This is a massive problem. The basic fonts in XP (Applications, buttons, web
fonts) are normal. But they turned to italics on my system. Also, when I use
MS WORD, I cannot turn them into normal - they are also in italics or bold in
the daily basis. How can I turn them back. Is it a virus or registry problem?

fic_lub wrote:

> This is a massive problem. The basic fonts in XP (Applications, buttons,
> web fonts) are normal. But they turned to italics on my system. Also, when
> I use MS WORD, I cannot turn them into normal - they are also in italics
> or bold in the daily basis. How can I turn them back. Is it a virus or
> registry problem?

This usually means the font is damaged or missing. Here are a few possible
fixes:

1. When a rogue program decides to install its own version of system fonts,
it may replace the original version of the font file with a shortcut in the
font folder. Once this program is uninstalled, the shortcut may now point
to a font file that no longer exists. Windows XP in turn reacts by turning
all unspecified fonts into italics upon next reboot.The simple way to fix this
is to delete all shortcuts in the font folder and replace them with the
actual font file. By going to
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\Fonts], you
can also double check the path of each font and look for any suspicious
paths.

*****
2. If Arial (and possibly other system fonts) will only show in italics
after installing XP SP3, it is because SP3 replaced them with a newer
version. Go into the /Windows/$NTServicePackUninstall$ folder to find the
older versions and replace them. Delete the Arial version that is there
first.

Malke
--
MS-MVP
Elephant Boy Computers - Don't Panic!
http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/#FAQ