Help! Lost system fonts [SOLVED -- sort of]

[carandol]

I used the Control Centre to import fonts from my Windows XP partition. But afterwards, all italics in documents written in Times New Roman were also in bold. When I looked at the fonts list, there were two entries for each type of Times New Roman font (bold, italic, etc), which didn't seem right. So I deleted the Times New Roman fonts, thinking I could then reinstall them correctly. But now KDE (3.5) won't run, and I'm left with a command line on bootup. How do I get my system fonts back? I do feel a fool...  

[Bald Brick]

I used the Control Centre to import fonts from my Windows XP partition. But afterwards, all italics in documents written in Times New Roman were also in bold. When I looked at the fonts list, there were two entries for each type of Times New Roman font (bold, italic, etc), which didn't seem right. So I deleted the Times New Roman fonts, thinking I could then reinstall them correctly. But now KDE (3.5) won't run, and I'm left with a command line on bootup. How do I get my system fonts back? I do feel a fool...  

When you write "Control Center", I take it you mean the PCLOS Control Center and not the KDE Control Center? They install fonts in slightly different ways: PCC converts (or at least used to convert) ttf fonts to Type1 fonts, while the KDE Control Center gives you a choice of installing fonts for all users or just for your present user. But neither of them will automatically set up Times New Roman as a "system font". I don't think removing one version of Times New Roman is at the root of your problem. But I need more info before I start speculating.

(Also note that if you install the package webcore-fonts, there is no reason to import Times New Roman from XP.)

[carandol]

Yes, I do mean the PCLOS Control Centre. Maybe I'm wrong about the system fonts, but something odd happened. After I removed Times New Roman, the next thing I did was try to run my browser (Chromium) but it just didn't appear. I reset the computer, and KDE didn't come up; I got the command line instead. If I log in as root and try to run KDE, I get a message that the X-Server won't run because it's unable to find font 'fixed' (which, you're right, doesn't sound like Times New Roman!). I installed Aptitude at the command line, and had a trawl through looking for fonts which might fit the bill as missing, but it's not the easiest program in the world to use, so I'm none the wiser (though I suspect my hair is slightly greyer...) Afraid I don't know enough about the command line, or how X works to figure it out.

[carandol]

OK, the exact error message I get (carefully copied from the screen!) when trying to run KDE is:

(==) Log file: "/var/log/Xorg.0.log", Time: Thu Feb 11 23:47:09 2010
(==) Using config file: "/etc/X11/xorg.conf"
dlopen: /usr/lib/xorg/modules/fonts//libtype1.so: undefined symbol: Type1RegisterFontFileFunctions
(EE) Failed to load /usr/lib/xorg/modules/fonts//libtype1.so
(EE) Failed to load module "type1" (loader failed, 7)
(II) Module "ramdac" already built-in
The XKEYBOARD keymap compiler (xkbcomp) reports:
>Warning:                   Type "ONE_LEVEL" has 1 levels, but <RALT> has 2 symbols
>                               Ignoring extra symbols
Errors from xkbcomp are not fatal to the X server
could not open default font 'fixed'

waiting for X server to begin accepting connections
giving up.
xinit: Connections reset by peer (errno 104): unable to connect to X server
xinit: No such process (errno 3): Server error.

[smileeb]

I used the Control Centre to import fonts from my Windows XP partition.

Why are you importing fonts from windows to linux.

In many of the instructions on the forum, it is stated DO NOT import outside the OS.

The reason is it could mess up your system, which you now have proof of.

[carandol]

I used the Control Centre to import fonts from my Windows XP partition.

Why are you importing fonts from windows to linux.

In many of the instructions on the forum, it is stated DO NOT import outside the OS.

The reason is it could mess up your system, which you now have proof of.

Then why have an "Import fonts from Windows" option in the PCLOS Control Centre?

