Windows 10: Can't preview any font in Windows 10 recent install

Ok, I did. I have not found the registry key in the CCleaner results. There have been some results but not about this key.

I have executed the fixes suggested by Tweaking.com tool, though.

In your registry, when you click on this key, are you able to see its contents or it says the same than me?

 

Hi, I only have these entries, one of which is the same as yours:




All right, let's try this a different way. Using ShellMenuView (free)




Considering your missing context menu entry - there you will see Shell, Preview, Command
That should define your Preview command in the context menu.
(Below it is the one for Print)

You can check in Shellmenuview whether that exists, and whether it's been disabled, and from its entry, open Regedit (rt click on entry Open Regedit)

From there, Nirsoft also offers this for extensions:
.ttf Extension - List of programs that can open .ttf files

 

Hi,

I have some news. Puzzled by the problematic entries in the registry I tried to learn a bit more about them and why I could not delete them neither even access their permissions tab.

First I did try Registry DeleteEx but no success.

Then I did found about SubInACL to reset the registry permissions (similar -I guess- to what Tweaking.com tool did), I launched and it 'restored' some hundreds of entries' permissions, but in the log I saw that it had problems as well in the same registry keys (all the {numbers&letters} as shown in my previous screenshot, except the one that dalchina also has in his registry, which I can access with no problem). For reference, I followed this procedure:

Then I learnt that these problems could come from keys with 'null' values inside. It seems that 'null' values could not be set by user, but by failed install or uninstall processes (that makes sense for me, in my case), and in another topic/forum they suggested to use RegDelNull which would id the keys with null values and could delete them. So, I followed the procedure and voil !, I could delete these keys (for reference, the link is: https://forum.sysinternals.com/regde...opic16958.html)

Now, I can execute ContextEdit correctly! And this is what it shows to me:





Note:
1-dalchina, if you want I can follow your last post comments, instead of resuming it from the ContextEdit one. As you think it is better.

2-I hope there is no problem putting the link to another forum here. I did just to explain and help anybody that may have the same problem.

 

And the ShellMenuView & associated registry key:





EDIT: Showing the same key than in your sshot:

 

EDIT: The ContextEdit sshot belongs to launching the program in WIndows95 compatibility mode (I'm sorry, I left it like that when I did test it). Now without compatibility mode it shows this (SysWOW64 folder instead of System32), BUT I see that the fontext.dll points to system32... instead to the version inside the syswow64 folder...I dunno if that's correct though.





EDIT: By the way, open an elevated cmd windows and running fontview arial.ttf works, but fontview Foliar.ttf gives the same error as double clicking. Arial is installed in the system, but Foliar.ttf not.

 

Hi, good work and initiative on the registry entries.

Certainly there's a difference with yours using Syswow64. What difference that makes I've no idea. However, the obvious thing to try is changing that to System32.

You should export the registry key first as a backup.

You've two functional things to check
1. The context entry for Preview
(Remember to check in Shellmenuview it's not disabled e.g. rt click properties)
2. Double clicking a ttf file.

Oh, my comment a while back about fontview.exe not running as expected was wrong- I'd not formatted the ttf file name correctly. So
%SystemRoot%\System32\fontview.exe bobcat.ttf
works- including from a non-elevated command prompt.

 

And I guess it works even if bobcat.ttf is not installed in the OS, isn't?

I have changed from syswow64 to system32, but no luck, keeps failing. The only thing changed is that using ContextEdit I did set 'preview' as default, then in the context menu of the ttf it appears first 'Vista previa' (aka Preview) and in bold, then 'Imprimir' (aka Print) below, in normal text. But they both fail when clicking on them *Confused

Just to test, I associated ttf to notepad, then double clicking it open it in notepad (garbage characters of course), then associating back to fontview and it keeps failing. This is driving me mad...

 

bobcat.ttf was just an example of one I have. Of course in an ideal world Windows would go and find it for you if it wasn't there...*chuckle

So I understand you've got Preview and Print in the context menu, but no actual preview.

See
Does not appear to be a valid font windows 10(fixed) | super easy - YouTube

- set Windows Firewall to automatic and start it.



1. I've tried it in both as both a standard user and admin - it's fine.

2. Noted you've used an absolute path C:\Windows rather than %Systemroot% - one report suggests doing that. We'll leave it for now until you've got this working.

 

In fact, I have restored Windows to a backup of this morning, (because I mixed up some things). Then uninstalled Norton completely (just in case), fixed registry another time (for the keys that gave errors), and now in ContextEdit (now launched without compatibility mode) I can't make appear the Preview and Print, no matter what I try (?). I guess the Preview option appeared before because I did launch it as Windows 95 (I dunno exactly why), but no more. So, I am still with the error and in the context menu it shows Print (Imprimir) as shown in one of my previously posted sshots.

Now, I checked ShellMenuView and under Disabled it says No:





Regarding Windows Firewall, I know, but in my case it was activated already. Anyway I have just uninstalled Norton just to verify it, now the only Firewall in my PC is the Windows one, and it is activated, and the error is still there:





I have tried also the hidden Administrator account of Windows, and in this account I have the same problem (?)...

