TROUBLE

How can I fix my Windows Fonts folder?
Windows no longer shows a font sample when I double click on a TTF file
Why can't I install any more TrueType fonts?
ATM is running slowly and keeps crashing
Why won't this font print?
Why can't I attach this font to my email/news posting?
What are the fonts that I have to have for Windows to work?

How can I fix my Windows Fonts folder?

The Windows Fonts folder can and does go wrong. For Windows, the easiest way to fix it is using the TweakUI utility, available from Microsoft.If you don't mind getting your fingers dirty in DOS, Windows users can also try the following solutions:

• Reset the Fonts folders' system property, by opening a DOS window and typing the following:
  cd \windows
  attrib fonts +s
  Then shut down and restart Windows.
• Recreate the Windows font cache, by opening a DOS window and typing the following:
  cd \windows
  attrib -h ttfcache
  del ttfcache
  Then shut down and restart Windows.
• Restore the fontext.dll file to its rightful glory:
  Find the fontext.dll file on your original Windows disks. Its position will vary depending on the version of Windows you have, but it will be in one of the win*.cab files. To find which one, open a Find files or folders search box and enter the following:
  
  • Named: win*.cab
  • Containing text: fontext.dll
  • Look in: the drive containing your Windows disks

  Open the appropriate .cab archive using a program like WinZip or WinRAR, and extract the fontext.dll file to your windows/temp directory.
  Restart Windows in MS-DOS mode, then type the following:
  cd \windows\system
  If the fontext.dll file exists (type dir fontext.dll to find out), rename it fontext.old by typing ren fontext.dll fontext.old
  Copy the original version in its place by typing copy \windows\temp\fontext.dll \windows\system\fontext.dll
  Restart Windowsnormally.

• Replace a corrupt or missing desktop.ini file:
  Find the desktop.ini file on your original Windows disks. Its position will vary depending on the version of Windows 95 you have, but it will be in one of the win*.cab files. To find which one, open a Find files or folders search box and enter the following:
  
  • Named: win95_*.cab
  • Containing text: desktop.ini
  • Look in: the drive containing your Windowsdisks

  Open the appropriate .cab archive using a program like WinZip or WinRAR, and extract the desktop.ini file to your windows/temp directory.
  Restart Windows in MS-DOS mode, then type the following:
  cd \windows\fonts
  If the desktop.ini file exists (type dir desktop.ini to find out), rename it to desktop.old by typing ren desktop.ini desktop.old
  Copy the original version in its place by typing copy \windows\temp\desktop.ini \windows\fonts\desktop.ini
  Restart Windows normally.

Windows no longer shows a font sample when I double click on a TrueType / .TTF file

This can happen if you lose the association between .ttf files and the FontView application. To put it right, double click on a .ttf file and when the Open With dialogue box appears, select fontview from the list, or click Other and type c:\windows\fontview.exe.
You could also try using the TweakUI utility's Repair Associations option to mend the glitch.

Why can't I install any more TrueType fonts?

Windows doesn't run properly when you reach the 1000-plus font level. The cheapest solution is to copy the fonts you use least often to a new directory, and then delete them from the Windows Fonts directory, installing them only as and when you need them. More elegantly, you could invest in a font management program like Typograf or ATM Deluxe.
If you haven't got many fonts installed, your Font directory may have become corrupted. Take a look at How can I fix my Windows Fonts folder? above.

ATM is running slowly and keeps crashing

This could be because you have too many fonts installed. Try increasing the Font Cache setting on ATM. If that doesn't work, consider getting a font management program like Typograf or ATM Deluxe.
Alternatively, you could have a misbehaving font. If the error normally occurs with a specific font, then try uninstalling it or checking its credentials with a program like Typograf or Fontographer.

Why won't this font print?

If the font is a highly decorative or complicated font, your printer may not be able to deal with the amount of detail. There are a number of possible fixes:

• Reduce the resolution / dpi
• Change the point size. Sometimes event a 1pt change can make a difference
• Windows 3.1 TrueType users: Add the line outlinethreshold=35 to the [TrueType] section of your WIN.INI file. HP LaserJet users should try replacing 35 with 64.

What are the fonts that I have to have for Windows to work?

There are a number of fonts that are installed with Windows that are crucial to making it work properly. If you do accidentally delete them, you should be able to reinstall them from your Windows disks - search your CAB files using the method outlined above.

Marlett in particular is a key font to keep installed, because it contains Windows icons like the Maximise and Minimise buttons. It's normally a hidden system file to make it harder to get rid of by accident.

The fonts to be wary of deleting are:

Arial Regular, Bold, Bold Italic, Italic (TrueType)
Courier 10,12,15 (VGA res)
Courier New Regular, Bold, Bold Italic, Italic (TrueType)
Marlett (Truetype)
Modern (Plotter)
MS Sans Serif 8,10,12,14,18,24 (VGA res)
MS Serif 8,10,12,14,18,24 (VGA res)
Roman (Plotter)
Script (Plotter)
Small fonts (VGA res)
Symbol (TrueType)
Symbol 8,10,12,14,18,24 (VGA res)
Times New Roman Regular, Bold, Bold Italic, Italic (TrueType)
Wingdings (TrueType)
Any font with a red uppercase letter A for its icon (note a lowercase a normally indicates a Type 1 font, which you can delete).
Any font that begins with the letters MS.

You may be able to safely delete many of these files - many users have deleted the plotter fonts without ill effects, and you may not require all the TrueType fonts. However, remember most software developers will expect these fonts to be installed, and getting rid of them could cause unexpected difficulties.

Additionally, some programs have fonts that are required for that program to display properly. Those fonts that are not listed above are listed here along with the program:

CorelDRAW: Avant Garde Book BT, Oblique BT, Medium BT, Medium Oblique BT (TrueType); CommonBullets (TrueType); FuturaMedcondBT (TrueType: TT0201M.TTF)
Print Artist: Palisade
Windows Draw: Swiss921 BT
Creatacard: Swiss721 BT
Office 97 (including Outlook 98): Tahoma
Quickbooks: Four fonts that all start with "Quicktype"
MS Bookshelf: Three fonts called Bookshelf Symbols 1-3
Picture It: Comic Sans and Comic BD

Why can't I attach this font to my email/news posting?

It is sometimes not possible to attach an installed TrueType font to an email message or news posting by simply browsing to Windows/Fonts and selecting it. This is because the Windows/Fonts folder is a special system folder, which displays font names rather than the filenames needed by your mail program. To attach an installed font:

• Select the Attach option on your email/news program
• Browse to Windows/Fonts as normal
• Right-click on the font you wish to attach
• Select Properties...
• Highlight the filename (displayed on the top line, and ending in .ttf) by clicking and dragging, then copy it by pressing Control-C
• Click OK
• Click into the File name section of the dialogue box, and press Control-V to paste in the name