BleepingComputer.com: Missing unicode characters after computer reformat!

I have been searching like mad to try and find the answer to this, but I just can't find anything! No one seems to have this problem or know how to help!

I reformatted my computer after trojans rendered it unusable, but I didn't have any sort of backup because it was unexpected.

I reformatted, installed drivers using Dell's website, and the computer works fine except for the fact that I am now missing unicode characters, such as number 2764, a black heart which I was previously able to see!

It is very annoying seeing little boxes instead of symbols that the people who posted them can obviously see, and I have no clue where to get them back! There is no "unicode downloads" website, or any sort of driver I could see that would get these back.

What do I do? How did this happen? I'm so frustrated!

Computer: Dell E521
Operating System: Windows XP Media Center Edition

You sure this isn't a fonts issue?

I don't see anything enlightening about Unicode problems/situations.

Louis

I didn't touch the fonts, why should there be any issue? Is there some sort of unicode characters font that I could download?

I don't understand what you mean by enlightening. This is a new situation/problem that I have no idea how to deal with, and no one on tech support forums seems to be able to help me with this.

Fonts are files...any file is capable of becoming damaged at any time, without any warning signs until that file is called upon to perform what it was designed for.

I repeated the fonts query because I saw that suggestion made by someone more knowledgeable than I am...to someone in a similar situation as yours.

<<I don't understand what you mean by enlightening.>>

That means that my Google efforts did not find anything on the Web...that might lead to resolution or knowledge about your situation (as described).

Seems to me that...if your system is reading code improperly...that will be very hard to troubleshoot. Have you tried printing something with these problematical characters included...and comparing that to what you see onscreen with same characters? Might help define the problem, might not.

Louis

This post has been edited by hamluis: 22 October 2009 - 03:57 PM

Someone told me that it might have been a botched installation of windows, because I reformatted...

Should these characters be standard on the Windows CD? I didn't have them at any point after I reinstalled Windows, they just weren't there.

Check your character map, if loads are missing from their try reinstalling the Character Map using add/remove components...:\ Or yeah, it might be to do with the fonts.

LOL..I wish I had the knowledge to answer your question, but I don't .

I'm curious...just how did you determine that you have a unicode problem?

In any case...there seem to be several downloads for unicode character maps, http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&sou...&aqi=g4g-m3. One may be the answer to your situation.

Louis

hamluis, on Oct 22 2009, 04:03 PM, said:

I found out I had the problem because I visited the same websites I used to frequent before my reformat, and I saw boxes with numbers in them instead of hearts and stars, etc., those symbols that younger people love to use in their signatures and stuff.

Also, I have downloaded a character map, and I was missing a lot of symbols, they didn't help with anything but proving my suspicions correct.

This post has been edited by GodzillaFirebox: 22 October 2009 - 08:45 PM

I don't know but maybe you can find some info that will help you here....

http://www.unicode.org/

Btw, I cannot make unicode characters on my computer but as far as I know, I see them on websites as I do not see the things you do in place of them

This post has been edited by Stang777: 22 October 2009 - 10:40 PM