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Fonts directory and Application Data directory: reinistalling Win98SE, should I restore these?
Greetings. After a disaster, I have done a format and clean install of
Win98SE plus all Critical Updates. Prior to the disaster, I made a backup of my Fonts directory and my Application Data directory. Now I'm wondering what to do with those backups. 1. Can I just copy the backup Fonts directory to replace the Fonts directory that has been created in the new Win98SE installation? Or do I need to drag the font files out of that backed-up Fonts folder, and then use the File | Install New Fonts command to install each of the fonts from the backup? 2. Application Data directory contains files related to various applications. Can I copy those files over to replace the ones in the new Application Data directory? Will that restore the user preferences I had set for those applications before the reinstall? Thanks for any guidance. |
#2
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"Tuttle" wrote in message
... Greetings. After a disaster, I have done a format and clean install of Win98SE plus all Critical Updates. Prior to the disaster, I made a backup of my Fonts directory and my Application Data directory. Now I'm wondering what to do with those backups. 1. Can I just copy the backup Fonts directory to replace the Fonts directory that has been created in the new Win98SE installation? Or do I need to drag the font files out of that backed-up Fonts folder, and then use the File | Install New Fonts command to install each of the fonts from the backup? Unless you have a font manager, you have to reinstall the fonts manually, just the way you describe in the latter half of that paragraph. Fonts aren't installed by virtue of being in the Fonts folder. There are Registry entries that get created during installation. If you want a mass instalaltion procedure, a fonts manager is needed, such as Adobe ATM or Bitstream Font Navigator. 2. Application Data directory contains files related to various applications. Can I copy those files over to replace the ones in the new Application Data directory? Will that restore the user preferences I had set for those applications before the reinstall? That's a case-by-case issue. I strongly recommend *against* simply dumping the old files into the new location. All kinds of havoc will ensue. -- Gary S. Terhune MS MVP Shell/User http://www.grystmill.com/articles/cleanboot.htm http://www.grystmill.com/articles/security.htm |
#3
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"Gary S. Terhune" wrote in message
... "Tuttle" wrote in message ... drag the font files out of that backed-up Fonts folder, and then use File | Install New Fonts command to install each of the fonts from the backup? Unless you have a font manager, you have to reinstall the fonts manually, just the way you describe in the latter half of that paragraph. Fonts aren't installed by virtue of being in the Fonts folder. There are Registry entries that get created during installation. If you want a mass instalaltion procedure, a fonts manager is needed, such as Adobe ATM or Bitstream Font Navigator. Okay. That's as I suspected, and I sure appreciate your confirmation. 2. Application Data directory contains files related to various applications. Can I copy those files over to replace the ones in the new Application Data directory? Will that restore the user preferences I had set for those applications before the reinstall? That's a case-by-case issue. I strongly recommend *against* simply dumping the old files into the new location. All kinds of havoc will ensue. Okay, thanks for the warning. I'll hunt through some of them. Maybe, with luck, some are text-readable files so maybe I can copy over some of the settings into the new files. Thanks very much for the help Gary. I recall your name from when I used to read this group. You gave great support then, and clearly you still do!!! |
#4
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"Gary S. Terhune" wrote in message
... "Tuttle" wrote in message ... Greetings. After a disaster, I have done a format and clean install of Win98SE plus all Critical Updates. Prior to the disaster, I made a backup of my Fonts directory drag the font files out of that backed-up Fonts folder, and then use File | Install New Fonts command to install each of the fonts from the backup? Unless you have a font manager, you have to reinstall the fonts manually, just the way you describe in the latter half of that paragraph. Fonts aren't installed by virtue of being in the Fonts folder. There are Registry entries that get created during installation. I thought I should post what I found, for benefit of anyone in future searching for similar info. As I said, I had made a backup of the entire Fonts directory from my Win98SE system. I had simply dragged/copied that entire folder to an external USB drive. Today, following Gary's advice, I opened the old Fonts folder from the external drive so I could view its contents. I left that window open. Then on my newly-installed system I went to Control Panel | Fonts and opened it, in order to use the Install New Fonts command to install the fonts