Member Avatar for Killer_Typo

My grandfather was using his computer and he said it restarted on him, and when it came up it was in a different language, almost like Wingdings, and is not sure how to get it back, i tried going through the regional language settings to see if that was it, but it was not, were not sure where to go with this, so any help would be greatly appreciated.

So far, we've tried changing the Units back English (US) and we've tried changing the Uni-code fonts back to English(US) and we still get Wingding style fonts....not sure what the heck is going on.

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by dlh6213

Dani AI

Generated

Most likely this is a fonts / font-substitution problem rather than a full-language switch. The clue that some apps (email, etc.) remain readable while menus and dialogs show symbol-like glyphs points to the system UI font being missing or mapped to a symbol font. This fits ’s observations and builds on ’s “fonts deleted” idea and ’s suggestion to examine the machine remotely.

Quick diagnostic (can be done over Remote Assistance):

  • Boot to Safe Mode (press F8) and check whether the UI renders correctly.
  • From a command prompt on the problem PC run:
    dir /b C:\Windows\Fonts > C:\fonts-list.txt

    Send the fonts-list.txt back to the helper. If core UI fonts such as Tahoma, Arial or Verdana are missing, that explains the problem.

Practical fixes:

  • If fonts are missing, copy the .ttf files from a working Windows XP machine and install them (Control Panel → Fonts → Install New Font, or copy into C:\Windows\Fonts).
  • Check the two font registry keys for unexpected substitutions or wrong file names and compare with a working machine. In regedit look at:
    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Fonts
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\FontSubstitutes

    Export these keys on a good PC (File → Export) and import only those keys on the broken PC after making a registry backup.

Other options and cautions:

  • Run sfc /scannow from an administrator prompt (Windows XP CD needed) to repair protected system files.
  • Run an offline malware scan if font files or registry mappings were changed unexpectedly (this follows ’s HijackThis suggestion).
  • If repairs fail, consider an XP repair-install as a last resort — back up personal data first.

Always back up the registry and user data before importing .reg files or doing a repair install. A temporary new user account is a quick test to see whether the issue is profile-specific.

Recommended Answers

All 11 Replies

Member Avatar for dlh6213

What OS? Can you use System Restore?

Member Avatar for Killer_Typo

sorry forgot to add:

microsoft windows XP HOME

Member Avatar for dlh6213

So have you tried System Restore yet?

commented: lol how i could not think of a system restore, good info. +2
Member Avatar for Killer_Typo

So have you tried System Restore yet?

lol this is the hard part...EVERYTHING IS IN A DIFFERENT LANGUAGE, he lives in AZ so im trying to help him navigate the menus and such...lol

Member Avatar for Killer_Typo

Just tried a system restore, and it said it was unable to restore his computer, so were stuck on that. he is going to try different dates to restore too, but im unsure what to do now!!

Member Avatar for dlh6213

Can your grandfather just learn this new language?

Short of a format, I'm not sure what else can be done.

You might have him try running HijackThis from a floppy disk and, if it works, post the log in the virus forum to see if there's any indication of the problem there.

Hopefully someone else here will have some better ideas. Good luck!

Member Avatar for nanosani

Check the fonts installed on the computer ... I think all the fonts have been deleted.

Member Avatar for Killer_Typo

Check the fonts installed on the computer ... I think all the fonts have been deleted.

good idea, but then how would i instruct him to them? i mean, if its all in scrably language he cant read it, also lend to the fact, that its very hard for him (he has a debilitating disease, which means he has to look at his hands as he clicks on things to make sure that he actually clicks the mouse) also, he said his email and some things are still in english, but most are not.

Member Avatar for dlh6213

good idea, but then how would i instruct him to them? i mean, if its all in scrably language he cant read it, also lend to the fact, that its very hard for him (he has a debilitating disease, which means he has to look at his hands as he clicks on things to make sure that he actually clicks the mouse) also, he said his email and some things are still in english, but most are not.

Can you use Remote Assistance and attempt to navigate yourself? (I actually thought you were already doing this since you said he was in AZ, implying you were somewhere else.)

Member Avatar for Killer_Typo

Can you use Remote Assistance and attempt to navigate yourself? (I actually thought you were already doing this since you said he was in AZ, implying you were somewhere else.)

thats a great idea, and in fact, i think i should try it, he is in AZ and im in CA, so i think this would be the best bet


going to look into how to do that now, anything that i will need to know in particular? (like if he is behind a firewall and such?)

also he will have to make a new user for me right?

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