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1 Attachment(s)
Disappearing Fonts in Xara Products
Hey all,
Just reinstalled xp&d7 because I am having blanked out fonts suddenly just started today.
My font lists are showing and operating properly in all other applications including Photoshop, MS Word.
The only thing I can recall that could be the culprit is windows update. Using Windows Vista.
If anyone can help, please let me know ASAP because I use Xara full time. :)
Here's what it looks like:
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Disappearing Fonts
Many, but not all, of the fonts on my system suddenly do not show up in XDPx. My system fonts are available in other programs, Quark, InDesign, Illustrator, etc. I did a system restore to an eariler time, but the fonts are still missing in Xara. I tried to reinstall Xara from my XDPx disks, but no luck since I have 8.1.3 installed, the installer will not let me proceed. Also when I open a job that uses one of the disappearing fonts the text set in that font is gone. Any ideas, how can I reinstall from my XPDx disks or fix this problem. Thanks for your help. Lew.
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Re: Disappearing Fonts
Did you try uninstalling 8.x before trying to install from your disks?
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Re: Disappearing Fonts
This issue is affecting a few people so far and appears to be related to a Windows update that many got last night. So far it seems to be affecting those in the US but I have held off on installing the updates just in case. Although the issue has been reported to Xara, you could submit a support ticket and include details of your OS and the Xara software version(s) affected.
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Re: Fonts suddenly "missing" in Xara P&GD7
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Re: Fonts suddenly "missing" in Xara P&GD7
Hey! I got that, this morning.
So, I'm not the only one.
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Re: Fonts suddenly "missing" in Xara P&GD7
Do you still have missing fonts Rik? were you able to fix it? you are the first that I'm aware of outside the US to have problems with this
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Re: Disappearing Fonts
I didn't read the other thread. While it is likely related to the Windows update, a couple things I notice on my system.
(1) The missing fonts are all OpenType.
(2) XDP X is affected, XDP6 and XDP7 are not.
(3) All other applications I checked are not affected.
Take care, Mike
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Re: Fonts suddenly "missing" in Xara P&GD7
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Re: Disappearing Fonts
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Re: Disappearing Fonts
Not one for creeping, but that guy Sledger - whoever he is - IS A GENIUS!
Can confirm, Works here. I was ok till I downloaded another solitary update, must have triggered the other downloaded ones to configure when I rebooted. Fonts gone in Xara but all there in LibreOffice :rolleyes:
All good now! :-bd
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Re: Disappearing Fonts
John and all:
Some programs that don't read font outlines aren't affected. DRAW, Xara, Creature House Expression, and others were.
DTP and word processors don't parse font info the way many graphics programs do. Mike W, it was my experience that all versions of DRAw had the missing fonts, and not all OTF files went missing. Only the ones that were coded to Type 1 font outline information instead of TT went away. Opentype can be coded so they "degrade gracefully" for older systems to be parsed as TT or Type 1.
Here's how to get your fonts back in case you're new to Windows 7:
1. From Start, go to Control Panel, and then to Windows Updates.
2. Click Update History, and then go up to the top of the page and click Installed Updates, the underscored text after "To remove and update, see..."
3. Locate Security Update KB2753842. Make it easy on yourself and search by date, last column. Ominously, the update came on 12-12-'12, didn't it?
4. Click Uninstall, to the right of Organize on the bluish bar toward the top.
It'll take a while and you'll need to reboot so if yuou have a process going, finish it before you do anything.
Thanks to Steve Ledger for bothering to go out to Corel.com to find the path to a solution.
My Best,
Gary
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Re: Fonts suddenly "missing" in Xara P&GD7
Understand that if you do remove update KB2753842 you are removing a security update that MS has labeled as Critical. Please read http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/s...letin/ms12-078 before you decide what to do.
If you do remove the update you must be extremely vigilant and avoid clicking on links in email, even if they look like they are coming from a trusted person or source.
Quote:
The more severe of these vulnerabilities could allow remote code execution if a user opens a specially crafted document or visits a malicious webpage that embeds TrueType or OpenType font files. An attacker would have to convince users to visit the website, typically by getting them to click a link in an email message that takes them to the attacker's website.
I'm sure we will be hearing from Xara soon on how to deal with this situation.
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Re: Disappearing Fonts
After understanding the dilemma we'll experience by using a "quick fix", I'd have to concur that we're actually between a rock and a boulder.
I'm going to what I can do, and where to go, to let Mother Microsoft know that the Update has an impact on not only Xara...seems like MOST of the graphics software out there that have a Text Tool aren't showing OpenType fonts that use Type 1 outline information.
