System is not configured for current code-page

If the warning "System is not configured for current code-page" appears when attempting to start dBASE, the computer's code-page setting does not match the language version of dBASE. The error "System not configured for current code-page" is an error that occurs only in dBASE for DOS.

dBASE IV 2.0 and dBASE 5 for DOS come configured for two code pages only, 437 and 850. A user can determine the computer's current code-page setting by running the DOS command CHCP. When executed (simply by typing CHCP at the DOS prompt), a number corresponding to the computer's current code-page setting is returned.

WORKAROUNDS:

1) Purchase the correct language version of dBASE IV that matches the computer's code-page.

2) Install dBASE to match the current code page.
To change the code-page that dBASE IV 2.0 or dBASE 5.0 for DOS uses to match the DOS code-page, you need to re-run the INSTALL program. The install program will ask what code-page you are using. It will allow you to install either 437 or 850 "language drivers". The default in the U.S. for code page is 437.

A short cut to reinstalling would be to rename one of these 2 files found in the dBASE directory, dBase.850 or dBase.437 to DBASE.RES. Using this idea you can use a batch file to have two different code pages set up for dBASE.

REM db437.bat 
cd\ 
cd dbase 
copy dbase.437 
dBase.res 
dbase 
cd\

REM db850.bat 
cd\ 
cd dbase 
copy dbase.850 
dBase.res 
dbase 
cd\

3) Set the DOS code page to match dBASE.
The default code-page can be changed in CONFIG.SYS. For example, the following line will set code-page to 863:

COUNTRY=02,863,C:\DOS\COUNTRY.SYS 

Deleting this line will revert the machine back to it's default code-page.

Warning: Changing the code-page to match dBASE will solve this problem, but it might cause problems in other programs expecting other code-pages.

4) UK problems with DOS 6.22.
MS changed the default code page for UK from 437 to 850 when they shipped MSDOS 6.22. Older configurations are running into start up error: "System is not configured for current code-page"

Two potential workarounds to this problem are:

I) Change code-pages. Set up CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files to allow multiple code-page settings. Examples are shown below on how to do this.

Add these lines to CONFIG.SYS --

device=c\dos\display.sys con=(ega,437,2) 
country=44,437,c\dos\country.sys 

Add this line to AUTOEXEC.BAT --

c\dos\keyb uk,437,c\dos\keyboard.sys 

After making these settings, re-boot the machine and it will be set up to use the UK settings and UK keyboard with code-page 437. To change the code-page to 850, issue CHCP 850. To change back to 437, issue CHCP 437.

II) Check COUNTRY.TXT in the DOS 6.22\DOS directory. It looks like country code 061 may be what we need to retain cp437. This could replace 044 in the COUNTRY.SYS line in config.sys. ( Make your own tests and work from there. )

CONFIG.SYS
==========

COUNTRY=061,,C:\DOS\COUNTRY.SYS 
DEVICE=C:\DOS\DISPLAY.SYS CON=(EGA,,1) 

AUTOEXEC.BAT
============

MODE CON CODEPAGE PREPARE=((437) C:\DOS\EGA.CPI) 
MODE CON CODEPAGE SELECT=437 
KEYB UK,,C:\DOS\KEYBOARD.SYS 

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