Disaster? Fonts sub-dir vanished [SOLVED]

[payasam]

Mandrake 10.0 Official (download version)

 

I had too many fo(u)nts and wanted to remove those which I would never use. I went through System and Font Installer and found /personal empty. When I clicked on it, Konqueror started up and I could get into /System, where all the files were. I viewed and then removed two. Devil knows what happened when I asked for a third to be removed, but the whole sub-directory just disappeared. Now when I start up Mandrake, I find myself in text mode. Typing "startx" brings up several error messages, including the following: "Fatal server error: Could not open default font 'fixed'." Where has the sub-directory gone and can I get it back?

 

[moved from Installing Mandrake by spinynorman]

[payasam]

This is almost certainly not a hardware matter, Spinynorman, but I don't really care so long as I get the system going again. I've tried to reinstall font files with urpmi, but I keep getting the response "Everything already installed". This would suggest that the stuff is all there but whatever controls it cannot find it. The command "fc-cache -fv" did no good either. Any idea where this 'fixed' font might be and in which control file I should specify its location? I came across a *.conf file somewhere which has the paths to fonts, but EMACS and VIM worked differently - and in any case I couldn't have told them where the 'fixed' font was since I don't know that yet.

Edited November 9, 2004 by payasam

[spinynorman]

This is almost certainly not a hardware matter, Spinynorman,

I agree. We put problems with the file system here for the lack of somewhere more suitable... :)

[coverup]

I've tried to reinstall font files with urpmi, but I keep getting the response "Everything already installed".

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

apparently, urpmi reads the database of installed packages, and since the package is still flagged as installed, urpmi refuses to do anything. Try to reinstall the package with rpm or kpackage (the kde frontend to rpm). You may need to force it to replace packages and/or files - just what you want! I don't know for sure, urpmi might have this option as well...

[AussieJohn]

Hello payasam.

I do not know if this will be of any help to you but I offer it anyhow.

 

When you open up the KDE control centre and go to File Manager and open it you will see a tab called Appearance and just below it a line titled......Standard font..... Is there anything in its adjacent box.??? If not then there should be. Click on the little blue arrow and select a font name from the drop down list. then click on apply at the bottom.

I have found some times that a font can seem to disappear out of there while doing updates or upgrades etc.

Cheers goodheart. John.

[payasam]

Thanks, Spinynorman, Coverup, John. I finally lost patience and reinstalled Mandrake and packages from scratch. Lost little data, since I'd been careful to store copies on a FAT32 partition. Lost some hours, of course. Until I've seen Mandrake running without idiosyncracy or idiocy for two months or so, I shall continue to back up data on Windows D:. No one has so far even suggested why a whole ruddy directory (or perhaps it was more than one) should have vanished when I'd asked only for a file (probably a font family rather than a single face) to be deleted. I'll store your advice somewhere, John, in case I should need it later.

[aRTee]

Can I ask you one question?

 

Why on earth would you want to remove or even disable system fonts?

[AussieJohn]

Hello payasam.

I am curious. Are you doing any of your work in the ROOT mode ??? Normally doing anything such as accidently deleting a font directory or other important directorys cannot be done in an account.

Anything lost in an account can usually be reinstalled so no need to system reinstall.

 

Cheers. John.