MS Shell Dlg is a mapping mechanism that enables U.S. English Windows NT to support non-code page 1252 locales. It is not a font but only a face name for a nonexistent font. It can be specified in either the Windows NT Setup file during the installation process or when customizing a local system by double-clicking on the Control Panel's International icon. When you double-click on the icon, select the appropriate Country and Language in the International dialog box, and then reboot the system, the appropriate change occurs in the following registry key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\Current Version\FontSubstitutes
An added benefit of this new means of font mapping in the registry is that you can change the font for the entire shell by simply changing one .inf file entry. For example, localization for Asia is much easier because you can change the .inf file entry, instead of changing every instance of MS Sans Serif in every .rc and .dlg file, and the change is complete without rebuilding any binaries.
Win32-based applications can also take advantage of this feature. It is very helpful when your application contains multiple language resources that cross character-set boundaries. It is also useful when you have an English application in which supporting multiple languages and character sets is important.
Windows 95: You cannot switch Windows character sets, so the role of MS Shell Dlg is more limited. It does, however, facilitate localization in that Windows 95 is equipped with a static entry to replace the standard system font. For example, the system font, MS San Serif, is easily replaced with MS San Serif Greek or another language. This also ensures compatibility with the applets provided with Windows NT.