I'd like to offer this: until stuff is sorted out and we have a decent Security patch that doesn't stop our workflow, consider installing TrueType versions of your affected OTF fonts. Truetype isn't affected as far as I can tell.
-g
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Re: Disappearing Fonts
I stayed up late to update a mixed bag of win7 [x64] and office 2010 updates that included this particular update KB2753842
I do not appear to be missing any fonts in XDPX [but I don't have hundreds of the things like some do] - certainly no blank spaces - and yes I have rebooted :)
[I had a couple of other points, but Barbara has effectively covered them...]
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Re: Disappearing Fonts
You're probably not missing any fonts because all your installed typefaces are either TrueType or Opentype that is coded to the Truetype method of outline definition.
Opentype that you actually buy from vendors such as Linotype, retail fonts, most often use Type 1 outlines, even though the file extension is OTF.
And therein lies the problem. Which can be solved by either running only TrueType at this moment, or killing the security update, which is bad advice.
-g
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Re: Disappearing Fonts
I think I bought a font once back in the '90s - whizbang if I recall correctly, in any event it's still there and not affected either..
but I have no idea about the technical side of fonts and bow to your expertness
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Re: Disappearing Fonts in Xara Products
I have been searching to see if I can find out if or when Microsoft may have any information about this so far I've found nothing. Just the standard update announcements.
For the time being I have decided not to install the update, and will be extra careful clicking on links in emails. Once we have our final issue of the year put to bed, then I'll have the time to do this
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Re: Disappearing Fonts in Xara Products
here is the MS security bulletin which details what KB2753842 is for - basically a security issue with certain font types on malicious web sites as indicated by Barbara/Gare; [MS say no issues known as at 11 December]
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/s...letin/ms12-078
Not installing the update fine for those who know what the issues actually are, but can't be 'recommended' as such generally - ie if in doubt let it install
There is commonality of course between Xara/Corel code in certain functions, so it may be a localised issue...
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Re: Disappearing Fonts in Xara Products
wasn't there an option in Xara to turn on/off the display of the actual font in the list? if there was, I can't seem to find it. was wondering if that were the case, it would allow all the fonts to be shown.
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Re: Disappearing Fonts in Xara Products
Pffeww!!!
I was in panic mode there for a while this morning, thanks for the fix guys!
Marc
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Re: Disappearing Fonts in Xara Products
Quote:
Originally Posted by
MarcT
Pffeww!!!
I was in panic mode there for a while this morning, thanks for the fix guys!
Marc
panic was an understatement!
uninstalling KB2753842 saved me.
I hope there is a fix coming soon... bad bad move by Microsoft...
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Re: Disappearing Fonts in Xara Products
lets not rush to blame Microsoft - they are not able to test their patches against every conceivable possibility...
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Re: Disappearing Fonts in Xara Products
According to Corel, the issue is:
Adobe products seem to work fine, so either they are going about obtaining this information differently or ... something.
I suspect application vendors are going to have to issue update patches.
And I was incorrect about previous XDP versions.
Take care, Mike
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Re: Disappearing Fonts in Xara Products
fair enough Mike - thanks for that - now is that an API issue, a font issue, an app vendor issue.... or just one of those things....... or what..... hey....
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Re: Disappearing Fonts in Xara Products
From what I found from searching, this update affected many graphics programs I found complaints about this issue in Xara, Corel, Inkscape, Quark, and even Adobe forums. And so far there only seems to be one solution, Don't install the update.
As Barbara pointed out this is an important security update, each of us will have to decide what to do. As a designer I need my fonts intact, especially for the next few days as I near the end of my Christmas rush. So far I still am unable to find anything from Microsoft that would indicate that they are going to fix the updates.
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Re: Disappearing Fonts in Xara Products
Does the update need fixing is the first question - or is it just one of those times when a vendor makes a change the rest of us all have to live with.... could be either
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Re: Disappearing Fonts in Xara Products
No idea if the vendors or MS will have a joint or individual fix.
I pity software vendors if it is left to them. How exactly would they then handle previous versions? Make everyone upgrade?
Take care, Mike
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Re: Disappearing Fonts in Xara Products
No idea if the vendors or MS will have a joint or individual fix.
I pity software vendors if it is left to them. How exactly would they then handle previous versions? Make everyone upgrade?
From Microsoft. Initial response on the Microsoft Connect web site for reporting bugs:
Quote:
Thank you for contacting Microsoft community. This update would require an update from the program developers to cope with the changes made, however you can hide the update.
