My screen fonts have looked odd ever since I ran through some MS guided
performance improvement steps. I tried to undo them, and it made no
difference. I posted a question about this in XP Basics, but no one's come up
with a solution yet. I'm hoping someone here can help. A friend of mine
suggested I may have turned on "font aliasing." I can't find any information
on how to check this, or to turn it off, other than a Knowledge Base article
which is 'way too technical for me to understand.

Can someone help. please.

Benzmum wrote:
> My screen fonts have looked odd ever since I ran through some MS guided
> performance improvement steps. I tried to undo them, and it made no
> difference. I posted a question about this in XP Basics, but no one's come up
> with a solution yet. I'm hoping someone here can help. A friend of mine
> suggested I may have turned on "font aliasing." I can't find any information
> on how to check this, or to turn it off, other than a Knowledge Base article
> which is 'way too technical for me to understand.
>
> Can someone help. please.
You may have turned on "Clear Type." If you don't have a laptop, this
may result in blurry display. Try turning it off (in step 3 in the KB
article below, clear the check box)
(http://support.microsoft.com/kb/306527/en-us



--
Lem MS MVP -- Networking

To the moon and back with 64 Kbits of RAM and 512 Kbits of ROM.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_Guidance_Computer

From XP HELP:

Choosing ClearType for your screen fonts makes the words on your computer
screen look as smooth as the words on a page. ClearType dramatically
improves font resolution, so your existing spreadsheets, word processing
documents, and Web pages display with crystal clarity. ClearType is intended
for display on flat screen monitors, so it is ideal for portable computers
and other flat screen devices. ClearType may appear slightly blurry on
desktop computer monitors that do not have a flat screen.

To use ClearType for screen fonts
1. Open Display in Control Panel.
2. On the Appearance tab, click Effects.
3. In the Effects dialog box, select the Use the following method to smooth
edges of screen fonts check box.
4. Click ClearType in the list.

Notes
* To open Display, click Start, point to Settings, click Control Panel, and
then double-click Display.
* ClearType is ideal for portable computer and other flat screen monitors.
ClearType may appear slightly blurry on desktop computer monitors.
* Whether you select Standard or ClearType from the list, you must have a
video card and monitor that support a color setting of at least 256 colors.
Best results are achieved with High color (24-bit) or Highest color (32-bit)
support. Click the Settings tab to set Color quality.

HOW TO: Use ClearType to Enhance Screen Fonts in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/306527

Description of ClearType Font Smoothing Technology in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/294851

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In news:CF17DE87-FCC9-4594-A84F-11F5203F1A8A@microsoft.com,
Benzmum <Benzmum@discussions.microsoft.com> hunted and pecked:
> My screen fonts have looked odd ever since I ran through some MS guided
> performance improvement steps. I tried to undo them, and it made no
> difference. I posted a question about this in XP Basics, but no one's
> come up with a solution yet. I'm hoping someone here can help. A friend
> of mine suggested I may have turned on "font aliasing." I can't find any
> information on how to check this, or to turn it off, other than a
> Knowledge Base article which is 'way too technical for me to understand.
>
> Can someone help. please.

Thanks, guys. In fact Cleartype was turned off while I was having the font
problems. Someone in XP Basics suggesting seeing how things looked when I
turned it on, and it actually caused some improvement but my fonts still look
a bit uneven. What seems to have caused this was a program I downloaded from
Microsoft called Guided Help. It downloaded as a file called 308417.exe which
was self-extracting. From there it took me through steps to optimize my
computer's performance. After I'd run it, I found my screen font quality was
poor - some letters faded at the edges, etc. I tried reversing the steps, but
there was no improvement. I tried selecting each of the Visual Effects
options one at a time, and none of them helped either (Let Windows decide,
Adjust for best appearance, Adjust for best performance).

Any other ideas?