 

There may be a hint in a thread I found- a 3rd party program. Here the context menu entries vanished, attributed to an image program ACDSee.
Install Font and Preview font options.. gone.. - Windows 7 Help Forums

So..have you installed other Font managers? Try uninstalling them.
I recommend Geek uninstaller - runs the normal uninstall, then a scan for leftovers.
Or Revo.

You may get ideas if you rt click a ttf file and see what's in the Open With list.

Clearly this is a more obscure problem that has occurred for a good number of people, so there may be a solution 'out there'. Maybe someone else here will have some thoughts..

You could use a program such as this to try to add your own context menu entry:




Sorry, beyond creating a new user and trying that, I've really no more ideas.

 

Hi,

I have some news. I have tried what you suggest, but without success. As I came here because I did not found any solution looking around, I did not try more to find a fix elsewhere, so I was thinking what could I try. I picked a Win10 AU DVD and launched it from Windows. To my surprise it gave me the option to install Windows 10 over the existing one, keeping data AND applications...So I gave it a try.

Voil ! it fixed the font problem, now I can preview the font as always, and I keep apps and data (I had to reinstall some drivers, but that's it) *Smile

I would have liked to know what was causing the problem, but anyway, now it is solved.

...but everything come with its dark side. And now I have another, new, problem I'll open a new topic to keep subjects separate, though.

I wanted to thank you for your help and support you have given to me. I really appreciate it. Tx!

 

You're welcome. Good- an in-place upgrade install should fix most Windows system things. It keeps all your programs and most settings.

It won't fix damaged user profiles.

Here's the write-up I usually use when recommending it - if there's something to add from its effect on your system, let me know. Thanks.

Precede it with this in case sthg has happened to your file system:

From an admin command prompt
[Windows key + X, click command prompt (admin)]
chkdsk C: /F
Your PC will need to restart.
Make sure the result is clear or fixed- else do not proceed.
Post back the result, which you can get after a restart as follows:
How do I see the results of a CHKDSK that ran on boot? - Ask Leo!

An In-place upgrade repair install will fix many things, but not those where the settings are not changed by the procedure.

For this you need an installation medium with the same base build as you have installed, and x64 if you have a 64 bits OS, else x86 (32 bits).

You should also make sure there's at least 500Mb of unallocated space on your system disk.

Recommendation:
Before you perform the following major repair procedure, do create a disk image (see below).

Repair Install Windows 10 with an In-place Upgrade - Windows 10 Installation Upgrade Tutorials
- this includes a link from which you can obtain a Windows 10 iso file (" download a Windows 10 ISO"), or create a Win 10 bootable medium.

I would recommend creating the bootable medium, as this can be used
- for any future in-place upgrade repair install
- to boot from and use its recovery options should Windows become unbootable.
- to clean install Windows

This will refresh Windows, after the manner of a Windows installation.
- all/most associations will be unchanged
- all your programs will be left installed
- However: if you have installed some on a 2nd drive, these must be uninstalled or reinstalled on C: - else you will get an error message that you can not keep my apps because they arein an unsupported directory.
- no personal data should be affected
- you will lose any custom fonts
- you will lose any customised system icons
- you may need to re-establish your Wi-Fi connection
- you will need to redo Windows updates subsequent to the build you have used for the repair install
- Windows.old will be created
- system restore will be turned off- you should turn it on again and I recommend you manually schedule a daily restore point.
- you will need to redo any language downloads including the display language if you changed that)
- inactive title bar colouring (if used) will be reset to default
- if Qttabbar is installed, you need to re-enable it in explorer (Options, check Qttabbar)
This is one of the better features of Win10: as each major build comes out, that's your updated reference build, and as updates are mostly cumulative, there will be few to do.


Please consider using disk imaging regularly. It's a brilliant way to
- preserve your system (and your sanity)
- back up your data
- restore your system to a previously working state in a relatively short time

Recommended: Macrium Reflect (free/commercial) + boot disk/device + large enough external storage medium.

 

Hi,

I had the exact same thing, no preview, and then I remembered the "T" icon in HitmanPro Alert (advanced screen). I saw that you are using HMPA also, so there is a big chance that it is the same problem. See screenshot at link: Résultats Google Recherche d'images correspondant à http://www.majorgeeks.com/index.php?ct=files&action=file&id=11516. It is the Text symbol "T" at the orange Risk Reduction part.

I turned it off and then rebooted my PC. Everything is working fine again since then!

Regards,
Jer

 

Thank you. Anyway, finally I finished by reinstalling from scratch (I love Windows), as the other solution I tried, solved it but created some other ones, as commented in the other thread I opened, and even more it felt like lagging, so I reinstalled everything. I wanted to say just to finish this story/thread, regarding my case, at least.

 

Pity that was necessary, but some resolution. So now is the time to create your first disk image... and then update that periodically to protect yourself and potentially save some reinstalls.