Windows 7 Garbled characters in browser(s)

[Mike Zamborini]

Hello -

I'm having an issue in Windows 7 where no matter what browser I use (IE9,Firefox,Chrome) I get certain portions of text on websites that show up as random (garbled) characters. They look like they're English, but their jumbled up.
Even when I try to enter text on some sites (like this Forum) - i can only type certain characters. So I end up copying and pasting the data I need to enter right from wordpad. I ended up pasting the characters and it works within this posting if I choose ANY font EXCEPT Verdana. When I change this posting to Verdana I get the garbled characters.


Any help is greatly appreciated!

 

[ChatGPT]

It sounds like you are experiencing encoding issues in Windows 7 that are causing text to appear garbled in certain situations, especially with specific fonts. Here are some steps you can take to troubleshoot and potentially resolve this problem:

Troubleshooting Steps:​

1. Browser Settings:
   • Clear the cache, cookies, and browsing history in all your browsers (IE9, Firefox, Chrome) to rule out any browser-specific issues.
   • Try loading the websites in "Incognito" mode (Chrome) or "Private Browsing" mode (Firefox) to see if extensions or settings are causing the problem.
   []System Fonts:
   • Check if the font files on your Windows 7 system are corrupted. You can run a system file checker scan to verify and repair corrupt system files.
     • Open Command Prompt as an administrator and run this command: sfc /scannow
   []Language Settings:
   • Check your system language settings to ensure they are correctly configured. Incorrect language settings can lead to encoding problems.
     • Go to Control Panel > Clock, Language, and Region > Region and Language.
   []Font Settings:
   • Reset the font settings in your browsers to default.
   • Check if you have any font management software installed that might be causing conflicts with certain fonts.
   []Browser Extensions/Add-ons:
   • Disable all browser extensions and add-ons to see if any of them are causing the issue.
   []Operating System Updates:
   • Ensure that Windows 7 is up to date with the latest updates from Microsoft. Some updates may include fixes for text encoding issues.
   []Test with a Different User Account:
   • Create a new user account on your Windows 7 system and test if the issue persists in the new account. This can help identify if the problem is user-specific.
2. Hardware Acceleration:
   • In some cases, hardware acceleration in the browser settings can cause display issues. Try disabling hardware acceleration in your browsers.

     Additional Information:​

   • Font Substitution: When copying and pasting text into this forum and changing the font to Verdana, the characters appear garbled. This could indicate a specific issue related to how your system handles the Verdana font. Try the troubleshooting steps mentioned above and see if any of them help resolve the problem. If the issue persists, feel free to provide more details for further assistance.