"Wesley Vogel" wrote:

> From XP HELP:
>
> Choosing ClearType for your screen fonts makes the words on your computer
> screen look as smooth as the words on a page. ClearType dramatically
> improves font resolution, so your existing spreadsheets, word processing
> documents, and Web pages display with crystal clarity. ClearType is intended
> for display on flat screen monitors, so it is ideal for portable computers
> and other flat screen devices. ClearType may appear slightly blurry on
> desktop computer monitors that do not have a flat screen.
>
> To use ClearType for screen fonts
> 1. Open Display in Control Panel.
> 2. On the Appearance tab, click Effects.
> 3. In the Effects dialog box, select the Use the following method to smooth
> edges of screen fonts check box.
> 4. Click ClearType in the list.
>
> Notes
> * To open Display, click Start, point to Settings, click Control Panel, and
> then double-click Display.
> * ClearType is ideal for portable computer and other flat screen monitors.
> ClearType may appear slightly blurry on desktop computer monitors.
> * Whether you select Standard or ClearType from the list, you must have a
> video card and monitor that support a color setting of at least 256 colors.
> Best results are achieved with High color (24-bit) or Highest color (32-bit)
> support. Click the Settings tab to set Color quality.
>
> HOW TO: Use ClearType to Enhance Screen Fonts in Windows XP
> http://support.microsoft.com/kb/306527
>
> Description of ClearType Font Smoothing Technology in Windows XP
> http://support.microsoft.com/kb/294851
>
> --
> Hope this helps. Let us know.
>
> Wes
> MS-MVP Windows Shell/User
>
> In news:CF17DE87-FCC9-4594-A84F-11F5203F1A8A@microsoft.com,
> Benzmum <Benzmum@discussions.microsoft.com> hunted and pecked:
> > My screen fonts have looked odd ever since I ran through some MS guided
> > performance improvement steps. I tried to undo them, and it made no
> > difference. I posted a question about this in XP Basics, but no one's
> > come up with a solution yet. I'm hoping someone here can help. A friend
> > of mine suggested I may have turned on "font aliasing." I can't find any
> > information on how to check this, or to turn it off, other than a
> > Knowledge Base article which is 'way too technical for me to understand.
> >
> > Can someone help. please.
>
>

Lem wrote:

> Benzmum wrote:
>> My screen fonts have looked odd ever since I ran through some MS guided
>> performance improvement steps. I tried to undo them, and it made no
>> difference. I posted a question about this in XP Basics, but no one's
>> come up with a solution yet. I'm hoping someone here can help. A friend
>> of mine suggested I may have turned on "font aliasing." I can't find any
>> information on how to check this, or to turn it off, other than a
>> Knowledge Base article which is 'way too technical for me to understand.
>>
>> Can someone help. please.
> You may have turned on "Clear Type." If you don't have a laptop, this
> may result in blurry display.

This isn't unique to laptops: Any LCD monitor will probably look better with
Cleartype. If your display is a CRT, you might notice a negative
difference instead of a positive one, particularly if the focus is going on
your CRT.


--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

....Please note that I don't have an LCD or flat-screen monitor. And I'd
really like someone to tell me what "font aliasing" actually is. Is there a
button I can push to turn it on or off.

Thanks for your time.

"Benzmum" wrote:

> Thanks, guys. In fact Cleartype was turned off while I was having the font
> problems. Someone in XP Basics suggesting seeing how things looked when I
> turned it on, and it actually caused some improvement but my fonts still look
> a bit uneven. What seems to have caused this was a program I downloaded from
> Microsoft called Guided Help. It downloaded as a file called 308417.exe which
> was self-extracting. From there it took me through steps to optimize my
> computer's performance. After I'd run it, I found my screen font quality was
> poor - some letters faded at the edges, etc. I tried reversing the steps, but
> there was no improvement. I tried selecting each of the Visual Effects
> options one at a time, and none of them helped either (Let Windows decide,
> Adjust for best appearance, Adjust for best performance).
>
> Any other ideas?
>
>
> "Wesley Vogel" wrote:
>
> > From XP HELP:
> >
> > Choosing ClearType for your screen fonts makes the words on your computer
> > screen look as smooth as the words on a page. ClearType dramatically
> > improves font resolution, so your existing spreadsheets, word processing
> > documents, and Web pages display with crystal clarity. ClearType is intended
> > for display on flat screen monitors, so it is ideal for portable computers
> > and other flat screen devices. ClearType may appear slightly blurry on
> > desktop computer monitors that do not have a flat screen.
> >
> > To use ClearType for screen fonts
> > 1. Open Display in Control Panel.
> > 2. On the Appearance tab, click Effects.
> > 3. In the Effects dialog box, select the Use the following method to smooth
> > edges of screen fonts check box.
> > 4. Click ClearType in the list.
> >
> > Notes
> > * To open Display, click Start, point to Settings, click Control Panel, and
> > then double-click Display.
> > * ClearType is ideal for portable computer and other flat screen monitors.
> > ClearType may appear slightly blurry on desktop computer monitors.
> > * Whether you select Standard or ClearType from the list, you must have a
> > video card and monitor that support a color setting of at least 256 colors.
> > Best results are achieved with High color (24-bit) or Highest color (32-bit)
> > support. Click the Settings tab to set Color quality.
> >
> > HOW TO: Use ClearType to Enhance Screen Fonts in Windows XP
> > http://support.microsoft.com/kb/306527
> >
> > Description of ClearType Font Smoothing Technology in Windows XP
> > http://support.microsoft.com/kb/294851
> >
> > --
> > Hope this helps. Let us know.
> >
> > Wes
> > MS-MVP Windows Shell/User
> >
> > In news:CF17DE87-FCC9-4594-A84F-11F5203F1A8A@microsoft.com,
> > Benzmum <Benzmum@discussions.microsoft.com> hunted and pecked:
> > > My screen fonts have looked odd ever since I ran through some MS guided
> > > performance improvement steps. I tried to undo them, and it made no
> > > difference. I posted a question about this in XP Basics, but no one's
> > > come up with a solution yet. I'm hoping someone here can help. A friend
> > > of mine suggested I may have turned on "font aliasing." I can't find any
> > > information on how to check this, or to turn it off, other than a
> > > Knowledge Base article which is 'way too technical for me to understand.
> > >
> > > Can someone help. please.
> >
> >

By default, Microsoft Windows XP has smooth fonts enabled, however,
adjusting this setting can sometimes help improve the look and/or quality of
your fonts. To adjust or change this feature, click Start, Settings, Control
Panel, double-click the Display icon, click the Appearance tab, and click
the Effects button. Verify that the Use the below method to smooth edges of
screen fonts box is checked. We recommend that you utilize the standard
method.

Use the following method to smooth edges of screen fonts:
[[Specifies whether to smooth edges of large fonts to make screen fonts more
readable. To use this option, you must have a video card and monitor that
support 256-color. For best results, your video card and monitor should
support high color (16-bit color).]]

[[Lists the options available for improving the readability of large screen
fonts. Click Standard for desktop monitors; click ClearType for most laptop
computers and other flat screen monitors.]]

I have this UNChecked > Use the following method to smooth edges of screen
fonts:

The appearance of a font can improve by increasing your video resolution,
additional information on how this can be done can be found here
http://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000190.htm

Verify that your computer has the latest drivers for the video card.
from...
Windows fonts are poor quality and not smooth
http://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000557.htm

To change the visual effects, follow these steps:
1. Click Start, click Run, and then type sysdm.cpl in the Open box.
2. Click the Advanced tab, and then under Performance, click Settings.
3. Click the Visual Effects tab, and then use one of the following methods:

* Let Windows choose what's best for my computer:
Click to restore the visual effects settings to those chosen by Windows.

* Adjust for best appearance:
Click to turn on all of the visual effects settings.

* Adjust for best performance:
Click to turn off all of the visual effects settings.

* Custom:
To turn on some visual effects but not others, select the check boxes below
for the visual effects you want to use.

I have one item selected under Custom, Use common-tasks in folders.

