how to remove unwanted fonts

I have masses of fonts loaded with W7, the vast majority I dont need, or want. It tells me I cannot remove some 'foreign' ones. How is it possible to remove ALL the fonts I dont require?
Regards

It is impossible to understand why, with every OS, Microsoft automatically install all those fonts. I would have thought that, at least for some of the more obscure ones, an optional package would have been appropriate.

However, I have , in the past, manually removed a few, and have used third party programs to assist me. On one or two occasions, I have subsequently run into difficulties.

The whole folder, on default, is about 400 mbs. Maybe not the answer you are seeking, but are you short of disk space. They do not use resources whilst you are using your computer.

just keep the fonts. you might need it later and it is bunch of work just getting it again.

elitetech,
I am sorry but it appears you missed my point. I was asking how to remove some 'foreign' fonts from W7 Windows Fonts file, which I don't need now, nor will ever in the future. I appreciate it could be difficult to re-install but I cannot imagine ever doing so.
Thanks for your response, any help would be appreciated.
Regards

If you're anything like me, and you like using video authoring and graphics tools (Pinnacle, Photoshop) or web dev IDEs, you are likely to end up with a lot of fonts. Usually my Windows installation hovers at around 800-900 fonts, and the system performance hit is considerable. I've actually never looked into removing fonts, my approach has just been to avoid installing ones I did not want, but of course with Windows' default selection of fonts that's not an option. I honestly don't know why they always slap those Arabic etc fonts in there, when I am willing to bet that 99% of users of North American editions of Windows never have any use for them. Localized versions for the Middle East would be another matter, of course.

Adding a lot of fonts into Windows does most definitely adversely affect the system's responsiveness, particularly when using apps which load them up, such as word processors, or graphics tools.

I've never looked into it, but I wonder if those Arabic etc fonts are in the Windows/Fonts directory as regular .ttf files...if so, could they just be manually removed? I'm not logged into Windows right now or I'd check myself... Keep me posted please, I wouldn't mind an answer to this question myself, for future reference.

The Windows/Fonts file lists fonts, some of which are greyed out, which cannot be deleted by the regular means. I wish to know how to overcome this. Several methods have been suggested, some of them partially working, to which I give thanks for the information, but still leaving a considerable number not needed and not wanted. Still working on this.
Regards

The fonts don't take hardly any space at all, so I wouldn't worry about it.

Unless it is just really bugging you because they're there.

I was able to wipe all the fonts in the Fonts folder by doing it from my Linux installation. You don't have to install Linux for that, however; you can use a LiveCD to do it so you don't change your system or risk data loss (aside from losing the fonts you erase, of course.)

I recommend Linux Mint 8. Download the LiveCD iso, burn a CD from it, and boot from the disc. Once the desktop loads, click on Computer, and select the NTFS partition from the partition list in the file manager (typically it's just called "Filesystem (Size in GB)" or something). It'll prompt you for your Windows password so that it can mount the partition. Then you just click your way into the Windows/Fonts folder and erase the fonts you don't need.

I don't know if Windows will notice you overrode its super-ultra-cool security-layer-system-thingy and reinstall the fonts without asking you. I don't feel like booting into Windows just for that... Besides, not knowing is part of the fun, is it not?