My laptop is now unreadable

[BC_Programmer]

Try this- with the windows disc inserted, enter the following command:

Code: [Select]

for %P in (E:\i386\*.tt_) do expand %P %windir%\fonts

I wasn't able to actually test that, so if it doesn't work you can try it with each individual font file; by default XP's font is Tahoma (for things like menus, title bars, buttons, et cetera) so you would expand the original tahoma file:

Code: [Select]

expand -R E:\i386\tahoma.tt_ %windir%\fonts\tahoma.ttf
expand -R E:\i386\tahomabd.tt_ %windir%\fonts\tahomabd.ttf


However, all that said, I don't think ccleaner actually deletes the font files, but manages to mess up the registry entries for fonts. In this case it could be that the font files are missing and/or the default font value is no longer valid (or points to something like Marlett which only has a handful of actual symbols; unknown symbols are drawn as the box which you noted).

In that case, you can reset the default font using this registry script:

http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/regs_edits/defaultfont.reg

you can either mess about to get it started via the more readable command line (by say putting it on an external drive, using start G:\defaultfont.reg and then clicking OK (or pressing Alt+O or Alt+Y... I can't recall wether the actual message uses OK and Cancel or Yes and No).

at  that point it will give you a message (that I imagine you wouldn't be able to read) so assume the best and try rebooting. I'd suggest copying the tahoma fonts using the earlier command prompt commands, then trying this method.


Another option would be to try High-Logic's Fix Font's Folder Tool; you would get this to run the same way as the registry script, but it's a program file. simply launch it by typing the path (for example, if you burn it to a CD and your CD-ROM is E: you would type E:\fifofo

The program will launch, and of course you won't be able to read a *censored* thing in the disclaimer thing. Anyway, dismiss that first dialog and the click the first toolbar button on the top left, which should fix any issues ccleaner may have introduced registry-wise that corrupted the display.

Hope this helps

[Allan]

BC's post looks right, but I simply don't understand why a repair install did not fix the problem. By definition it replaces ALL missing or altered system files - and that would include fonts.

[BC_Programmer]

BC's post looks right, but I simply don't understand why a repair install did not fix the problem. By definition it replaces ALL missing or altered system files - and that would include fonts.

It might work also under the assumption that the various font preferences as stored in the registry (such as the default system font used) are "user preferences" and so preserves them as they were.

[Allan]

That would assume the user changed the default system font, but yes - that could be.

[jmetz1]

I believe that you guys are right-on.  When I restored the font files, as mentioned previously, the system would not let me restore three of them - vgaoem.fon, vgasys.fon, and marlett.ttf.  It said the the system was currently using them and would not allow them to be overwritten.  I will try your suggestion and let you know how it works.  Thanks very much for your time and expertise!

[BC_Programmer]

That would assume the user changed the default system font, but yes - that could be.

Their very problem is that the default system font is wrong- most likely set to Marlett. Wether the user or CCleaner changed it is not something that the repair install could possibly be expected to take into account. Marlett is the font that Windows 9x used to draw caption buttons. It's only used in XP when the theme is set to classic. basically it contains maybe 12 or 15 actual characters, but the rest are empty, and when they are used they are drawn as the "missing glyph" the black box of mystery.

vgaoem.fon and vgasys.fon are the default raster fonts that the command prompt uses; so there's a reason those are being used; but clearly marlett.ttf is being used for something as well; and while one could say "well, it's probably being used for the command prompt caption buttons" and you would be right- that probably is why it isn't possible to replace it. But at the same time if the system default font was not set to marlett the attempt to replace the "actual" default system font would show a similar error. Since no such error is shown, logic dictates that either vgasys,vgaoem, or marlett are being used as the default system font. Since vgasys and vgaoem contain visible glyphs for most alphabetic characters, they would be drawn properly, with only the occasional missing glyph. The large quantity of missing glyphs to the point that Windows is unnavigable leads me to believe that Marlett has somehow been set as the default font, the attempt to repair install while trying to replace a few font files preserves the setting for the default font and unfortunately because of that the setting is still using an unreadable font.

[jmetz1]

OK, I copied the script from kellys-korner into a text editor and saved it onto a thumb drive as defaultfont.reg.  When I tried to execute it via a SafeMode prompt, I got a message that says that the script is not a valid reg file.  What might I be doing incorrectly?

[BC_Programmer]

instead of saving it via a text editor, try Downloading the file directly. (right-click Save As).

[jmetz1]

No luck.

[BC_Programmer]

You must be doing something different then I.

I typed the content into notepad (couldn't copy paste into my VM) then selected Save As... and chose the name C:\testfont.reg and selected in Save As Type "All Files". Then in Command prompt I entered Start C:\testfont.reg and regedit prompted me to add the information in the reg file into the registry.

[Computer_Commando]

...I copied the script from kellys-korner into a text editor and saved it onto a thumb drive as defaultfont.reg....

Something is wrong with this.  I suspect text editor modified filename to defaultfont.reg.txt

[jmetz1]

Well, I just tried it again with the same results.  I opened the link, right-clicked and selected Save Page As.  I entered the name and selected Save As Type = All files.  I rebooted the laptop into SafeMode with prompt, put the thumbdrive into the laptop, and executed "start e:\defaultfont.reg".  At this point I got one messagebox that looked like it had a yes/no response (there were 3 boxes on one button and 2 on the other).  I selected the three box button and I got an information window (an exclamation point icon) with one button that had two boxes on it.  I selected that button and when I got another command prompt, I rebooted the laptop.  No noticeable change.  Am I doing things correctly?

By the way, the editor that I use is UltraEdit and at least on that occasion did not add a suffix to the reg file.

[Computer_Commando]

...I opened the link, right-clicked and selected Save Page As...

Save Target As...
Then select drive and'or folder location.

[jmetz1]

Maybe it's Save Target As on XP, I don't recall.  However this part of the procedure I'm doing on my Vista desktop.

[patio]

These have to be added on fonts...it's the only explanation of why a repair install did not work...
That's assuming the repair install was done correctly...