Troubleshoot font problems | Windows

Last updated on Apr 27, 2021 | Also applies to Global or OS

A font conflict can cause system errors (for example, Invalid Page Fault errors) when you work in applications. A font conflict can occur when you use a damaged font, have too many fonts installed in the Windows registry, or use an old or incompatible font. The troubleshooting steps in this document help you isolate a font conflict and ensure that you use the current version of a font.

Isolate damaged fonts in Windows NT, Me, 98, or 95

In Windows NT, Me, 98, and 95, you install and remove PostScript fonts (Type 1 fonts) using Adobe Type Manager Light or Deluxe. You can also use ATM Deluxe to activate and disable TrueType fonts. To isolate a damaged font, you can prevent fonts from being loaded and then load the fonts in small groups. After loading each group of fonts, work in your applications until the problem recurs.

Isolate damaged PostScript fonts in Windows NT, Me, 98, and 95

To isolate a damaged PostScript font in Windows NT, Me, 98, or 95, remove all fonts from ATM. Then, remove font references from the Win.ini file and the Atm.ini file. Finally, reinstall the fonts in small groups from their original disks.

Isolate a damaged PostScript font:

Make backup copies of the Win.ini and Atm.ini files in the Windows folder.

Note: Steps that reference the Win.ini and ATM.ini files don't apply to Windows NT.
If you use ATM Light, use the ATM control panel to remove all installed PostScript fonts. See the ATM documentation for instructions on removing fonts.
If you use ATM Deluxe 4.x, export your sets and remove all installed fonts. For instructions, see the ATM documentation.
Open the Win.ini file in a text editor that can save in text-only format (for example, Notepad, WordPad).
Delete all lines that begin with "softfont" (for example, softfonts=20).
Delete all lines that reference an MFD file (for example, ADMFDFile=C:\Windows\Ad434af1\Mfd).
Save the Win.ini file in text-only format.
Open the Atm.ini file in a text editor that can save in text-only format.
Delete all the lines in the [Fonts] section (for example, "Helvetica=C:\Psfonts\Pfm\Hv .pfm; C:\Psfonts\Hv .pfb").
Save the Atm.ini file in text-only format.
Search the hard disk for Atmfonts.qlc files, and then delete them.
Restart Windows.
In ATM, click the Add Fonts tab (ATM Deluxe) or the Fonts tab (ATM Light), and then choose Browse For Fonts from the Source pop-up menu.
Navigate to the folder containing your font files (for example, C:\Psfonts\Pfm).
Select a small group of fonts to install, and then click Add.
Try to re-create the problem. If it doesn't occur, add more fonts. If the problem does occur, remove some of the fonts you just added.
Repeat steps 14-15 until you identify the fonts causing the problem.
Delete each problem font from the hard disk and reinstall it from its original disks or CD. If a font continues to cause problems after you reinstall it, contact the font manufacturer for assistance.

Isolate damaged TrueType fonts in Windows NT, Me, 98, and 95

You can isolate a TrueType font conflict by removing the fonts from the Fonts folder and then adding them in small groups. Or, you can use ATM Deluxe to enable and disable fonts. If you use a font management utility other than ATM Deluxe, disable the utility to ensure that Windows doesn't load the fonts.

Isolate a damaged TrueType font using the Fonts folder:

Choose Start > Settings > Control Panel.
Double-click the Fonts icon.
Select all of the fonts in the Fonts folder, except the fonts installed by Windows. For information about fonts installed by Windows, see Related Records.
Move the selected fonts to a temporary folder on the desktop.
Restart Windows.
Try to re-create the problem. If the problem occurs, it can be related to a font installed by Windows. (To reinstall fonts installed by Windows, you must reinstall Windows.) If the problem doesn't occur, move a small group of fonts back into the Fonts folder, and then restart Windows.
Try to re-create the problem. If the problem occurs, remove some of the fonts from the Fonts folder. If the problem doesn't occur, add a few more fonts to the Fonts folder.
Restart Windows.
Repeat steps 7-8 until you isolate each problem font.
Delete each problem font from the hard disk and reinstall it from its original disks or CD. If a font continues to cause problems after you reinstall it, contact the font manufacturer for assistance.

Isolate a damaged TrueType font using ATM Deluxe 4.x:

Install your TrueType fonts in ATM Deluxe so that only ATM Deluxe manages them:
1. In ATM Deluxe, click the Settings tab.
2. Specify Windows\Fonts\ATMFolder as the target folder for TrueType font files for Windows 98 or 95, or Windows\Fonts\ATMFolder as the target folder for Windows NT. (The ATMFolder is a hidden folder visible only in the ATM Deluxe Add Fonts panel.)
3. Click the Add Fonts tab.
4. Select all of the TrueType font files in the Windows\Fonts folder, make sure that Add Without Copying Files is deselected, and then click Add.
5. If ATM prompts you about duplicate font file locations, click Use New For All.
6. Click the Font List tab and make sure that the fonts you added are inactive (that is, no checkmark appears next to the fonts). If the fonts are active, click the Sets tab and deactivate the fonts by selecting them and clicking Deactivate.
7. Choose Start > Settings > Control Panel, and then double-click the Fonts icon.
8. Delete the TrueType fonts you installed through ATM Deluxe, except any fonts that Windows installs (see Related Records). Windows also installs several hidden font files (for example, Marlett.ttf, Dosapp.fon, and Vgafix.fon); don't remove them, because Windows requires them to run.
Activate a few fonts, and try to re-create the problem. If the problem doesn't occur, activate a few more fonts. If the problem does occur, deactivate some of the fonts.
Repeat steps 1-2 until you isolate each problem font.
Delete each problem font from the hard disk and reinstall it from its original disks or CD. If the font continues to cause problems after you reinstall it, contact the font manufacturer for assistance.

