Unicode Systems are currently not supported

[AChen]

Please note that this is not a bug within the software. RM does not support languages (unicode) on a PC at the moment. RM 7 will work in English and some languages. But if you are getting a message, RM does not support that language. So as a workaround, probably best to change to English before running RM (see below). This is something the developers are currently working on for future builds. At the moment, I cannot provide a timeframe in regards to this, but when I do hear of any updates, I'll let you know.

Regarding to the error message that you are experiencing, can I please ask you to check the following details of your system.

Click Start > Settings > Control Panel and open 'Regional Language Options'

Please provide details of what appears here.

Please try the workaround below:

Windows XP
==========

(1) Click on Regional Options tab and note the Language used under "Standards and Formats"

(2) Click on Advance tab and note the language used under "Language used for Non-Unicode Programs"
If under the Advance tab, you have selected a language other that English, please try and change this to "US English" as this would resolve the problem.


Windows Vista
=============

(1) Click on Formats Options tab and note the Language used under "Current Format"

(2) Click on Administrative tab > "Change System Locale" and note the language used under "Language used for Non-Unicode Programs"
If you have selected a language other that English in here, please try and change this to "US English" as this would resolve the problem.

[syeager]

This is a bug in Registry Mechanic. Or rather misunderstanding what Unicode is and how support for other alphabets is provided in Windows and other computers that don't support Unicode.

It has nothing to do with Unicode because Windows is NOT Unicode system. If you read settings message in Windows International Control Panel, it says "Language to use for NON-Unicode programs. System is still the same English. Only difference is that they use extensions for some codes in ASCII table so people can read and write text in other alphabets. It's actually a hack and addition to standard ASCII code table that does not interfere with ANY program using Latin alphabet.

My system is pure US Windows and I have Russian added on as a secondary language so I can communicate with my Russian friends. This doesn't make my system Unicode or Russian. And I've been using it for years starting from long before Windows and I never had any problems with any other program.

Registry Mechanic is the first program where I saw it.

You can tell your developers that they can safely ignore this Windows setting and everything will be OK Really OK. Or let them find some Russian or Greek programmer so they cal learn couple of tricks about other languages. Or let them ask me, as I've been doing it since 70s.

[swannie]

Hi syeager,

Thanks for your really interesting post. Like you I have everything on my PC in US English but I have Greek as a second language because I write in both languages and I'm in Greece. I have never had a problem before with any program either - RM is the first time I've encountered this and until version 6 it was not a problem. I have not carried out the fix advised in this post yet - to change Language used for non-unicode programs from Greek to US English which involves inserting the Windows CD - do you advise me to do it? I'm waiting for the promised future builds but if it means waiting for years I have to do something. I'd welcome your advice here.

[syeager]

Actually you don't have to use CD. It should ask you if you want to use files you already have on your system or reinstall them. You select use what you have.

This procedure actually involves replacing font files and setting up some conversion tables. Nothing more then that. May be first time you do it, you will really need to use CD. It's only if you used "Greek for Non-Unicode" during the initial setup. But I doubt. After that you don't need CD anymore to switch languages.

And to save some time in the future, you can copy "I386" folder from installation CD to your hard drive and every time Windows asks you for CD, you just point to this directory.

Additionally you can use regedit to modify "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\SourcePath" to point to this directory. Like "C:\I386" (where you copied your I386 directory from CD). And Windows will never ask you for CD again if you need to make any changes.

[swannie]

Thanks a lot

Still think all this should be unnecessary and hope on future builds it will be!