Useful fonts knowledge

Fonts that are protected by Windows File Protection.

Windows File Protection is a feature of Windows XP that prevents the unauthorized replacement of essential system files. WFP runs as a background process on Windows XP and monitors certain files. When WFP detects that a protected file has been changed, it restores the original.

Protected files include the following files that ship on the Windows XP product CD:

• Micross.ttf

• Tahoma.ttf

• Tahomabd.ttf

• Dosapp.fon

• Fixedsys.fon

• Modern.fon

• Script.fon

• Vgaoem.fon.

If the application requires newer versions of these components, it must update these components by using a Microsoft Service Pack that installs the required versions. 

TrueType Fonts Installed by Windows XP.

During a typical installation, Windows XP installs the following TrueType fonts into the Windows/Fonts folder. Because Windows XP and other applications may require one or more of these fonts, reasonable that you do not remove them from the Fonts folder.

HOW TO: Install or Remove a Font in Windows XP

To Reinstall the Standard Fonts Included With Windows XP.

The following fonts are included with Windows XP and are installed on every computer:

• Courier New (TrueType, including Bold, Italic, and Bold Italic variations)

• Arial (TrueType, including Bold, Italic, and Bold Italic variations)

• Times New Roman (TrueType, including Bold, Italic, and Bold Italic variations)

• Symbol (TrueType)

• Wingdings (TrueType)

• MS Serif

• MS Sans Serif

If any of the standard fonts that are included with Windows XP are missing, you can run Windows XP Setup again. Setup replaces missing or changed files. If these standard fonts are missing, other Windows XP files may also be missing, and Setup corrects these problems.

Adding New Fonts

Windows supports TrueType fonts or fonts that are specially designed for Windows, and these fonts are available commercially. Some programs also include special fonts that are installed as part of the program installation. Additionally, printers frequently come with TrueType or special Windows fonts. Follow the directions that come with these products to install these fonts.

To manually install or re-install a font:

1. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.

2. Double-click the Fonts folder.

3. On the File menu, click Install New Font.

4. In the Drives box, click the drive that has the floppy or CD-ROM that contains the fonts you want to add. If you are installing fonts from a floppy disk, this is typically drive A or drive B. If you are installing the fonts from a compact disc, your CD-ROM drive is typically drive D. Double-click the folder that contains the fonts.

5. Click the font you want to add. To select more than one font at a time, press and hold down the CTRL key while you click each font.

6. Click to select the Copy Fonts To Fonts Folder check box. The Windows\Fonts folder is where the fonts that are included with Windows XP are stored.

7. Click OK.

Removing Fonts

To completely remove fonts from the hard disk:

1. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.

2. Double-click the Fonts folder.

3. Click the font you want to remove. To select more than one font at a time, press and hold down the CTRL key while you click each font.

4. On the File menu, click Delete.

5. When you receive the "Are you sure you want to delete these fonts?" prompt, click Yes.

To prevent a font from loading without removing it from the hard disk, move the font from the Fonts folder into another folder. Use this method for troubleshooting purposes. This process does not completely remove the font, because font registry information is not deleted. However, it prevents the font from loading.

TrueType Font Limits in Windows 95/98/Me

You can install a maximum of approximately 1000 TrueType fonts in Microsoft Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows Millennium. The exact number of TrueType fonts you can install varies, and depends on the length of the TrueType font names and file names.

Installed TrueType fonts are listed in the registry and in the Graphics Device Interface (GDI).

The Registry

All font files are registered under a single key in the registry, and a registry key cannot exceed 64 KB in Windows 95. If font names average 20 characters in length and font file names average 10 characters in length, the maximum number of TrueType fonts you can install falls between 1000 and 1500.

If a TrueType font file is located in a folder other than the Fonts or the System folder, the full path to the font is included in the registry, using up more space in the key and reducing the number of fonts you can install.

The GDI

The GDI contains an internal list of fonts, with 10 KB reserved for font file names. If font file names average 10 characters in length, the maximum number of TrueType fonts you can install is approximately 1000.

You can use all installed TrueType fonts simultaneously and you can print them in the same document.

Note that the Windows 95 Resource Kit incorrectly states that there is no limit to the number of TrueType fonts you can install in Windows 95 and Windows 98.

Windows NT, 2000, or XP

These have no limitation on the number of fonts which can be installed, although the boot time will be increased due to the requirement to read the information for all those fonts while the system is starting up.