from the backup. Surprise, surprise: all the fonts from the backup were present in the system's Fonts folder. Bizarre. I even tried using them from within MS Word, and they work. Here's my theory: because I had copied/backed-up the entire Fonts folder, including the folder, somehow Windows knows that that is a special system folder. In fact when I opened the old Fonts folder from the external drive, its File menu also had the Install New Fonts command. So maybe because I didn't just copy the fonts files, but copied the entire folder, Windows automatically loads all those fonts onto the new system. Weird, but saved me a lot of work. I tested my theory about Windows having some "link" between the old copied Fonts folder on the external drive, and the "real" Fonts folder on the new system. I installed a new font onto the new system. I then opened the old Fonts folder from the external drive, and magically that new font is now there as well. Strange stuff, but sure helped me out. Any comments on my theory? |
#5
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Well, *I've* never seen that happen without intervention from some
third-party app (and I'm not sure I've even seen it then.) But stranger things have been known to happen. -- Gary S. Terhune MS MVP Shell/User http://www.grystmill.com/articles/cleanboot.htm http://www.grystmill.com/articles/security.htm "Tuttle" wrote in message ... "Gary S. Terhune" wrote in message ... "Tuttle" wrote in message ... Greetings. After a disaster, I have done a format and clean install of Win98SE plus all Critical Updates. Prior to the disaster, I made a backup of my Fonts directory drag the font files out of that backed-up Fonts folder, and then use File | Install New Fonts command to install each of the fonts from the backup? Unless you have a font manager, you have to reinstall the fonts manually, just the way you describe in the latter half of that paragraph. Fonts aren't installed by virtue of being in the Fonts folder. There are Registry entries that get created during installation. I thought I should post what I found, for benefit of anyone in future searching for similar info. As I said, I had made a backup of the entire Fonts directory from my Win98SE system. I had simply dragged/copied that entire folder to an external USB drive. Today, following Gary's advice, I opened the old Fonts folder from the external drive so I could view its contents. I left that window open. Then on my newly-installed system I went to Control Panel | Fonts and opened it, in order to use the Install New Fonts command to install the fonts from the backup. Surprise, surprise: all the fonts from the backup were present in the system's Fonts folder. Bizarre. I even tried using them from within MS Word, and they work. Here's my theory: because I had copied/backed-up the entire Fonts folder, including the folder, somehow Windows knows that that is a special system folder. In fact when I opened the old Fonts folder from the external drive, its File menu also had the Install New Fonts command. So maybe because I didn't just copy the fonts files, but copied the entire folder, Windows automatically loads all those fonts onto the new system. Weird, but saved me a lot of work. I tested my theory about Windows having some "link" between the old copied Fonts folder on the external drive, and the "real" Fonts folder on the new system. I installed a new font onto the new system. I then opened the old Fonts folder from the external drive, and magically that new font is now there as well. Strange stuff, but sure helped me out. Any comments on my theory? |
#6
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In microsoft.public.win98.gen_discussion, "Tuttle"
wrote: Comments? Yes, your are close. This is due to a couple of things and can be remedied. 1. You have left the System attribute on the false font folder 2. You have left the hidden (and very well hidden) Desktop.ini in the false font folder. I strongly suggest you fix this, as the mirror effect of having two system-enabled Fonts folders can be a bit confusing. You may find it hard to determine exactly where the fonts are. You may think they are in both folders but it is not necessarily so. The Fonts folder is not a WYSIWYG system. Remove the System attribute on the false folder. Remove Desktop.ini (You may have to actually search for it from within the false folder to see it) ....Alan -- Alan Edwards, MS MVP W95/98 Systems http://dts-l.org/index.html Today, following Gary's advice, I opened the old Fonts folder from the external drive so I could view its contents. I left that window open. Then on my newly-installed system I went to Control Panel | Fonts and opened it, in order to use the Install New Fonts command to install the fonts from the backup. Surprise, surprise: all the fonts from the backup were present in the system's Fonts folder. Bizarre. I even tried using them from within MS Word, and they work. Here's my theory: because I had copied/backed-up the entire Fonts folder, including the folder, somehow Windows knows that that is a special system folder. In fact when I opened the old Fonts folder from the external drive, its File menu also had the Install New Fonts command. So maybe because I didn't just copy the fonts files, but copied the entire folder, Windows automatically loads all those fonts onto the new system. Weird, but saved me a lot of work. I tested my theory about Windows having some "link" between the old copied Fonts folder on the external drive, and the "real" Fonts folder on the new system. I installed a new font onto the new system. I then opened the old Fonts folder from the external drive, and magically that new font is now there as well. Strange stuff, but sure helped me out. Any comments on my theory? |
