To get certain Arabic programs, like the priceless Maktaba Shamila, to display correctly on Windows 7, you must change a setting on your system:
1. Click on the Start Menu
2. Click on Control Panel
3. Click on “Change keyboards or other input methods”
4. Click on the “Administrative” tab
5. Click “Change system locale”
6. Select the Arabic language that you chose for your keyboard, i.e. “Arabic (Saudi Arabia)”
7. Click “Ok”
8. Click “Ok” again
If you fail to do this, some programs that are supposed to be displayed in Arabic will display strange characters and question marks instead.