Isolate damaged fonts in Windows XP and 2000

In Windows 2000 and XP, PostScript fonts can be installed and removed using either the Windows Fonts utility or ATM Light or Deluxe. TrueType fonts can be installed and removed using the Fonts utility in the Windows Control Panel, or by using ATM Deluxe. To isolate a damaged font, you can prevent fonts from being loaded and then load the fonts in small groups. After loading each group of fonts, work in your applications until the problem recurs.

Isolate fonts managed by ATM in Windows XP and 2000

To isolate a damaged font installed using ATM in Windows 2000 or XP, remove all fonts from ATM. Then, reinstall the fonts in small groups from their original disks.

If you use ATM Light, use the ATM control panel to remove all installed PostScript fonts. See the ATM documentation for instructions on removing fonts. If you use ATM Deluxe, export your sets and remove all installed fonts. For instructions, see the ATM documentation.
In ATM, click the Add Fonts tab (ATM Deluxe 4.x) or the Fonts tab (ATM 4.x). Then choose Browse For Fonts from the Source pop-up menu.
Navigate to the folder containing your font files (for example, C:\Psfonts\Pfm).
Select a small group of fonts to install, and then click Add.
Try to re-create the problem. If it doesn't occur, add more fonts. If the problem does occur, remove some of the fonts you just added.
Repeat steps 2-5 until you have identified the fonts causing the problem.
Delete each problematic font from the hard disk and reinstall it from its original disks or CD. If a font continues to cause problems after you reinstall it, contact the font manufacturer for assistance.

Isolate fonts managed by the Fonts utility in Windows XP and 2000

To isolate a damaged font installed using the Fonts utility in the Windows Control Panel, remove fonts from the Fonts folder. Then add them in small groups.

Choose Start > Settings > Control Panel.
Double-click the Fonts icon.
Select all of the fonts in the Fonts folder, except the fonts installed by Windows. For information about fonts installed by Windows, see Related Records.
Move the selected fonts to a temporary folder on the desktop.
Restart Windows.
Try to re-create the problem. If the problem occurs, it can be related to a font installed by Windows. (To reinstall fonts installed by Windows, you must reinstall the Windows operating system.) If the problem doesn't occur, move a small group of fonts back into the Fonts folder, and then restart Windows.
Try to re-create the problem. If the problem occurs, remove some of the fonts from the Fonts folder. If the problem doesn't occur, add a few more fonts to the Fonts folder.
Restart Windows.
Repeat steps 7-8 until you isolate each problem font.
Delete each problem font from the hard disk and reinstall it from its original disks or CD. If a font continues to cause problems after you reinstall it, contact the font manufacturer for assistance.

Check font integrity

System errors can also occur when applications access damaged fonts. You can use the Fonts folder to check for damaged fonts, or you can use ATM Deluxe 4.x.

Check for damaged fonts with ATM Deluxe:

Choose Start > Programs > Adobe > Adobe Type Manager Deluxe.
Click the Font List tab.
If a red "X" appears next to a font's name, do one or more of the following:

Deactivate and reactivate the font by clicking the Sets tab, selecting the font, clicking Deactivate, and then clicking Activate.
If the font isn't stored on the local hard disk, make sure that ATM can access the font. Reconnect to the drive or other media where the font is installed.
Delete and reinstall the font from the original font installation disk or CD.

Check for damaged fonts with the Fonts folder:

Choose Start > Settings > Control Panel.
Double-click the Fonts icon.
Double-click each font.
If the sample text for the font doesn't appear, remove and reinstall the font.

Note: It's possible that damaged TrueType fonts still display sample text, so viewing sample text doesn't guarantee a font's integrity.

Check dates of PostScript font files

Older fonts can cause errors in newer operating systems and applications. To ensure compatibility with current applications and operating systems, make sure that the PostScript fonts you use are dated 1993 or later. Before 1993, Adobe revised a large portion of its type library, mostly to accommodate cross-platform naming conventions, although some font information was also revised. Older fonts work fine on most computers, but some newer applications and operating systems cannot interpret the older font information. You can check the date of your font in Windows Explorer or in ATM. For information about updating Adobe PostScript fonts, contact Adobe Customer Service at 800-833-6687.

To check the date of a PostScript font in Windows Explorer, select the .pfm or .pfb file and choose File > Properties.

To check the manufacturer and date of a PostScript font in ATM, do the following:

Choose Start > Programs > Adobe > Adobe Type Manager.
Click the Font List tab (ATM 4.x Deluxe) or the Font tab (ATM 4.x Light).
Select the font, and then choose File > Show Selected Samples.
The manufacturer and creation date are listed in the copyright information in the Notice field on the sample sheet.

Reduce the amount of font information in the Windows registry key

All TrueType font files are registered in a single key in the Windows registry. PostScript font paths can also take up space in the registry key.

If the registry key contains too much information, your system can behave erratically (for example, return errors). To reduce the amount of information stored in a registry key, remove fonts. If you need the fonts, reinstall them in their default folders (C:\Windows\Fonts for TrueType fonts; C:\Psfonts and C:\Psfonts\Pfm for PostScript fonts). If font files are in a folder other than the default folder, the full path to the font is included in the registry. The full path occupies more space in the key and reduces the number of fonts you can install without errors. For example, if the path to font files is C:\Mystuff\Business\Fonts\Truetype Fonts\A-E\xxxxxx.ttf, the path to the font file takes up more space than the path to fonts installed in the C:\Ttfonts folder.

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