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Question

Disable all font smoothing in Windows 7 (ie: including taskbar, menus, control panel, etc...)

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I would like to completely disable all font smoothing, anti-aliasing, etc... on Windows 7. I find it difficult to read and it gives me a headache.

Here's what I've tried so far:

1. Switched to Windows 7 Basic theme. (No Aero.)
2. Run the ClearType tuner. (It didn't help. I want to remove font smoothing, not tweak it.)
3. Disabled ClearType altogether. (Taskbar, menus, etc... remain smoothed/anti-aliased).
4. Unchecked "Smooth edges of screens fonts" from Performance -> Visual Effects. (Taskbar fonts, help, control panel, etc... remain smoothed).
5. Changed all my fonts to Tahoma under Personalize -> Windows Color
6. Using regedit, added "Tahoma" as the first option under HKLM->Software->Microsoft->Windows NT->Current Version->FontSubstitutes
7. Deleted all Segoe fonts from /Windows/Fonts (Had to take ownership to do so)
8. Deleted nearly all extraneous fonts from /Windows/Fonts (I was getting frustrated...)
9. Tried playing with HKCU->Control Panel->Desktop->   FontSmoothingType (both 1 and 0) and FontSmoothing (both 1 and 0).
10. Tried running my laptop at a non-native resolution (Makes it even worse)

The above steps removed most font smoothing, though the taskbar, dialogue boxes, control panel, etc... remain smoothed/anti-aliased. So far, the only way I've found to completely disable any smoothing is to switch to Classic mode, which has the unfortunate effect of removing any visual styles whatsoever. In short, I want Win7 fonts to render in a binary/completely pixelated fashion, with no gray fuzziness or subpixel rendering.

Please help!
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Jennifer Fischer

Jennifer Fischer

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Hi Ken,

   Hopefully the Win 7 typography team will make this "feature" optional by SP1. I'm holding out until then. But if you insist on using 7 before the font smoothing is fixed, here's how to deal with registry font substitutes and UAC/system protection.

   Edit the registry settings under FontSubstitutes so that "Tahoma" appears before Segoe in any FontSubstitute settings. Then, take ownership of the Windows directory (I took ownership of all subdirectories and files, which might be excessive, but made other tweaking easier to deal with) to delete Segoe. To take ownership, right click on the Windows system folder, select "Properties", click on Security, Advanced, then clik on Owner in Advanced security settings... Click on the edit button and change owner to your own account . Make certain "Replace owner on subcontainer..." is checked.

   It's overkill, but will get it done.

R5N

P.S. If anyone does figure out how to remove font smoothing from the Win 7 taskbar, I will praise you for all of time.
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Remember5November

Remember5November

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Bellow is the summer of how to completely disable ClearType and font smoothing in Windows 7.

1. Disable ClearType by opening “Control Panel->Fonts->Adjust ClearType text” and unchecking “Turn on ClearType”.

Alternatively you can change the value of the following registry key from 2 to 1:

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop]
"FontSmoothingType"=dword:00000001

2. Disable font smoothing by unchecking "Smooth edges of screen fonts" in “Control Panel->System->Advanced system settings -> Performance Settings->Visual Effects.

Alternatively you can change the value of the following registry key from 2 to 1:

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop]
"FontSmoothing"="1"

3. Change window elements fonts. To do this, open “Control Panel->Personalize->Window Color->Advanced appearance settings” and change all fonts from Segoe UI 9 to any other font (Windows XP uses Tahoma 8 for all elements by default).

These settings are stored in the following registry path:

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop\WindowMetrics]

4. Now you need to make the system believe that it has no Segoe UI fonts and that it must replace it with for example Таhoma. Please note that there is no need to delete any fonts!!!
Run regedit.exe and make the following changes in the registry:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Fonts]
"Segoe UI (TrueType)"=""
"Segoe UI Bold (TrueType)"=""
"Segoe UI Italic (TrueType)"=""
"Segoe UI Bold Italic (TrueType)"=""

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\FontSubstitutes]
"Segoe UI"="Tahoma"

If you would like to revert it back here are the defaults:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Fonts]
"Segoe UI (TrueType)"="segoeui.ttf"
"Segoe UI Bold (TrueType)"="segoeuib.ttf"
"Segoe UI Italic (TrueType)"="segoeuii.ttf"
"Segoe UI Bold Italic (TrueType)"="segoeuiz.ttf"
"Segoe UI Semibold (TrueType)"="seguisb.ttf"
"Segoe UI Light (TrueType)"="segoeuil.ttf"
"Segoe UI Symbol (TrueType)"="seguisym.ttf"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\FontSubstitutes]
"Segoe UI"=-

5. Restart the computer.

Congrats! We are done! Now absolutely in the whole system the user defined fonts are used without any ClearType or smoothing.

In case somebody would like to disable ClearType in the whole system, but enable it in Office 2007 (Office 2007 in Windows XP uses ClearType always, regardless of system settings), then you need to complete all the above steps, except the first one.

It seems to be OK now, we disabled ClearType and font smoothing, changed system fonts, but there is one imperfection.
By default the system users Segoe UI 9. We changed the font to Tahoma, but the system font size remained the same.

Question remains: How to change the system font size to 8?