#7
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"Alan Edwards" wrote in message
... In microsoft.public.win98.gen_discussion, "Tuttle" wrote: Comments? Yes, your are close. This is due to a couple of things and can be remedied. 1. You have left the System attribute on the false font folder 2. You have left the hidden (and very well hidden) Desktop.ini in the false font folder. I strongly suggest you fix this, as the mirror effect of having two system-enabled Fonts folders can be a bit confusing. You may find it hard to determine exactly where the fonts are. You may think they are in both folders but it is not necessarily so. The Fonts folder is not a WYSIWYG system. Remove the System attribute on the false folder. How do I do that? I've Googled, but the only methods found involve booting into DOS. If I do that, I won't have access to the USB drive. Is there another way to do this, such as maybe just opening a DOS window in Win98SE? |
#8
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Open a DOS window
....Alan -- Alan Edwards, MS MVP W95/98 Systems http://dts-l.org/index.html In microsoft.public.win98.gen_discussion, "Tuttle" wrote: "Alan Edwards" wrote in message .. . In microsoft.public.win98.gen_discussion, "Tuttle" wrote: Comments? Yes, your are close. This is due to a couple of things and can be remedied. 1. You have left the System attribute on the false font folder 2. You have left the hidden (and very well hidden) Desktop.ini in the false font folder. I strongly suggest you fix this, as the mirror effect of having two system-enabled Fonts folders can be a bit confusing. You may find it hard to determine exactly where the fonts are. You may think they are in both folders but it is not necessarily so. The Fonts folder is not a WYSIWYG system. Remove the System attribute on the false folder. How do I do that? I've Googled, but the only methods found involve booting into DOS. If I do that, I won't have access to the USB drive. Is there another way to do this, such as maybe just opening a DOS window in Win98SE? |
#9
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In microsoft.public.win98.gen_discussion, "Tuttle" wrote: "Alan Edwards" wrote in message .. . In microsoft.public.win98.gen_discussion, "Tuttle" wrote: Comments? Yes, your are close. This is due to a couple of things and can be remedied. 1. You have left the System attribute on the false font folder 2. You have left the hidden (and very well hidden) Desktop.ini in the false font folder. I strongly suggest you fix this, as the mirror effect of having two system-enabled Fonts folders can be a bit confusing. You may find it hard to determine exactly where the fonts are. You may think they are in both folders but it is not necessarily so. The Fonts folder is not a WYSIWYG system. Remove the System attribute on the false folder. I opened a DOS window, opened that drive, cd'd to the copied Fonts directory, then did this: E:FONTS attrib -s *.* It returned a whole bunch of failure messages, like the following: Not resetting hidden file E:\fonts\VGASYS.FON Not resetting hidden file E:\fonts\MARLETT.TTF etc. ... What next? Should I just delete the entire directory? I no longer need this backup, as I have reinstalled my system. In future, to make a backup of my fonts would it be better to drag just the visible *contents* of the font folder, rather than the entire folder? (Thank you for your help) |
#10
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That isn't the command you want.You want to remove the System attribute
from the folder, not from the files within the folder. E:\attrib -s FONTS Don't delete the folder. While it *appears* that all of the fonts have been automatically installed to your new system, they haven't. Those files you see in the C:\Windows\FONTS folder aren't really there. Those are mirrors of what's in the other fonts folder. -- Gary S. Terhune MS MVP Shell/User http://www.grystmill.com/articles/cleanboot.htm http://www.grystmill.com/articles/security.htm "Tuttle" wrote in message ... I opened a DOS window, opened that drive, cd'd to the copied Fonts directory, then did this: E:FONTS attrib -s *.* It returned a whole bunch of failure messages, like the following: Not resetting hidden file E:\fonts\VGASYS.FON Not resetting hidden file E:\fonts\MARLETT.TTF etc. ... What next? Should I just delete the entire directory? I no longer need this backup, as I have reinstalled my system. In future, to make a backup of my fonts would it be better to drag just the visible *contents* of the font folder, rather than the entire folder? (Thank you for your help) |
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