EDIT: To actually answer the question, though... I would rather use Linux than Windows, but to do so I need my documents in SoftMaker Office to be *exactly* identical to my colleague's documents in SoftMaker Office in Windows; if I'm not using the same fonts as him it completely messes up the layout.

[Bald Brick]

carandol,

Try reinstalling the package x11-server-common-1.4.0.90-11pclos2007.

If you can't use Synaptic, su to root (or log in as root) and try:

Code: [Select]

apt-get update
apt-get --reinstall install x11-server-common

Then reboot, and if the package webcore-fonts isn't installed, install it -- it will give you the most important Windows fonts.

[carandol]

Thanks, but reinstalling x11-server-common doesn't work; the error messages are the same as before. I did wonder if libtype1.so might be missing, but it's definitely there. I do wonder about the double slash // between fonts and libtype1.so in the line beginning with dlopen. Is that right?

[Bald Brick]

I do wonder about the double slash // between fonts and libtype1.so in the line beginning with dlopen. Is that right?

It's untidy but it isn't wrong. A double slash in a path is seen as a single slash. (You can actually replace a single slash with any number of slashes.)

[Bald Brick]

Thanks, but reinstalling x11-server-common doesn't work; the error messages are the same as before.

I'd try recreating the file /etc/X11/xorg.conf. The easiest way is by running XFdrake (or video) as root.

[carandol]

Thanks, but reinstalling x11-server-common doesn't work; the error messages are the same as before.

I'd try recreating the file /etc/X11/xorg.conf. The easiest way is by running XFdrake (or video) as root.

The settings there seem to be OK, but I get those same messages again when I do a test:

(EE) Failed to load /usr/lib/xorg/modules/fonts//libtype1.so
(EE) Failed to load module "type1" (loader failed, 7)

I'm quite impressed at how well I've messed up my system!  Lucky it's not mission-critical.

[Bald Brick]

Mysterious. I'm running out of ideas.

But just how did you delete the Times New Roman fonts?


You could also try commenting out the line  

Load           "type1"

in the "Module" section of /etc/X11/xorg.conf. It will give you a slightly crippled system, but X not starting at all is worse.

[John Bee]

You could also try commenting out the line  

Load           "type1"

in the "Module" section of /etc/X11/xorg.conf. It will give you a slightly crippled system, but X not starting at all is worse.

Hmm, I decided to check my Xorg log file and looks like I have the error as well.

(II) Loading /usr/lib/xorg/modules/fonts//libtype1.so
dlopen: /usr/lib/xorg/modules/fonts//libtype1.so: undefined symbol: Type1RegisterFontFileFunctions
(EE) Failed to load /usr/lib/xorg/modules/fonts//libtype1.so
(II) UnloadModule: "type1"
(EE) Failed to load module "type1" (loader failed, 7)

Edit: Forgot to add, that the above is not affecting me in any way, that I can see. So I don't think it is the root cause of your problem.

[carandol]

Thanks for all the suggestions, Blackbird! I'm wondering if I accidentally clicked the "Times Roman" line rather than "Times New Roman" line when uninstalling. That probably *is* a system font. What package it's in though, I've no idea. I'm starting to think it would be easier just to reinstall PCLOS! 

[Bald Brick]

After reading John Bee's post above, I checked my own Xorg log file -- and would you believe it? -- it seems that the type1 module refused to load on my box too. And like John Bee I haven't noticed any ill-effects either -- probably because I mainly use ttf fonts.

So the failure to load /usr/lib/xorg/modules/fonts//libtype1.so is probably a red herring.

I have to think about this.


Edit:

You might try creating a new user account and see if X starts for that new user.

As you can't use the GUI you'd have to create the new user from the CLI using either the adduser command or the useradd command. They are the same, for adduser is simply a link to useradd -- and the syntax couldn't be simpler. As root:

adduser <NameOfNewUser>

After that you'd want to give the new user a password. Still as root, type:

passwd <NameOfNewUser>

and do what you are prompted to do.

If the new user can get into KDE we've narrowed down the solution to the problem quite a lot.