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I have a bizarre problem: the characters used by Firefox to render the text of the interface itself (i.e. menus, menu items, bookmarks, pop-up boxes, etc.) have been changed to weird little boxes with numbers.

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  • Last reply by chiron11

chiron11
chiron11
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Also, the text of the web page that is loaded has changed into a weird font which I think I recognize as Desdemona.

This problem disappears in Safe Mode, but even after resetting all my settings (disabling all extensions, etc.) I have the same problem as soon as I reopen the application.

I have tried reinstalling and even installing multiple software versions, but nothing has worked. This problem has happened after a system crash, but everything else--all other applications, system services, etc. have been recovered and are working perfectly again.

(I have the exact same problem loading Thunderbird 5).

Also, the text of the web page that is loaded has changed into a weird font which I think I recognize as Desdemona. This problem disappears in Safe Mode, but even after resetting all my settings (disabling all extensions, etc.) I have the same problem as soon as I reopen the application. I have tried reinstalling and even installing multiple software versions, but nothing has worked. This problem has happened after a system crash, but everything else--all other applications, system services, etc. have been recovered and are working perfectly again. (I have the exact same problem loading Thunderbird 5).

Chosen solution

Try to toggle some Boolean gfx.font_rendering prefs on the about:config page to disable some features and maybe set gfx.direct2d.disabled -> true to disable Direct2D.
Filter: gfx 

gfx.font_rendering.directwrite.use_gdi_table_loading

To open the about:config page, type about:config in the location (address) bar and press the "Enter" key, just like you type the url of a website to open a website.
If you see a warning then you can confirm that you want to access that page.

  • Use the Filter bar at to top of the about:config page to locate a preference more easily.
  • Preferences that have been modified show as bold(user set).
  • Preferences can be reset to the default or changed via the right-click context menu.
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All Replies (2)

cor-el
cor-el
  • Moderator
  • Top 10 Contributor
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Chosen Solution

Try to toggle some Boolean gfx.font_rendering prefs on the about:config page to disable some features and maybe set gfx.direct2d.disabled -> true to disable Direct2D.
Filter: gfx 

gfx.font_rendering.directwrite.use_gdi_table_loading

To open the about:config page, type about:config in the location (address) bar and press the "Enter" key, just like you type the url of a website to open a website.
If you see a warning then you can confirm that you want to access that page.

  • Use the Filter bar at to top of the about:config page to locate a preference more easily.
  • Preferences that have been modified show as bold(user set).
  • Preferences can be reset to the default or changed via the right-click context menu.
chiron11
chiron11 Question owner
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Wow, that fixed it. I don't know how to thank you! You've saved me a lot of trouble.