XADM: Importing International Characters Into Exchange Fails (183496)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Exchange Server 5.0
  • Microsoft Exchange Server 5.5
This article was previously published under Q183496

SYMPTOMS

When you try to import a CSV file with international characters via the Exchange directory import, the characters will be replaced with symbols or incorrect characters.

CAUSE

The CSV file was created using MS-DOS text, which uses the IBM PC Extended Character Set (ECS). The Microsoft Exchange Server Administrator program uses the Standard ANSI character set, which is incompatible with ECS.

MORE INFORMATION

MS-DOS uses the IBM PC Extended Character Set, or ECS for short. The lower 128 values are the same as the ASCII character set, but values 128-255 map into the European characters differently from other character sets, including those used in Windows.

Unfortunately, the ANSI character set is incompatible with the ECS character set used by DOS. For example, the British pound symbol is code 163 in ANSI, but code 156 in ECS. Likewise, ANSI does not include many of the ECS symbols, particularly the line drawing characters. If you try to display a DOS document in Windows, Windows attempts to convert the ECS characters to ANSI. Any character that does not convert is replaced by an arbitrary graphic. Therefore a round-trip conversion from DOS to Windows and back will not re-create the original document.

If you are using Visual Basic to create CSV files from MS-DOS text, you can refer to the following Knowledge Base article to understand how to convert between the MS-DOS and ANSI character set used by Microsoft Exchange:

75857 How to Print the ASCII Character Set in Visual Basic

This article shows you how to use the OEM_Fixed font to print the ECS character set. Simple modifications to this program can print out the Windows ANSI character set.
Modification Type:MinorLast Reviewed:4/28/2005
Keywords:kbprb KB183496
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