Changing font for dialogue message box

[surface9]

(I asked this on a sister group - no answer)

When you are in windows explorer and you right click an item and
select "properties", you get a dialogue box and I need to be able to
change the font that is used within that dialogue box - I have tried
all the items under the "appearance tab" of the settings tab of the
windows desktop properties, but none of the items I can see change the
default font for this dialogue box (and others like it that get used
all the time).

Surely there is a way to make this font BOLD or make it a larger font
size?

If you are using the newer 1920X1080 via HDMI, the resulting default
font for these dialogue boxes is very hard to read - please someone -
help!

 

[Asger Joergensen]

Hi surface9

(I asked this on a sister group - no answer)

When you are in windows explorer and you right click an item and
select "properties", you get a dialogue box and I need to be able to
change the font that is used within that dialogue box - I have tried
all the items under the "appearance tab" of the settings tab of the
windows desktop properties, but none of the items I can see change the
default font for this dialogue box (and others like it that get used
all the time).

Surely there is a way to make this font BOLD or make it a larger font
size?

If you are using the newer 1920X1080 via HDMI, the resulting default
font for these dialogue boxes is very hard to read - please someone -
help!

You need to experiment with Large Font and You find that by richt-clicking
on the desktop choose Properties then select the last page Settings
then click the button Advanced
In there You can change the size of the windows dialog point which is used
to scale all windows and dialogs.

I use 144DPI 150% and then I have all the fonts in appearance set to
Ariel size 9.
This will give You a larger font in the dialog You mention, but not bold
You can see a picture of my screen as it is right now at:
http://Asger-P.dk/ScreenDump.gif
Please note that some websites and applications don't care about user
who change their DPI settings, so they just keep showing small font.

p.s. The above is for winXP and older.

Kind regards
Asger

 

[Twayne]

(I asked this on a sister group - no answer)

When you are in windows explorer and you right
click an
item and select "properties", you get a
dialogue box and
I need to be able to change the font that is
used within
that dialogue box - I have tried all the items
under the
"appearance tab" of the settings tab of the
windows
desktop properties, but none of the items I can
see
change the default font for this dialogue box
(and others
like it that get used all the time).

Surely there is a way to make this font BOLD or
make it a
larger font size?

If you are using the newer 1920X1080 via HDMI,
the
resulting default font for these dialogue boxes
is very
hard to read - please someone - help!

I'm not certain, but I think I saw the capability
for that in the MMC for GPO (policies). It was in
System Properties and Internet explorer.
Use the GPO editor: Start; Run; gpedit.msc to get
to it. Everything's in understandable language
and there's an explanation box for each possible
setting. It might take some looking around;
"system" appears in a lot of the menues.
Keep notes on changes you make in case you
want to back them out later.

 

[MaryBeth]

I have my appearance on Normal Fonts with Windows Classic style and changed
my DPI under Settings - Advanced to 135%. I have a laptop and set the
screen resolution to 1280 x 800. The text in a window is controlled by
Appearance > Advanced > Active Title Bar text, the size of messages is
controlled by Message Box text in Appearance > Advanced. Another thing I
observed, the text size in Windows Explorer or the dialog boxes that pops up
when you're saving a file are controlled by the text size under Appearance >
Advanced > Icon. Because I'm old, I couldn't see the tiny text like I used
to and just screwed around with settings until I could see the text without
putting my nose on the screen. Hope this helps you. MaryBeth

 

[surface9]

Changing the size (DPI) under settings/advanced did indeed make the
text larger but it still uses Ariel standard, NOT ariel BOLD. The
problem is when you are in windows explorer and you right click any
item and choose "properties". You get a dialogue message box where
the title has the item you clicked on followed by PROPERTIES in dark
blue background, and then the rest of the message with a gray
backgound. This class of dialogue box uses ariel (standard), and,
although you can change the DPI by the settings/advanced/custom fonts
method (described above), there is no option to change the font style
to BOLD. That is where the problem lies. By changing the size only
(DPI), it affects every other text interface also, and still it leaves
the text in the class of dialogue boxes I am needing to see as
standard (not BOLD).

If you have a good 1080 LCD using HDMI and set the rez to 1920X1080,
you find out that the non-bold ariel text is a single pixel wide with
pale pixels surrounding each stroke, and, it is an eye-strain to read
this text, no matter how large you make it. What is needed is to make
the text style BOLD, not standard, and then the width of the strokes
would be at least two pixels wide and easy to read.

Is there a way to change the default font STYLE (ariel standard) used
in that class of dialogue boxes which include the properties dialoge
box for items in windows explorer? It needs to be BOLD and I am at a
loss to find out how to set that option. What I have to do as a work
around is to temporarily change the rez down to 1600X900 or less in
order to easily read these class of dialoge boxes. That is a messy
work-around since, there ought to be a way to tell windows to use
ariel bold, instead of standard ariel, for this class of dialogue
boxes.