How to set performance options in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/308417

> And I'd really like someone to tell me what "font aliasing" actually is

Font rasterization
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Font_rasterization

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In news:656576CC-5D91-490B-ACFA-CCBC37315289@microsoft.com,
Benzmum <Benzmum@discussions.microsoft.com> hunted and pecked:
> Thanks, guys. In fact Cleartype was turned off while I was having the font
> problems. Someone in XP Basics suggesting seeing how things looked when I
> turned it on, and it actually caused some improvement but my fonts still
> look a bit uneven. What seems to have caused this was a program I
> downloaded from Microsoft called Guided Help. It downloaded as a file
> called 308417.exe which was self-extracting. From there it took me
> through steps to optimize my computer's performance. After I'd run it, I
> found my screen font quality was poor - some letters faded at the edges,
> etc. I tried reversing the steps, but there was no improvement. I tried
> selecting each of the Visual Effects options one at a time, and none of
> them helped either (Let Windows decide, Adjust for best appearance,
> Adjust for best performance).
>
> Any other ideas?
>
>
> "Wesley Vogel" wrote:
>
>> From XP HELP:
>>
>> Choosing ClearType for your screen fonts makes the words on your computer
>> screen look as smooth as the words on a page. ClearType dramatically
>> improves font resolution, so your existing spreadsheets, word processing
>> documents, and Web pages display with crystal clarity. ClearType is
>> intended for display on flat screen monitors, so it is ideal for
>> portable computers and other flat screen devices. ClearType may appear
>> slightly blurry on desktop computer monitors that do not have a flat
>> screen.
>>
>> To use ClearType for screen fonts
>> 1. Open Display in Control Panel.
>> 2. On the Appearance tab, click Effects.
>> 3. In the Effects dialog box, select the Use the following method to
>> smooth edges of screen fonts check box.
>> 4. Click ClearType in the list.
>>
>> Notes
>> * To open Display, click Start, point to Settings, click Control Panel,
>> and then double-click Display.
>> * ClearType is ideal for portable computer and other flat screen
>> monitors. ClearType may appear slightly blurry on desktop computer
>> monitors. * Whether you select Standard or ClearType from the list, you
>> must have a video card and monitor that support a color setting of at
>> least 256 colors. Best results are achieved with High color (24-bit) or
>> Highest color (32-bit) support. Click the Settings tab to set Color
>> quality.
>>
>> HOW TO: Use ClearType to Enhance Screen Fonts in Windows XP
>> http://support.microsoft.com/kb/306527
>>
>> Description of ClearType Font Smoothing Technology in Windows XP
>> http://support.microsoft.com/kb/294851
>>
>> --
>> Hope this helps. Let us know.
>>
>> Wes
>> MS-MVP Windows Shell/User
>>
>> In news:CF17DE87-FCC9-4594-A84F-11F5203F1A8A@microsoft.com,
>> Benzmum <Benzmum@discussions.microsoft.com> hunted and pecked:
>>> My screen fonts have looked odd ever since I ran through some MS guided
>>> performance improvement steps. I tried to undo them, and it made no
>>> difference. I posted a question about this in XP Basics, but no one's
>>> come up with a solution yet. I'm hoping someone here can help. A friend
>>> of mine suggested I may have turned on "font aliasing." I can't find any
>>> information on how to check this, or to turn it off, other than a
>>> Knowledge Base article which is 'way too technical for me to understand.
>>>
>>> Can someone help. please.

A lot of helpful information there - thanks, Wes. I'll look at those links.
In fact, I finally tripped over the fact that if I turn High Color to True
Color my screen fonts improve greatly. And I also found a note I'd made to
myself a couple of years ago that said I could restore my monitor's defaults
by turning it on while I've got the "+" sign pressed. So I think we're back
on track here! Thanks, everyone. Merry Christmas.

