Unable to install Type 1 fonts in Windows XP

Report · Aug 07, 2008

I'm having problems loading Type 1 fonts into Windows XP. I loaded ATM 4.1 light and get the following error message when trying to load the fonts through it: 'Cannot activate font <fontname>. The font files are invalid.' I've removed ATM 4.1 from my computer and ran the ATM 4.1 light updater to fix the registry problem, but now get the following error message when trying to load the fonts through the windows font folder: 'Unable to install the <fontname> font. File "D:\fontname___.pfm is either invalid or damaged"' So I'm thinking that the registry is not completely fixed as it seems the .pfm files are not being associated properly. I've tried re installing windows and that did nothing. I would really prefer not to have to re format the hard drive and start from scratch as I already had to do that with this brand new Dell laptop due to issues with MS Office. I guess that's my worst case scenario. I also have Adobe Photoshop CS2, Illustrator CS2, and Acrobat Pro 8.0 on the computer. I don't think any of those would be causing my problems, but I mention it in case might. Does anyone have any ideas of how I can fix this problem? Thanks, Tom

Report · Oct 26, 2009

@Ben,

You might simply try booting XP with VGA mode enabled. See this MS doc on how to do that:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/323786

If that enables you to install the fonts, you can simply do that when needed, then go back to normal.

Also, I just worked with a customer who dit the above, but then also got an updated (older?) driver from their PC manufacturer, and that also solved the problem.

Matt

Report · Oct 28, 2008

Hi Ben,

did you get new information from dell support? i have the same
problem with my latitude e6500.

thx

jenlau

Report · Oct 30, 2008

Hi Ben,

Did you get this solved?
I have the same/similar problem on a Dell Precision MM4400 with nVidia Quadro FX 770M Running WinXP Pro SP3

Thanks

Alistair

Report · Oct 31, 2008

Dell Latitude E6500
nVidia Quadro NVS 160M
Windows XP Pro SP3

I installed drivers from http://download.laptopvideo2go.com/nvidia/175series/17808.exe (mobile driver 178.08), helped me with fonts but broke GPU in Photoshop. Anyway, for me it's better than the official driver.

As Dell uses 176.26, the problem should disappear as soon as an updated driver becomes available.

Report · Oct 31, 2008

SOLVED!

I found new Nvidia drivers at: http://laptopvideo2go.com

The 178.15 driver works with my Dell E6500 (Nvidia Quadro NVS 160M) running Windows XP Professional! Yeah!

I did need to download the specialized INF file before the driver would recognize my video card.

Photoshop's GPU feature works now too. With the older Dell driver, selecting the GPU drawing feature didn't seem to make much difference with speed. With the new driver, re-draws and zooming are FAST!

Report · Nov 04, 2008

Hello, I have spent nearly a week trying to figure out this type 1 fonts problem. Just wanted to say how helpful this post was to finally solve my problem. I actually had IT bring back my old machine to be able to do my work. I really appreciate the help everyone shares here. I wish I had looked for this sooner. I've learned my lesson, check the Adobe forum first!!
Thanks to you all.

Report · Nov 14, 2008

Hi everyone,
I just wanted to chime in and say that I'm having the same problem with a new HP EliteBook 8730w with an NVidia FX 2700M card. I sent a Type 1 font over to an HP support person (who has been very responsive and understanding) and he had the same problem. He said they would be contacting NVidia to see if they have a new driver. I was told they had recently had a user with a similar problem (but with OpenType fonts) so hopefully something is in the works.

On a hunch, I uninstalled the video driver and attempted to install the type 1 fonts in VGA mode. I was able to install the fonts without a problem when the video driver was not installed.

I then installed an older version driver and left the fonts on, to see if any of my programs would be able to use these fonts. It was a mixed bag. Some programs recognized them, some didn't, and some only recognized the base version (but not the bold, extended, light, oblique, etc versions).