 

[MaryBeth]

When I right click & select "Properties" on a file or folder in Windows
Explorer, I do not get a dark blue background. This window with my settings
mimics the "Active Title Bar" & "3D Objects" options, I've chosen. The text
is not Arial but a system font. In my system, the default fonts are MS Sans
Serif & Tahoma. I do not often tread in the registry but this is the only
place to change these font selections. RUN > regedt32.exe

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows
NT\CurrentVersion\FontSubstitutes]
"MS Shell Dlg"="Microsoft Sans Serif"
"MS Shell Dlg 2"="Tahoma"

*MS Shell Dlg* is the font value controlling the window you are referring
to. Choose a font that comes with it's own bold file, i.e., Lucida Sans
Demibold (TrueType) - C:\WINDOWS\Fonts\LucidaSansDemibold.ttf. Whenever I
go into the registry, I make sure I do a system back up just in case I screw
up. This isn't like MS-DOS, win.ini, system.ini, config.sys or
autoexec.bat.

The pale pixels you see around the text is called "Clear Type" and can be
switched to "Standard" through Display Properties > Appearance > Effects.
With the high quality of your LCD, this will make the text look even worse.
There is a "Clear Type Tuner" application from Microsoft just for this
anti-aliasing font smoothing. Here's the URL:
http://www.microsoft.com/typography/cleartype/tuner/Step1.aspx

This is the best I can do with providing info. I'm still a novice.
Changing the DPI setting worked for my sight requirements. I have a Dell
Inspiron 6000 which has a decent LCD but not real fancy. Maybe the above
will work for you. MB

 

[surface9]

MaryBeth,

Thanks so much for your suggestions. I installed Clear Type Tuner and
it did change the font appearance somewhat, but, still it is an eye-
strain mainly because I can't get it to make the stroke THICKER and
darker. The wizard did allow me to select from different appearances,
but, the differences are so slight so as to not really make much
difference.

A curious thing happened when I went into the registry (regedt32.exe)
and navigated to the MS Shell Dig entry you suggested. It was
Microsoft Sans Serif, as you indicated, but, it didn't allow me any
kind of selection dialogue box to choose from my existing fonts, but,
it had a "modify" option under the edit tab, and, I searched for and
found my fonts under C:\Winnt\Fonts\***, but, there was no Lucinda
Sans Demibold.ttf, however, there was an Arial Bold, which I entered
by typing it into the modify dialogue text area, and, bingo! that made
my "properties" box I was worried about finally readable. I was very
relieved to have found out how to do this, and, I *thought* that would
be the end of it.

However, when I rebooted, the registry went back to what it had been
before (Microsoft Sans Serif), and I had to "modify" it again, but,
this time, it didn't take! No matter how many times I modify it (and
then exit registry and and then go back to make sure it is still Arial
Bold), it still will not change the font style in my "properties"
dialogue box. I am stumped!

I don't know what I did the first time to make it work, I don't know
how to "save" the registry that worked, and, I don't know how to make
it work again. Everytime I reboot, the registry goes back to
Microsoft Sans Seriff", and, even though I modify it to be Arial Bold,
it just doesn't TAKE. I tried turning off (and then back on) Clear
Type Tuner, and even selecting a larger DPI (under settings, advanced,
custom font size), but, nothing I do will make it use my Arial Bold
when I go into my "properties" dialoge box from windows explorer.

If you have any thoughts about what I did before, and why I can't get
back there again, please respond. HELP!!!!!

 

[MaryBeth]

I believe we have different versions of Windows XP, it would explain the different
directory labels, yours being *WINNT* and mine being *Windows*. I have Windows XP Media
Edition 2004 and the Lucida font group came with my laptop. But you're right Arial Bold
is an excellent choice, IMHO, for those very small notations. And, yes, rededt32.exe
requires modifying a key by changing values and does not behave like most user choices in
Windows. I pull up charmap.exe to view my fonts.

Why your registry reverts to a pre-edit state is beyond my "knowledge base". I only go
into the registry when I have reliable source documentation. So far, I have rebooted my
computer 4 times and the registry has held my font
values for MS Shell Dlg & MS Shell Dlg 2 after changes. Hopefully, someone with much more
experience than I, can answer this dilemma. It might even be worth starting a new thread.
Sorry. MB

 

[surface9]

MaryBeth,

Well, to my surprise now it is working. What I had to do was make the
change in regedt32, then click "exit", then, shut down and restart.
After rebooting, the change survived as i had changed it (I decided to
use "Impact" instead, as it is even THICKER and DARKER). I rebooted
several times and it seems to persist as i changed it. I am using the
custom settings of 154 DPI (160%), so, now I can easily read all those
dialogues messages in the class used by the "Properties" option. I am
using Windows XP (SP2), and I am so glad to finally be able to
customize my big LCD screen so that I don't get eye-strain from all
those tiny tiny message boxes.

I wonder how you knew about MS Shell Dig being what controls the font
for that class of dialogue boxes (I don't know what to call it, but,
you also get this class when you use explorer to copy a file from one
place to another - the little flying "folder icon" with the percentage
notificiation is almost impossible to read in the original font). Did
you get a book? Or is this online somewhere? I got lots to learn -
thanks.

 

[MaryBeth]

An IT person from my company demonstrated this registry value change while optimizing a
monitor for a visually impaired co-worker. I pick his brain for tidbits I can do & undo
with Windows. Searching forums such as this one, knowledge bases, PC magazines, and help
sites, are other venues to peruse. I either bookmark locations or cut 'n paste how-to's
into a text file or Notepad for future use. One thing though, necessity is truly the
mother of invention; when you really need to learn something, you'll find a way. Enjoy!
MB