Microsoft KB Archive/227483

= Windows 2000 Supports Unicode Version 2.0 =

PSS ID Number: 227483

Article Last Modified on 3/30/2004

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The information in this article applies to:


 * Microsoft Windows 2000 Server
 * Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server
 * Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional
 * Microsoft Windows 2000 Datacenter Server

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This article was previously published under Q227483



SUMMARY
This article describes the support for Unicode in Windows 2000.



MORE INFORMATION
Windows 2000 supports Unicode Version 2.0. If you run a program that uses Unicode on a Windows 2000-based computer, you can input text from another language. For example, a program that uses the English language would support Japanese text. Windows 2000 APIs are fully functional in every language edition of the operating system.

Note As of Windows 2000 Service Pack 3, the operating system supports all of the Unicode 3.0 code points from a processing point of view. However, it does not have Font and Shaping Engines for the display of all the Unicode 3.0 code points.

You need to restart your Windows 2000-based computer when you change program environments if they use a specific Code Page. For example, you need to restart your computer when you switch between a multi-language program that uses Code Page 932 for Japanese and a Russian program that uses Code Page 932. However, Unicode-based programs do not require that you restart your computer.

Microsoft Windows 95/98, Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 2000 contain tables that convert text between ANSI character encodings and Unicode. A software developer can add a conversion table to allow Windows to use programs that do not use Unicode, including UNIX and Macintosh character encodings.

Windows 95/98 does not contain native support for Unicode, but does support several wide character API's, such as the TextOutW API.

In Windows NT, IME APIs were either unavailable or added onto non-Asian language editions of Windows NT. A program that does not use Unicode can add code to trap IME messages to use Japanese text.

For information about Unicode version 2.0, please visit the following Web site:

http://www.unicode.org/

Keywords: kbinfo KB227483

Technology: kbwin2000AdvServ kbwin2000AdvServSearch kbwin2000DataServ kbwin2000DataServSearch kbwin2000Pro kbwin2000ProSearch kbwin2000Search kbwin2000Serv kbwin2000ServSearch kbWinAdvServSearch kbWinDataServSearch

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