Missing characters in dialog boxes, etc.

gludwig

Registered
This started yesterday after I installed an update to InDesign and new ContentBarrier filters.

Certain letters don't show up anymore in the Mac dialog boxes, Safari headers, etc. Also, when I type these same letters into (for instance) the address bar of Safari or the Google search box they don't appear, but Safari somehow resolves them anyway.

Example: The "Force Quit Applications" dialog box should read "If an application doesn't respond for a while, select its name and click Force Quit." Mine now reads "f an applatn en't repn fr a wle, elet t name and l Fre t."

Everything seems to work OK, but it's impossible to read the dialogs.

This seems tied to the System somehow. Third-party apps seem fine.

I've tried repairing permissions, booting from the DVD and repairing the disc, logging in as the root user, etc. The situation doesn't change.

Anyone have any ideas where to turn? Thanks.

I'm using a PowerBook G4, running OS 10.5.2.
 
Go into Hard Drive > Library and locate the Fonts folder. Rename it "Fonts Disabled". Go into your home folder (the one with the 'house' icon), and into Library. Rename the Fonts folder to "Fonts Disabled". Reboot your computer and test.

If the problem went away, you have a font conflict. All of the fonts in both Hard Drive > Library and Home > Library are entirely OPTIONAL! You do not "need" them in order to use your computer.

There are fonts in a third place on your system --> Hard Drive > System > Library > Fonts ... these fonts are not to be touched, modified, moved, added to, or mucked with in any way.
 
I tried out your suggestion. My Mac wouldn't let me rename the Fonts folder in my home folder, so I pulled all the fonts out of it and put them in another folder named Fonts Disabled on the desktop; but otherwise I followed your directions to the letter.

Restarted and... same thing.

I'd welcome any other ideas. That sounded like a good one, but I guess I have some other problem.
 
I couldn't think of anything else to do or try, so I did an Archive and Install and just reinstalling OS X. That seems to have done the trick. Although I'm glad I wasn't trying to fix this from out of town.
 
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