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Replacing your Uniscribe dll

Joan Wardell, Lorna A. Priest, 2007-05-23

Note!

Updating your version of Uniscribe is not recommended by Microsoft. However, if you need to update your version of Uniscribe (to provide updated script support) these instructions may prove helpful to you.

From time to time, Microsoft makes an updated version of Uniscribe available, either through the VOLT users website or with various Microsoft and commercial applications. They may make corrections to how a text renders or add support for new scripts. If you need the capabilities of an updated Uniscribe (i.e., you are working in a complex or minority language script) and wish to install a newer version of Uniscribe, these instructions should help you.

If you are looking for complex Latin or support for a specific language, check Uniscribe versions to make sure the Uniscribe version you are installing has what you need.

Two other pages that it might be helpful for you to read are: Figuring out your version of usp10.dll and Applications that provide an adequate level of support for SIL Unicode Roman fonts.

Changing Your Uniscribe

For WinXP or newer operating systems, it is not recommended that you change Uniscribe at the system level. In fact, Vista will not allow you to change this system file. However you can change it “locally” for each application where you want to have the new Uniscribe capability.

The Easiest Option - Notepad

You can test a new copy of Uniscribe without installing it in the system.

Make a new folder and copy the new usp10.dll to it.

Also copy the main program file for Notepad, C:WindowsNotepad.exe (or C:WinntNotepad.exe) to this folder.

Any text file opened with the Notepad running in this folder will now be controlled by the new version of Uniscribe.

For Word 2002-2007 – Still Easy

Versions of Microsoft Word 2002-2007 do not use the system copy of Uniscribe, but maintain an independent copy for their own use. This copy affects only Office, and does not work systemwide, for example, in a browser. (Word 2000 does not have a private copy of Uniscribe, and uses the system copy. See pdf for instructions).

For Word 2002, the Uniscribe file is in C:Program FilesCommon FilesMicrosoft SharedOffice.

For Word 2003, it is in C:Program FilesCommon FilesMicrosoft SharedOffice 10 or Office 11.

For Word 2007, it is in C:Program FilesMicrosoft OfficeOffice12. (However, since this is the newest available you probably do not want to replace this .dll).

To replace Word's private copy of Uniscribe

Do this when Word is not running.

Go to the appropriate folder as mentioned above. There should be a copy of an older version of usp10.dll. Rename it as usp10.old.

Copy the new usp10.dll to this folder.

Only Office applications will now use the updated dll. Other applications such as Notepad and WordPad will not.

Other applications

If you want to use a new version of usp10.dll to control the display of text in another application such as a web browser, you will need to place a copy of Uniscribe in the same folder with each application. (Note that the application must be aware of and use Uniscribe for displaying text.)

Download

For a pdf copy of these instructions or help with Windows 2000, download this file:

Changing your Uniscribe version, v4
Joan Wardell, 2007-05-21
Download "ChangingUniscribe.pdf", Acrobat PDF document, 43KB [19127 downloads]

Other Uniscribe information

How do I tell what version of Uniscribe I’m using?
Uniscribe versions
http://www.babelstone.co.uk/Software/BabelPad.html also has useful information. Search for “Uniscribe Issues”.
Wikipedia: Uniscribe versions

Page History

2007-05-23 JW: Updated text on page and pdf

2007-05-14 LP: Changed recommendation on replacing usp10.dll

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