Internet Explorer 7 stupid font

[cozzy]

Hi, i cannot believe i can't find a solution to this problem, it must be affecting a load of folk. I like to go on the betting exchanges but cannot go on them with the new Internet Explorer 7. This is because of the ridiculous font. The font is a lot bolder & wider & less clear than the previous IE6. It's not my PC or monitor, i've seen the same on all PC's that has IE7 installed. For example: a price written as 34 is impossible to differentiate with one written as 3.4 This is going to prove LETHAL if i use IE7. This new browser is supposed to be more secure with warnings of Phising attacks so i wouldn't mind installing it only if i can get the font less bold, thinner & narrower & clearer. IE6 font was perfect.

I've mucked with fonts in internet options & also with the 'Clear Type' facility that comes with the IE7. This has made no difference at all.

As i write, a windows update balloon keeps popping up saying "click here to install important updates". This is doing my head in because it hampers what i'm doing. Also, i cannot find out what it's going to update but can virtually guarantee it's going to install, yet again, the new IE7. It has installed it 3 times so far, then after it has finished i do a SYSTEM RESTORE to revert back to the original IE6 which is perfect for what i need.

I do not wish to turn off windows update for obvious reasons. I have tried Mozilla Firefox browser but this has several major flaws for what i need to do & is 'dangerous for me to use'. This is a problem that has just imposed itself & can do without. Is there any chance of me keeping IE6 & stopping windows update trying all the time to update to IE7 (without forfeiting other updates)? Or does someone know how to change the internet font into something reasonable?

Cheers.

[farrawayman]

Cozzy,

Before I reply, tell me, why is Firefox dangerous for you to use? I'm a Microsoft man myself (only at work, because I have to be), but I'm really a closet open sourcer, simply because it works well!

If you are concerned about phishing in IE, have you tried the netcraft toolbar? http://toolbar.netcraft.com/. It's run by community, so it has a large dBase of naughty sites. It's probably the best you could use for the Bad Blue E, as I call it. then you can test it by going to 419-eater.com (bandwidth leeching section) and loading a fraudulent banking site, just to see the reaction of the NetCraft toolbar..

:idea:

I'll get back to you on the updates issue, as It's in my area of interest... I think the answer to that is fooling the reg. into believing that the IE 7 update has been received.

Take care,
Farrawayman

[cozzy]

Thanks for your reply. I am not concerned over Phising attacks, it's just that 'why not get the IE7' if i can sort out a decent font for it. It is just the font i am concerned with. I've recently had an eyesight examination & have perfect vision. All PC's i have seen with IE7 installed have the same shocking font. It is too difficult for example to tell the difference between 55 & 5.5 because the font is so bold & thick that the points are obscured & merged inbetween the figures. Sometimes on the exchanges you have to make a quick decision & 'pounce' onto something. This would result in errors being made & folks accounts would be wiped out in an instant.

The firefox browser is just as lethal for several reasons, the main one concerns when you click on a price, a box pops up automatically highlighted with the price you clicked on. It can then be either accepted or altered to whatever you choose. However, if you have clicked on more than one item from the list (which is normal practice), the rest of the prices you have to click THEN DRAG across to highlight them & then type in the new alteration. With IE all you have to do is click on each box once & then either accept or make an alteration. It is dangerous because often skilled operators would not even look at a box whilst typing in then ending up making a huge error by taking the existing price.
Also, because you have to DRAG the curser across each box, you are basically out of the game, you have lost all rhythm & speed & you may as well revert back to being an absolute beginner. Also, there is no warning given in Firefox for a punter to change their minds. Also, when scrolling up & down you have to use the scroll bar all the time, the mouse wheel does not allow this to happen, so you end up at the bottom with a huge white space staring at you so, yet again, for the pro this is taking them back to their novice days, lacking speed & rhythm which is essential. There are a couple of other minor reasons too, like it offers to remember your username & password which is crazy. Also, something else is VERY odd with Firefox when you try & alter a price by clicking on the up/down arrows. The figures will skip up or down by 2 or sometimes even 3 points. For example; if you changed a price of 10-1 down to 9-1, it would skip to either 8-1 or 7-1 depending how fast you were repeating each click. 2.1 should go to 2.2, but on Firefox it will go to 2.3 or 2.4 then suddenly jump to 2.7. The safest way of increasing/decreasing the value of the prices is to use the up/down arrows, this is to prevent you typing in a harrowing mistake, or worse still, typing in the money column (which doesn't have the up/down arrows) instead of the odds column by mistake. To alter the odds up/down by one point at a time in firefox you have to PAUSE between each click. Again, you are out of the game through lack of rhytm & speed. Everything about firefox is prehistoric, lazy, dopey & naff. The sites appear to come up faster than IE, that's all i can say good about it.

You asked me to explain why Firefox is dangerous for me so i 'd get your reply to the IE font problem. Come on then Farrawayman whats the answer? Or at least, how can i 'trick' windows update or my puter into thinking it already has the IE7 installed so i don't keep having to endure either installing it over & over then having to do system restore each time, or having to endure the windows update balloon popping up forever.

[farrawayman]

Hi Cozzy,

If you give me an email address for you, I will send you a file that blocks the installation of IE7. Restore your PC back to IE6 - and then rename the file so that instead of a .txt file ext, it should have a .exe file extention. (I renamed it as .txt, as most email servers are picky about .exe extentions, and for good reason.

This file sets your windows updates history, and marks in the Windows update history, that Automatic Updates are not to include later versions of IE7.

[cozzy]

Gosh! What is that file you sent me? It's a huge scrolling page full of code. What do i do with it? Paste it into 'prompt', paste it into 'run'? I dare not touch it, is it gonna make me puter walk?

Will it just disable Windows trying to download IE7 or stop other updates too? This is annoying, i wouldn't be bothered about the thick bold font on anything else on the web, it's just impossible to use on my most important thing. Wishes i could just change the font. I still have not heard anything from Microsoft yet, 3 days waiting now.

[danoels5]

Gosh! What is that file you sent me? It's a huge scrolling page full of code. What do i do with it? Paste it into 'prompt', paste it into 'run'? I dare not touch it, is it gonna make me puter walk?

Will it just disable Windows trying to download IE7 or stop other updates too? This is annoying, i wouldn't be bothered about the thick bold font on anything else on the web, it's just impossible to use on my most important thing. Wishes i could just change the font. I still have not heard anything from Microsoft yet, 3 days waiting now.

I know you've been waiting a long time, so maybe you've already found a solution, but perhaps this will help:

http://www.microsoft.com/typography/cleartype/tuner/tune.aspx

It's Microsoft's ClearType tuner tool. This allows you to adjust the ClearType settings so that they look clearer to you.