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TICKET ARCHIVE -> Rogue fonts?

futurewalk - Jan 10, 2006 - 4:20 pm

I recently installed Tiger, 10.4.3. I'm now getting strange font activity. For example, when I log onto AOL, there are Hebrew letters appearing along the bottom of the sign on page and the sign on letters become %%%% marks. Also, in Photoshop, when I go to File, Automate, Contact Sheets 2, I get Hebrew lettering in the fields areas. Hebrew also appears in other programs, sporadically, so I know it's not an AOL problem. Any ideas? Thanks

Natobasso - Jan 10, 2006 - 7:31 pm

Howdy!

What fonts do you have loaded currently? Are you using FontBook? Which browser are you using?

futurewalk - Jan 11, 2006 - 8:32 am

Hi - thanks for your response. I don't know what fonts I have loaded, don't know what the FontBook is and don't know what my browser is (seriously). Any ideas?

Natobasso - Jan 11, 2006 - 1:01 pm

Okay, you need to figure out those things. FontBook is an application (in your apps folder). Is it on or off? If not, you need to run the app in order to manage your fonts. Turn off Helvetica Fractions if it's on because this could be causing your %%% symbols.

A browser is a web browser that you use to get to AOL. Which one do you use? Safari?

futurewalk - Jan 11, 2006 - 3:18 pm

I got into FontBook and turned off Arial Hebrew, but I don't have a Helvetica Fractions font. The browsers I most often use are Safari and Verizon DSL

Natobasso - Jan 11, 2006 - 4:26 pm

(Verizon DSL is your internet service, not a web browser).

Have you called AOL to report your issue?

futurewalk - Jan 11, 2006 - 4:29 pm

No, because the problem is also occurring in Photoshop and with my scanner program. Is there a way to take out all of my fonts and replace them one by one to check which one is causing the problem?

Natobasso - Jan 11, 2006 - 5:05 pm

If you're using FontBook then you can Deactivate all but your most necessary system fonts. Do that. Then activate only the fonts you need for your projects. If you still have issues then turn them off one by one till your problem goes away.

You might have a corrupted font.

Have you done the basics yet like repair permissions? Might help: apps/utilities/disk utility/repair permissions

Do you have any fonts in your Hard Drive/Library/Fonts folder?

futurewalk - Jan 26, 2006 - 9:28 am

Sorry, I've been too busy to deal with this for a while. I went through the fonts in font book to no avail. Ditto for repair permissions. No fonts in library / font book. Help - any more idea? This happened once before (before I installed Tiger) and I remember that there was an easy solution, but can't for the life of me remember what is was.

Natobasso - Jan 26, 2006 - 12:53 pm

Did you turn off Helvetica Fractions and set a different font in your browser? I recommend Verdana as your browser display font.

futurewalk - Jan 26, 2006 - 12:59 pm

I don't seem to have Helvetica Fractions in my Font Book. How do I change the font in my browser? (not sure what my brower is)

Natobasso - Jan 26, 2006 - 2:44 pm

In order to access your AOL account you need to use a web browser such as Safari, Internet Explorer, Firefox, etc.

Go to your web browser's preferences and in "general" (most likely) you'll have a Fonts option. Change all fonts to Verdana.

futurewalk - Jan 26, 2006 - 3:06 pm

I found the browser preferences and changed all of the fonts to Verdana and restarted the computer, to no avail. I discovered that shutting off the lucida grande font, in the font book, solved the problem, but when it was off I couldn't open any programs, like photoshop, and when I hit the apple (upper left) button, it scrolled down blank.

Natobasso - Jan 26, 2006 - 4:49 pm

Have you upgraded to 10.4.4? I'd do that and see if that helps.

Natobasso - Feb 6, 2006 - 10:30 am

Next time if you feel you haven't been helped by a Tech, feel free to ask to be sent "back to queue" so another tech can see your problem. Sorry we couldn't be of more help to you.

Did you do everything I mentioned to try?

futurewalk - Feb 6, 2006 - 10:36 am

Yes, I have. I couldn't install 10.4.4, however. I've found that when I disable Lucida Grande, the problem disappears. However, at that point I can no longer open any other applications and the various scroll down menus, such as the Apple in the upper left become long blank rolls.
I apologize if you've taken offense by my response. I felt that your emphasis was too much on my internet server, while the problem is most apparent in other applications, like iTunes, which comes out completely in Hebrew. Many thanks, again.

Natobasso - Feb 6, 2006 - 10:39 am

No offense taken. I just read your feedback and wondered if we'd actually completed the arc of this issue.