Programs that recognized the full font family:
Photoshop
Illustrator
InDesign

Programs that didn't recognized any of the fonts:
Flash

Programs that only recognized the base version font:
Word
PowerPoint

I then uninstalled the older version and re-installed the newest version and the results were the same.

I doubt any of the info will actually help anyone, but I thought it was interesting how the different programs were affected by the video driver.

Report · Nov 14, 2008

Dave -

When a font family has the four specific styles regular, bold, italic,
and bold italic, MS Office and most other non-Adobe application
products display ONLY the regular (or normal or base) name in a font
list. The bold and italic versions are accessed by applying the "B"
and/or "I" or changing the text attributes (properties).

A downside of that approach is that there's no way to tell if the font
has the alternate styles available - because if it DOESN'T, a faux
bold or faux italic will be created.

Adobe products list each font file separately in their font lists.

Some font families don't use the font and style naming conventions in
a way compatible with the MS/Windows approach - for example, a font
with a style "Light", will confuse Windows unless it's given a unique
FAMILY name. That's an oversimplification; there are some excellent
texts available on the subject.

All of which has little or nothing to do with the inability to install
the fonts in the first place. They're two separate and distinct issues!

- Herb

Report · Nov 14, 2008

Thanks for the info Herb. You learn something new every day.

Report · Nov 16, 2008

>A downside of that approach is that there's no way to tell if the font has the alternate styles available

Not so for MS apps, at least. They will usually say in the font dialogue whether a font is "installed for screen display only" and, if so, "the closest available font will be used for printing". This is MS's way of saying a faux font will be used.

Report · Nov 17, 2008

Herb wrote:

A downside of that approach [The MS faux fonts vs. real bold & italic)
is that there's no way to tell if the font has the alternate styles
available

To which Dom replied:

Not so for MS apps, at least. They will usually say in the font
dialogue whether a font is "installed for screen display only" and, if
so, "the closest available font will be used for printing". This is
MS's way of saying a faux font will be used.

And Herb adds:

[Comments are based on MS Office 2003]

That message, very small at the bottom of a crowded dialog box, is
almost NEVER noticed and almost as rarely is it even seen! The dialog
box itself is seldom used by most people; of course for those people
who never use it, it probably doesn't matter anyway.

The messages presented there differ between Type 1 and Truetype fonts.
Both are misleading.

For an installed TrueType font-style, the message reads:
"This is a True Type font. This font will be used on both printer
and screen."

For an installed Type 1 or OTF font-style, it reads:
"This is a scalable printer font. The screen image may not match
printed output."

MS Office Apps describe Type 1 and .otf fonts as "Printer Fonts", and
associate a printer-looking icon in font selection drop-down lists.

Selected styles that are NOT available, either TT or T1, yield the
same message:
"This font style is imitated for display. The closest matching
style will be printed."

- Herb

Report · Nov 18, 2008

Regardless of whether most people are aware of or use the font dialogue and accepting that the messages are not particularly clear, for those who want to know it is possible to tell if a faux font is being used by those MS apps.

Report · Nov 22, 2008

Some of this dialog stuff is better in Office 2007, btw.

T

Report · Nov 22, 2008

That's the first time I've heard anybody outside of MS say anything
good about office 2007!

Report · Nov 24, 2008

There are other things to like, such as PowerPoint *finally* supporting kerning. Of course, it's off by default, but it least it can be turned on.

Then again, I still spend absurd amounts of time trying to figure out how to do basic tasks, after using it for about six months. :(

Cheers,

T

Report · Dec 09, 2008

I'm hoping someone can help me locate the an older video driver for my new Dell Vostro 2510 laptop.

Same problems installing type 1 fonts in XP Pro as everyone else.

My understanding is that the video driver for my Invidia GE Force 8400M GS needs to come from Dell. They don't have an updated driver and I'd rather not scrap the laptop, buy a new one, and reinstall everything.