Follow these steps to hide Windows update:
a. Open Windows Update by clicking the Start button . In the search box, type Update, and then, in the list of results, click Windows Update.
b. Do one of the following:
· Click the link that tells you important updates are available if you have important updates to hide.
· Click the link that tells you optional updates are available if you have optional updates to hide.
c. Select any update that you want to hide, right-click it, and then click Hide update. Do this for each update you want to hide.
d. Click OK.
Hope this information helps. If you need further assistance with Windows, please reply we will be happy to help you.
Take care, Mike
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Re: Disappearing Fonts in Xara Products
I'd just like to toss this thought out on the subject of finger-pointing:
Before Windows 95 came out, Microsoft gave every developer plenty of time to let them know that a program will not/should not write directly to screen. I had a modeling program that was lighting-fast on a Pentium 3 I recall, and it was because it usurped the video calls to Windows to write directly to screen under Win 3.1.
After Windows 95 came out, the engineers at MacroMedia had to do some big-time rewriting of the program because Win 95 wouldn't allow direct to screen writes.
+++++++++++++++++++Now++++++++++++++++
Isn't it conceivable that vendors, and not Microsoft, will have to patch this font thing, because they've been doing something with fetching glyph outlines that they were advised long ago not to do? And Adobe was one of the few vendors who listened?
I'm not judging anyone, not the Xara Group, not anyone.
I'm just throwing out a possibility.
-g
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Re: Disappearing Fonts in Xara Products
well there's a 'one we prepared earlier' response if ever I saw one.... EDIT - the one Mike quoted from MS, not Gare
EDIT: as for Gare's response - well yesss.... indeedie...
que sera....
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Re: Disappearing Fonts in Xara Products
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Gare
Isn't it conceivable that vendors, and not Microsoft, will have to patch this font thing, because they've been doing something with fetching glyph outlines that they were advised long ago not to do? And Adobe was one of the few vendors who listened?
Yep, from the MS quote, it appears it will be software vendors that need to do the patch(es).
I find with a bit of chagrin that all MS applications I use are also affected. Still leaves the question of how a software vendor is going to handle previous versions...What a task and PR nightmare for the smaller vendors who cannot or will not patch previous versions.
Take care, Mike
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Re: Disappearing Fonts in Xara Products
in practice how common is it for vendors to support earlier versions?
its the customers who 'suffer' at the end of the day if they are using unsupported versions and there are no patches, they have to upgrade and/or switch to another product
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Re: Disappearing Fonts in Xara Products
I think we'd be best to let this thing simmer until a Xara engineer checks in here.
Naturally, we can postulate in the meanwhile.
I myself postulate that this sucks.
;)
-g
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Re: Disappearing Fonts in Xara Products
It happened to me this evening when opening a document to get it ready for an urgent print deadline on Monday. Panic mode for a while while I figured out what the problem was here, and then had to uninstall the security update so that I can continue to work on the document. I don't have the luxury of waiting for Microsoft or Xara to fix this, so I had to uninstall the update.
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Re: Disappearing Fonts
Hi,
I am in the UK and have experienced the missing font s issue today, with Xara designer pro 6
I have just followed the guidance here, and removed the windows update KB2753842, and it has solved the problem. :-) Thanks
Cheers
BigP
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Re: Disappearing Fonts in Xara Products
Yep. Windows is still bug-style OS :)
Deleted update has solved this problem. Big thanks for advice!
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Re: Disappearing Fonts in Xara Products
Pasha, it isn't a bug. It is doing what it is suppose to do. But perhaps it is a little too vigilant in its work...
In reviewing the MS KBs from the past, something similar has happened some 7 times as regards security issues with fonts. Most of those times, it was with exploits in TrueType fonts. Apple had the same issue last year (maybe two years) with this exact font security vulnerability. Except for the Mac people who were affected, they had to revert to their previous operating system release to rid themselves of the problem.
Now, in reading all those KBs, the forums when these things happened in the past and the web sites reporting the issues and software that was affected, MS did come through with a way to prevent the exploit while not breaking software and did so relatively quickly. So perhaps there is hope for the best of both worlds.
Take care, Mike
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Re: Disappearing Fonts in Xara Products
Deleting the update solved the problem for me but every time I switch the computer on the update gets applied again. Can I prevent this happening?
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Re: Disappearing Fonts in Xara Products
Go to Control Panel>Windows Update, and then on the left column there's Change Settings.
"Download Update but let me choose whether to install them" is probably the best option for the balance between never installing a security update, and letting windows reboot your machine during the night.
My Best,
Gary