[SOLVED] Too many non-Latin Fonts & Languages in your Win7 system ?

** Setting a restore point/backing up your registry is always a good practice to get into.

When I started using Photoshop with Windows 7 it seemed like I had a never ending list of fonts to trawl through to get to, say, Tahoma. I discovered that Windows 7 has c 300mb of "essential" fonts installed and that I, as a user of Latin script, would never use over 80% of them. Trying to delete them by hand was a never ending and a sometime thankless task, so I started surfin' the T'Interweb for a solution.

I finally came across this forum thread at Microsoft answers and my eye was caught by the threads written by Martin Ihde.

He'd written a script called (aptly) 2manyfonts, to remove the non-Latin fonts from the Fonts folder and was looking for "Guinea pigs" to give it a go. Now, having a penchant for nibbling wood and a sexual endurance record of under 12 seconds, I thought that it would be right up my street!!

Well, it worked a treat, with a couple of amendments (take the time to read the Microsoft answers thread to see what I mean) as he is/uses a German Windows set-up. Martin has updated the originals due to feed back though.

So I can heartily recommend using the script with the standard caveat** "use at your own discretion". It cleared over 250mb of "useless to me" fonts out of my Font folder. The (slightly) modified by me, script of Martins' are attached below.This suited my English-UK set up. Martins originals can be found through the above links.

After I'd used it, it got me to thinking of all the Language folders in the system32 and SysWoW64 folders. Although they do no harm I'm used to opening a system32 folder (on XP), spin the mouse wheel once and I'm looking at the start of the dll files, where I want to be. With Win7 it's 3 'n a bit turns to get there, it bugs me and tires my finger out. So I adapted Martins' script to remove the language folders in the two system folders and b*gg*r me, it worked!!

So if you're interested in removing these folders I've attached the script files below.

Standard caveat as per usual**. I left the folder and files on my C: drive for two weeks without issue before deleting them.

The best part of using a script is that Windows will re-install on a semi-regular basis during updates but four or five mouse clicks later and there they are, GONE!!

Hope Martins (and my adaptation's of his) script is of use to somebody else.

** Setting a restore point/backing up your registry is always a good practice to get into.

EDIT. Scripts link has been updated but I'm also attaching them here.There are several different scripts now for removing various language related files and folders.

EDIT. Couple of scripts updated (23-03-11) as per naroMreteP's post below. Thanks Pete!


NOTE!! If you intend to install Office 2010 then you need the Meiryo font. To this end it's not included in the above batch files. Once Office is installed however....

Seems very cool if one has a use for this. As far as the boot files go, check my folder:

(Cooo's in admiration) . Last time I tried that I ended up with a re-install. Mind you, I may have ended up with a re-install even if I hadn't tried that!!

Right, that's it. The rest have been packed in a rar file for now .

We think alike, TorrentG. This is my default. Saved into a folder and ready to paste into a new installation! (I need two languages)

Attachment 1075

New Member here. I found this thread while noticing that I have a ton of unusable (for me) languages in my Windows folder for Win7 Ultimate 64.

I am fully aware of resurrecting dead threads, but I can't PM without having a post.

Is there any way I could get a copy of this script? FileFactory's has either been removed or has expired. Many Thanks!

Nothing wrong with reviving a thread to get updated links etc.

Elmer is still a regular so hopefully he can upload the script.

(Elmer, if possible please just attach the zip right to your post so it doesn't expire.)

Done, plus link updated.

I have noticed an error both the 2ML32.bat and 2ML64.bat with the takeown lines.

They need to have two additional switches added to the end of each line of code.

These are /A /R

Example: takeown /f %windrive%:\Windows\System32\ar-SA

should be --> takeown /f %windrive%:\Windows\System32\ar-SA /A /R

This addition to every takeown line forces the command to assign ownership to the Administrators group and apply this command to all files and subfolders recursively.

Without this correction the icacls line fails to change the security on the files in the associated folder and subfolders.

The move command also fails as it isn't designed to do recursive folders properly.

The robocopy command is far more powerful, so I've replaced the move command with robocopy and added the /MOVE switch to the end of each line to achieve a clean move!!

I have attached the changed batch files for everyone to share.

Hope this was helpful.

Hi Peter and Welcome to the forum.

I sensed it wasn't quite right but it worked for me so....

But thanks very much for the heads up.

I'm going change all mine/swap for yours to update them.

(I was gonna ask where I get robocopy from. Glad I did a search first!!)