Question : Enabling Arabic on Win98

Hey guys.

My sister just sent her laptop to change it to a localised version with Arabic enabled.

The guy at the pc shop said that he would install an arabic version of win98 but a localised version... meaning the whole system is English but have the option to change the keyboard to Arabic.

The laptop was returned and to my surprise it is exactly the same... no reformatting. So I figured he must have installed just some Arabic elements into the system.

I compared the system with my own laptop but could not replicate what he has done. Apart from some changes in autoexec.bat, config.sys, win.ini, system.ini and some keyboard files... I can't do it.

Any PC expert/snoopers could help me?

Answer : Enabling Arabic on Win98

moccajava

I'm afraid that, although I downloaded some of these with the intention of checking them out further, they are on my other PC which is meantime suffering from an unresolved problem which I haven't been able to look at as I am in the process of starting another job.

I have, however, checked this PC for the .KBD file type, and notice that they are NOT actually associated with any programme and are all sitting in my C:\Windows\System Folder.  The "Properties" of each of them don't yiels any info whatsoever, so I checked the registry.

Normally, registered file types are listed in HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT
They are normally listed in alphabetic order firstly by the file type (ie .kbd) which normally give a description of the file type opposite.  This usually appears as the "Data Value" for a "String Value" which is indicated as a white square icon with a red 'ab' in it.
eg. the file type .bat will show the StringValue [Default] equal to the DataValue "batfile".

In some cases there is also another StringValue as in the case of my .avi file type which shows
[Default]        "avifile"
[Content Type]   "video/avi"

This description of the file type will then be listed lower down in this extensive listing by that name eg.
batfile  will have a number of sub-keys such as DefaultIcon, shell\edit or shell\new, and other values like Shellex etc.  These values are normally registered there by the programme which installs the requirement for that particular file type, and provides windows with instructions on what programmes should open it, how it should open, whether it appears as a "New" file on your Right-Click menu etc.

Most of these in the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT will also be echoed in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Classes   and sometimes also in HKEY_CURRENT_USER.

You will see that entries such as these in the registry are a maze and, unless you know what you are doing, are hardly worth trying to create or even find yourself.

A better suggestion is to use the laptop with the Arabic Fonts on it. Use the Start Menu > Settings > Folder Options > File Types (Or Windows Explorer > Tools > Folder Options) and scroll down the list to see if the .kbd file type appears.  If it does, highlight it, and click "Edit".  Take a note of the details.  If it shows several entries for actions such as "Open" or "Print", click on each in turn and then click "Edit" again. Take a note of the settings.

From this it would be possible to register the .kbd file type into the registry on your PC.  The only problem, as I said, is that my .kbd file type is not listed there or in the registry but I don't use different languages on this or any of my other PC's and they probably just haven't been registered YET.

Where you have a .dll file in a downloaded zip file, you often also have the .inf file which will register and install that .dll. This, in turn, often is then able to access and use any other files which it is designed to use.  To install the .dll file (and others in that same folder) you would right-click on the .inf file and select install. (Don't do this from a floppy disk - create a temporary folder on your main system drive).

The only other thing I would say, is that perhaps these .kbd files were created by some programme other than a Microsoft application.  I found a few websites with relevant info shown below.  Apart from anything extra you might find in them, I'm sorry but I can't suggest anything more.

Janko's Keyboard Generator (Freeware for non-commercial use)
http://solair.eunet.yu/~janko/engdload.htm
http://solair.eunet.yu/~janko/JKBD98I.EXE (240 KB)

Embedding Persian and Arabic font in emails
http://www.isc.com.au/Support/PN1/Tips-Tricks.htm

Arabic Font download
http://www.paul-raedle.de/vtrain/fonts.htm
http://www.paul-raedle.de/vtrain/fonts.htm#arabic

There must be an easier way
http://webcenter.ru/~kazarn/eng/semit.htm

Virtual Keyboard JavaScript in HTML code
http://www.paralink.com/virk/support.html

Why not be truly unbiassed - Semitic  Computing
http://www.geocities.com/betshalom/hebrew_computing.htm