"Wesley Vogel" wrote:

> By default, Microsoft Windows XP has smooth fonts enabled, however,
> adjusting this setting can sometimes help improve the look and/or quality of
> your fonts. To adjust or change this feature, click Start, Settings, Control
> Panel, double-click the Display icon, click the Appearance tab, and click
> the Effects button. Verify that the Use the below method to smooth edges of
> screen fonts box is checked. We recommend that you utilize the standard
> method.
>
> Use the following method to smooth edges of screen fonts:
> [[Specifies whether to smooth edges of large fonts to make screen fonts more
> readable. To use this option, you must have a video card and monitor that
> support 256-color. For best results, your video card and monitor should
> support high color (16-bit color).]]
>
> [[Lists the options available for improving the readability of large screen
> fonts. Click Standard for desktop monitors; click ClearType for most laptop
> computers and other flat screen monitors.]]
>
> I have this UNChecked > Use the following method to smooth edges of screen
> fonts:
>
> The appearance of a font can improve by increasing your video resolution,
> additional information on how this can be done can be found here
> http://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000190.htm
>
> Verify that your computer has the latest drivers for the video card.
> from...
> Windows fonts are poor quality and not smooth
> http://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000557.htm
>
> To change the visual effects, follow these steps:
> 1. Click Start, click Run, and then type sysdm.cpl in the Open box.
> 2. Click the Advanced tab, and then under Performance, click Settings.
> 3. Click the Visual Effects tab, and then use one of the following methods:
>
> * Let Windows choose what's best for my computer:
> Click to restore the visual effects settings to those chosen by Windows.
>
> * Adjust for best appearance:
> Click to turn on all of the visual effects settings.
>
> * Adjust for best performance:
> Click to turn off all of the visual effects settings.
>
> * Custom:
> To turn on some visual effects but not others, select the check boxes below
> for the visual effects you want to use.
>
> I have one item selected under Custom, Use common-tasks in folders.
>
> How to set performance options in Windows XP
> http://support.microsoft.com/kb/308417
>
> > And I'd really like someone to tell me what "font aliasing" actually is
>
> Font rasterization
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Font_rasterization
>
> --
> Hope this helps. Let us know.
>
> Wes
> MS-MVP Windows Shell/User
>
> In news:656576CC-5D91-490B-ACFA-CCBC37315289@microsoft.com,
> Benzmum <Benzmum@discussions.microsoft.com> hunted and pecked:
> > Thanks, guys. In fact Cleartype was turned off while I was having the font
> > problems. Someone in XP Basics suggesting seeing how things looked when I
> > turned it on, and it actually caused some improvement but my fonts still
> > look a bit uneven. What seems to have caused this was a program I
> > downloaded from Microsoft called Guided Help. It downloaded as a file
> > called 308417.exe which was self-extracting. From there it took me
> > through steps to optimize my computer's performance. After I'd run it, I
> > found my screen font quality was poor - some letters faded at the edges,
> > etc. I tried reversing the steps, but there was no improvement. I tried
> > selecting each of the Visual Effects options one at a time, and none of
> > them helped either (Let Windows decide, Adjust for best appearance,
> > Adjust for best performance).
> >
> > Any other ideas?
> >
> >
> > "Wesley Vogel" wrote:
> >
> >> From XP HELP:
> >>
> >> Choosing ClearType for your screen fonts makes the words on your computer
> >> screen look as smooth as the words on a page. ClearType dramatically
> >> improves font resolution, so your existing spreadsheets, word processing
> >> documents, and Web pages display with crystal clarity. ClearType is
> >> intended for display on flat screen monitors, so it is ideal for
> >> portable computers and other flat screen devices. ClearType may appear
> >> slightly blurry on desktop computer monitors that do not have a flat
> >> screen.
> >>
> >> To use ClearType for screen fonts
> >> 1. Open Display in Control Panel.
> >> 2. On the Appearance tab, click Effects.
> >> 3. In the Effects dialog box, select the Use the following method to
> >> smooth edges of screen fonts check box.
> >> 4. Click ClearType in the list.
> >>
> >> Notes
> >> * To open Display, click Start, point to Settings, click Control Panel,
> >> and then double-click Display.
> >> * ClearType is ideal for portable computer and other flat screen
> >> monitors. ClearType may appear slightly blurry on desktop computer
> >> monitors. * Whether you select Standard or ClearType from the list, you
> >> must have a video card and monitor that support a color setting of at
> >> least 256 colors. Best results are achieved with High color (24-bit) or
> >> Highest color (32-bit) support. Click the Settings tab to set Color
> >> quality.
> >>
> >> HOW TO: Use ClearType to Enhance Screen Fonts in Windows XP
> >> http://support.microsoft.com/kb/306527
> >>
> >> Description of ClearType Font Smoothing Technology in Windows XP
> >> http://support.microsoft.com/kb/294851
> >>
> >> --
> >> Hope this helps. Let us know.
> >>
> >> Wes
> >> MS-MVP Windows Shell/User
> >>
> >> In news:CF17DE87-FCC9-4594-A84F-11F5203F1A8A@microsoft.com,
> >> Benzmum <Benzmum@discussions.microsoft.com> hunted and pecked:
> >>> My screen fonts have looked odd ever since I ran through some MS guided
> >>> performance improvement steps. I tried to undo them, and it made no
> >>> difference. I posted a question about this in XP Basics, but no one's
> >>> come up with a solution yet. I'm hoping someone here can help. A friend
> >>> of mine suggested I may have turned on "font aliasing." I can't find any
> >>> information on how to check this, or to turn it off, other than a
> >>> Knowledge Base article which is 'way too technical for me to understand.
> >>>
> >>> Can someone help. please.
>
>