I do see an updated driver on Indivia's site, but I"m afraid of potential hardware conflicts with a non-dell driver.

HELP!!

Report · Dec 09, 2008

I received a workaround fix from HP concerning this. Below is their email to me:

--- start of email from HP ---

Good news. Nvidia has identified the problem and provided a fix. The way it was explained to me, Windows expects the device driver to be a certain size (maximum). In this case, the nvidia driver is slightly larger than expected. A simply registry entry will resolve the issue in WinXP (the issue doesn't occur in Vista).

To resolve the problem, do the following:

Open the registry editor (regedit)

Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management

Add a new REG_DWORD entry called SessionImageSize with a value (decimal) of 20

Reboot

The Type 1 fonts should now open/install without any problems.

--- End of HP email ---

I did what was suggested and was I able to install my Type 1 fonts.

Dave

Report · Sep 06, 2009

THANK YOU also from Barcelone! After hours with many support people no one could figure out why in some of our Dell Vostro fonts Type 1 loaded at the first time and the same files returned and error like bad file in other Vostro same model...until your post. Take sure I will always mention the source ie YOU and this forum. You deserve it!...Obviousle the Vostros that loaded ok at first time didn't get the Nvidia card installed.

Report · Nov 06, 2009

Thanks!!! Just ran into the same problem on a Dell Latitude D620 with WinXP, SP3 and found this discussion thread. Problem solved.

Report · Dec 09, 2008

Dave:

THANK YOU! It worked.

I'll be sure and forward the fix to Dell's tech group that was about to have me return my Vostro and upgrade to a workstation class laptop.

Report · Dec 09, 2008

Glad to hear it worked for someone else, on a different brand of computer. Hopefully this can work for everyone having the same problem.

Report · Dec 12, 2008

This is fascinating news. Thanks for sharing!

T

Report · Dec 20, 2008

I have just purchased a Dell Precision 4400. When I tried to install my Type 1 fonts, I kept getting the error message: "the *.PFM file is either invalid or damaged". This is a disaster as we have thousands of files with Helvetica.

Early this morning (Saturday!), I got a call from a terrific Dell tech, Cyndi Fleck. I had sent her the link to this Adobe forum topic. She took over my laptop and did the registry change in #65 (I'm such a chicken about the registry) and the Type 1 fonts loaded like a charm.

Thank you so much Dave Ingraham as I would either have paid an IT expert to TRY and solve this problem, or sent the laptop back assuming it was defective.

Cyndi said she would distribute your solution to other Dell techs so you are likely going to help many others by sharing your knowledge here. I know you saved me a lot of frustration. Thanks.

Report · Jan 11, 2009

This is absolutely amazing! You guys have no idea how long this has been a thorn in my side. I could never figure out what my problem was other than it HAD to do with the nVidia drivers. I even formatted my machine a number of times to gain access to my fonts. It was to the point where I was losing all of the fonts required to do my job.

The fix in post #65 worked perfectly! All of my Type 1 fonts install without a problem and everything is working great! This was on an Lenovo (IBM) T61p with the latest Lenovo nVidia driver.

Personally, I have never liked nVidia cards or drivers that much. I greatly despise their drivers. All of my non-work personal computers run ATI cards and the driver set (especially custom drives) are amazing!

I will never purchase an nVidia card unless I have no other choice.

Thank you for this post....I only hope nVidia will get off their butt and create a better driver that doesn't break our systems.

Report · Jan 12, 2009

Just to make sure that I give credit where credit's due, the fix was provided to me by a guy in HP tech support named John Camparone. John saw the problem I was having, but nVidia tried to tell him that they didn't. He ended up overnighting a laptop to them to prove that the problem existed. It took a few for them to come up with a fix, but John kept me in the loop the entire time.

I've had issues with HP tech support in the past, but John really went above and beyond with this problem. Thanks John!

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Unable to install Type 1 fonts in Windows XP