How to Disable Atech FastFonts for Windows

• Microsoft Word for Windows, versions 2.0, 2.0a, 2.0a-CD, 2.0b, 2.0c, 6.0, 6.0a, 6.0c

SUMMARY

This article describes how to disable Atech's FastFonts application and how to undo the changes that FastFonts makes to your Windows configuration when you install or disable this font package.

Note: Atech Software is no longer doing business. No support is available for the FastFonts product.

MORE INFORMATION

To completely disable FastFonts, do the following:

1. From the File menu, choose Print Setup. Select the FastFonts printer driver and choose the Setup button.

2. Clear the Use FastFonts Screen Driver option in the printer driver setup dialog box and choose the OK button.

3. In the Print Setup dialog box, select another installed printer driver for your active printer and choose the OK button.

4. Exit and restart Windows.

What Is FastFonts?

FastFonts is a Windows font manager and type library created by Atech, based on their earlier Publisher's PowerPak font technology. FastFonts lets you produce scalable, what-you-see-is-what-you-get (WYSIWYG) fonts in the Windows environment. These fonts are scalable from 4 to 1000 points. Similar to Adobe Type Manager and Bitstream FaceLift, FastFonts interacts with the Windows system and provides a main application window that contains font management tools.

FastFonts fonts are printed as bitmap graphics; as a result, printing is slower than when you print printer-resident fonts. Note, however, that in applications such as Word for Windows the FastFonts fonts do appear with a printer icon next to them, indicating these fonts can be printed.

FastFonts consists of two key system components: a screen driver and a printer driver. When you install FastFonts on your system, FastFonts does the following:

• It installs new Windows video and printer drivers.
• It substitutes the FastFonts display driver for your current display driver.
• It installs the FastFonts Printer Driver and adds it to your list of available printers.

   SYSTEM.INI
   ----------

   [boot]
   display.drv=ffscr.drv

   [boot.description]
   display.drv=FastFonts Screen Driver

   WIN.INI
   -------

   [windows]
   device=FastFonts Printer Driver,FFPRN,LPT1:

The following new section is added to the end of you WIN.INI file:

   [FASTFONTS]
   config=ff.cfg
   prdate=6390

FastFonts Limitations

• FastFonts version 3.06 does not support printing greyscale bitmaps.
• FastFonts has problems printing bitmaps. If you are unable to print a bitmap, try copying it into Windows Paintbrush and saving it from Paintbrush.
• When you install FastFonts over a previous installation of Publisher's PowerPak, you may receive a general protection (GP) fault. To correct this problem, remove the PPAK.DRV file from your WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory.

REFERENCES

"A Guide for FastFonts for Windows Users," Atech Software.