I use a flat panel screen (not a laptop though). Turning on the ClearType,
all it did on mine was make all the text bold and the bold text very fat. I
put it back to Standard straight away. Or did I do something wrong?

Martin


"Benzmum" <Benzmum@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:64D86E15-E5C9-417F-8101-7A8C0E334C54@microsoft.com...
>A lot of helpful information there - thanks, Wes. I'll look at those links.
> In fact, I finally tripped over the fact that if I turn High Color to True
> Color my screen fonts improve greatly. And I also found a note I'd made to
> myself a couple of years ago that said I could restore my monitor's
> defaults
> by turning it on while I've got the "+" sign pressed. So I think we're
> back
> on track here! Thanks, everyone. Merry Christmas.
>
> "Wesley Vogel" wrote:
>
>> By default, Microsoft Windows XP has smooth fonts enabled, however,
>> adjusting this setting can sometimes help improve the look and/or quality
>> of
>> your fonts. To adjust or change this feature, click Start, Settings,
>> Control
>> Panel, double-click the Display icon, click the Appearance tab, and click
>> the Effects button. Verify that the Use the below method to smooth edges
>> of
>> screen fonts box is checked. We recommend that you utilize the standard
>> method.
>>
>> Use the following method to smooth edges of screen fonts:
>> [[Specifies whether to smooth edges of large fonts to make screen fonts
>> more
>> readable. To use this option, you must have a video card and monitor that
>> support 256-color. For best results, your video card and monitor should
>> support high color (16-bit color).]]
>>
>> [[Lists the options available for improving the readability of large
>> screen
>> fonts. Click Standard for desktop monitors; click ClearType for most
>> laptop
>> computers and other flat screen monitors.]]
>>
>> I have this UNChecked > Use the following method to smooth edges of
>> screen
>> fonts:
>>
>> The appearance of a font can improve by increasing your video resolution,
>> additional information on how this can be done can be found here
>> http://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000190.htm
>>
>> Verify that your computer has the latest drivers for the video card.
>> from...
>> Windows fonts are poor quality and not smooth
>> http://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000557.htm
>>
>> To change the visual effects, follow these steps:
>> 1. Click Start, click Run, and then type sysdm.cpl in the Open box.
>> 2. Click the Advanced tab, and then under Performance, click Settings.
>> 3. Click the Visual Effects tab, and then use one of the following
>> methods:
>>
>> * Let Windows choose what's best for my computer:
>> Click to restore the visual effects settings to those chosen by Windows.
>>
>> * Adjust for best appearance:
>> Click to turn on all of the visual effects settings.
>>
>> * Adjust for best performance:
>> Click to turn off all of the visual effects settings.
>>
>> * Custom:
>> To turn on some visual effects but not others, select the check boxes
>> below
>> for the visual effects you want to use.
>>
>> I have one item selected under Custom, Use common-tasks in folders.
>>
>> How to set performance options in Windows XP
>> http://support.microsoft.com/kb/308417
>>
>> > And I'd really like someone to tell me what "font aliasing" actually is
>>
>> Font rasterization
>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Font_rasterization
>>
>> --
>> Hope this helps. Let us know.
>>
>> Wes
>> MS-MVP Windows Shell/User
>>
>> In news:656576CC-5D91-490B-ACFA-CCBC37315289@microsoft.com,