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Yaugenka

Yaugenka

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I would try unchecking the checkbox for using Cleartype in HTML. IE, tools menu, options, Advanced tab, Multimedia area.
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Mark L. Ferguson MS-MVP
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Mark L. Ferguson

Mark L. Ferguson

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Mark L. Ferguson MS-MVP

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Did this, but no luck. Taskbar, etc... remain anti-aliased. In the end, I think I'm just going to have to revert to XP Pro. There just doesn't seem to be an easy way to universally revert to pixelated fonts.
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Jennifer Fischer

Jennifer Fischer

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Oh can someone who can help do this, please reply with a decent proceedure.

I have been abale to do most but what I cannot get is the text on the dialog boxes to change. Have a suspicion then changing Segoe to Tahoma will do it ( asdescribed here) and will try tomorrow.

I am still using XP in classic mode and all aliasing turned off as to Not do it will give me a stinker headache in an hour. Vist and Win 7 beta is worse

Why is the Central location to turn the Damn thing off? I notice the updates and new versions of IE disable cleartype byu default where V 6 in XP was enabled. Maybe MS are learning.

Also need to Disable Font smoothing  with Windows Server 2008 while running a as a ts server. If i use a Full desktop i can disable it in control panel and this gets save to my TS profile, but if i try then to run a Published Application ( MS office 2007,) the aliasing is turned on Grrrrr!!!

Ken



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Ken Poole

Ken Poole

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Can you give any more info on how you did / or what you did to achieve the following?

6. Using regedit, added "Tahoma" as the first option under HKLM->Software->Microsoft->Windows NT->Current Version->FontSubstitutes

What do you mean set as fist option? I this location I have lots of substitutes in there mentionaing specific fonts?

7. Deleted all Segoe fonts from /Windows/Fonts (Had to take ownership to do so)
Every time I delete they return immediately!! Gahhhh Something to do with some windows security thing I know what?

Ken P
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Ken Poole

Ken Poole

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Hi Ken,

   Hopefully the Win 7 typography team will make this "feature" optional by SP1. I'm holding out until then. But if you insist on using 7 before the font smoothing is fixed, here's how to deal with registry font substitutes and UAC/system protection.

   Edit the registry settings under FontSubstitutes so that "Tahoma" appears before Segoe in any FontSubstitute settings. Then, take ownership of the Windows directory (I took ownership of all subdirectories and files, which might be excessive, but made other tweaking easier to deal with) to delete Segoe. To take ownership, right click on the Windows system folder, select "Properties", click on Security, Advanced, then clik on Owner in Advanced security settings... Click on the edit button and change owner to your own account . Make certain "Replace owner on subcontainer..." is checked.

   It's overkill, but will get it done.

R5N

P.S. If anyone does figure out how to remove font smoothing from the Win 7 taskbar, I will praise you for all of time.
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Remember5November

Remember5November

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P.S. If anyone does figure out how to remove font smoothing from the Win 7 taskbar, I will praise you for all of time.
Here here! It gives me a dreadful headache, and I can't seem to remove the anti-aliasing from the titlebars! Now, if you could also remove font smoothing from the WPF (and maybe bring back the classic start menu?), I think I'd send a sizable donation to the Bill & Meilnda Gates Foundation.
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Craig Thompson

Craig Thompson

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Just wanted to show my support for this. I hated Vista and I really love Windows 7. If Microsoft can fix this font smoothing issue (i.e. add an option to use XP style fonts) I will definetly buy Windows 7.

As a visually impaired user I can honestly say this is a really poor area of Windows 7. If your not running at the "optimum" resolution fonts are really blurry.

I have tried some of the above procedures but I haven't tried changing the font to Tahoma so i will try that now :)

If anyone finds any tricks that work or agrees with this please post up - the more of us talk about it the more likley it is that MSwill take notice.

   Brian
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briantonkinson

briantonkinson

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Please quickly release a patch to remove this  "cleartype" crappy smoothing and every "hardcore" user will go on seven !

Don't forget "hardcore" users are the one who make an Os a comercial success or not ...

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frogyman

frogyman

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P.S. If anyone does figure out how to remove font smoothing from the Win 7 taskbar, I will praise you for all of time.

I'm not sure but i think it is caused by wpf. (new taskbar implemented in wpf ?)

https://connect.microsoft.com/VisualStudio/feedback/ViewFeedback.aspx?FeedbackID=380919&wa=wsignin1.0

but good news, after all these years and 4 version, ms will fix it in .net framework 4.0 beta 2 (congrats!)

http://blogs.msdn.com/text/archive/2009/08/24/wpf-4-0-text-stack-improvements.aspx

-

Somehow ms uses poorly coded wpf everywhere, in windows 7 and visual studio 2010 WITHOUT fixing it first.  But only microsoft use it hehe.
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Gokhan Berberoglu

Gokhan Berberoglu

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I'm not sure but i think it is caused by wpf. (new taskbar implemented in wpf ?)

https://connect.microsoft.com/VisualStudio/feedback/ViewFeedback.aspx?FeedbackID=380919&wa=wsignin1.0

but good news, after all these years and 4 version, ms will fix it in .net framework 4.0 beta 2 (congrats!)

http://blogs.msdn.com/text/archive/2009/08/24/wpf-4-0-text-stack-improvements.aspx

-

Somehow ms uses poorly coded wpf everywhere, in windows 7 and visual studio 2010 WITHOUT fixing it first.  But only microsoft use it hehe.
So does that mean that after WPF 4, we'll be able to get aliased text on Windows 7? I sure hope so!
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Zibblesnort

Zibblesnort
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