8. Q. Can Windows 95 and Pan Chinese Windows NT co-exist on the same computer?

    A. Yes. You cannot upgrade your Windows 95 installation to Pan Chinese Windows NT, but you can install Pan Chinese Windows NT to a different folder.


  9. Q. Does Pan Chinese Windows NT Workstation 4.0 run Windows 95 compatible applications?

    A. Although the vast majority of the applications written for Windows 95 will run on Windows NT Workstation 4.0, the feature differences between Windows NT Workstation 4.0 and Windows 95 do not yet allow 100 percent compatibility of applications between the platforms.


  10. Q. What is the difference between English/Chinese Windows NT Workstation 4.0 and Pan Chinese Windows NT Workstation 4.0?

    A. Pan Chinese Windows NT provides an English user interface like the U.S. version of Windows NT 4.0 and allows typing of Traditional and Simplified Chinese Characters in a document using Unicode or GBK applications. In addition, BIG5 applications are also support for entering Traditional Chinese Characters.


  11. Q. What is new in PAN Chinese Windows NT?

    A. It includes the following full features of Simplified Chinese Windows NT 4.0:

    - Chinese GBK code page support (including GB and BIG5 glyphs) - IMEs (PRC New Intelligent and Taiwan Chajie) - Chinese GBK fonts (SongTi, HeiTi) - Chinese Code Converter between GB/GBK/BIG5/Unicode, Traditional and Simplified Chinese characters (text file only)


  12. Q. What input methods are included in Pan Chinese Windows NT Workstation version 4.0?

    A. Taiwan Chajie, Cantonese, Zheng Ma and PRC New Intelligent (MS PingYing [ASCII 150] Simplified Chinese Characters only).


Keywords : kbnetwork NTWkst
Version : 4.0
Platform : winnt
Issue type :


Last Reviewed: February 12, 1999
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