>> Benzmum <Benzmum@discussions.microsoft.com> hunted and pecked:
>> > Thanks, guys. In fact Cleartype was turned off while I was having the
>> > font
>> > problems. Someone in XP Basics suggesting seeing how things looked when
>> > I
>> > turned it on, and it actually caused some improvement but my fonts
>> > still
>> > look a bit uneven. What seems to have caused this was a program I
>> > downloaded from Microsoft called Guided Help. It downloaded as a file
>> > called 308417.exe which was self-extracting. From there it took me
>> > through steps to optimize my computer's performance. After I'd run it,
>> > I
>> > found my screen font quality was poor - some letters faded at the
>> > edges,
>> > etc. I tried reversing the steps, but there was no improvement. I tried
>> > selecting each of the Visual Effects options one at a time, and none of
>> > them helped either (Let Windows decide, Adjust for best appearance,
>> > Adjust for best performance).
>> >
>> > Any other ideas?
>> >
>> >
>> > "Wesley Vogel" wrote:
>> >
>> >> From XP HELP:
>> >>
>> >> Choosing ClearType for your screen fonts makes the words on your
>> >> computer
>> >> screen look as smooth as the words on a page. ClearType dramatically
>> >> improves font resolution, so your existing spreadsheets, word
>> >> processing
>> >> documents, and Web pages display with crystal clarity. ClearType is
>> >> intended for display on flat screen monitors, so it is ideal for
>> >> portable computers and other flat screen devices. ClearType may appear
>> >> slightly blurry on desktop computer monitors that do not have a flat
>> >> screen.
>> >>
>> >> To use ClearType for screen fonts
>> >> 1. Open Display in Control Panel.
>> >> 2. On the Appearance tab, click Effects.
>> >> 3. In the Effects dialog box, select the Use the following method to
>> >> smooth edges of screen fonts check box.
>> >> 4. Click ClearType in the list.
>> >>
>> >> Notes
>> >> * To open Display, click Start, point to Settings, click Control
>> >> Panel,
>> >> and then double-click Display.
>> >> * ClearType is ideal for portable computer and other flat screen
>> >> monitors. ClearType may appear slightly blurry on desktop computer
>> >> monitors. * Whether you select Standard or ClearType from the list,
>> >> you
>> >> must have a video card and monitor that support a color setting of at
>> >> least 256 colors. Best results are achieved with High color (24-bit)
>> >> or
>> >> Highest color (32-bit) support. Click the Settings tab to set Color
>> >> quality.
>> >>
>> >> HOW TO: Use ClearType to Enhance Screen Fonts in Windows XP
>> >> http://support.microsoft.com/kb/306527
>> >>
>> >> Description of ClearType Font Smoothing Technology in Windows XP
>> >> http://support.microsoft.com/kb/294851
>> >>
>> >> --
>> >> Hope this helps. Let us know.
>> >>
>> >> Wes
>> >> MS-MVP Windows Shell/User
>> >>
>> >> In news:CF17DE87-FCC9-4594-A84F-11F5203F1A8A@microsoft.com,
>> >> Benzmum <Benzmum@discussions.microsoft.com> hunted and pecked:
>> >>> My screen fonts have looked odd ever since I ran through some MS
>> >>> guided
>> >>> performance improvement steps. I tried to undo them, and it made no
>> >>> difference. I posted a question about this in XP Basics, but no one's
>> >>> come up with a solution yet. I'm hoping someone here can help. A
>> >>> friend
>> >>> of mine suggested I may have turned on "font aliasing." I can't find
>> >>> any
>> >>> information on how to check this, or to turn it off, other than a
>> >>> Knowledge Base article which is 'way too technical for me to
>> >>> understand.
>> >>>
>> >>> Can someone help. please.
>>
>>