strange characters

[rs51]

In my settings, i've strange characters (language = pt - portuguese)
If i go to (using explorer):
C:\Documents and Settings\rs51
and then open it, i see:
\Definiþ§es locais\Hist¾rico
where:
Definiþ§es should be: definições, and
Hist¾rico should be: histórico
How can i put it ok?
bcastner told me to see my mode con, i did it, checked it and changed it to portuguese but as it kept with the same strange characters i changed it again to what it was.
Dont know how to solve this.
some time ago i started with a similar problem with these same problems when i installed mysql (+php+apache) and those characters apeared also in my command line in dos; i came here but coudnt find a solution too....
At the very same time, the color behind the letters of some menus (like notepad ,msn messenger, spider solitaire etc) appear white instead of the gray color the bar has. Also the mouseover doesnt show the blue background as it does in other users in my pc, but instead gray.
Cant find a solution to that, so i related all these facts.
What should i do?
thanks in advance

 

[linney]

What you are asking is controlled by what you have set for Regional Languages in the Control Panel. Read this article in Help and Support "Regional and Language Options overview" and see if you can solve it.

Standards and Formats.

Provides a place for you to select how you want programs to display dates, times, currency, and numbers. Select the locale to control how these items are displayed. An example of the formatting for the current selection is shown under Samples.
Click the Customize button to change individual settings. For example, you can change how the date is displayed in short or long format.

Languages/ Details.

Enables you to add and remove input languages and text services. Input languages are the languages in which you enter and display text. Text services include keyboard layouts, Input Method Editors (IMEs), which enable you to enter East Asian language characters with a keyboard, and speech and handwriting recognition programs.
Click Details to add or remove an input language or text service.

Languages/ Details/ Add, click to install additional languages and text services. When you start or log on to your computer, all the languages and text services that you have added are loaded into memory.


All you can do is make sure your settings are correct. It is confusing when selecting the language as there are 2 or 3 listings for Portuguese, have you tried them all?

Maybe the Microsoft Help and Support in Brazil or Portugal, contacted by Email may fix up this problem.






IE/ Tools/ Internet Options/ Advanced.

Underline links.

Specifies how you want links on Web pages underlined. Select one of the following settings:
To underline all links, click Always.
To not underline links, click Never.
To underline links when your mouse pointer is over the link, click Hover.


In IE/ Tools/ Internet Options/ Colors.

Click this to change your default text and background colors.

Links.

Specifies the colors you want to use for links that you have clicked (visited) and links that you have not clicked (unvisited).
To select a color, click the box, and then click the color you want.




Display Properties/ Appearance/ Advanced/ Item/ Menu

Lists the background colors you can use for the selected window component. If this option is unavailable, you cannot change the color of the selected item. If there is no option here for you to change try turning off the Visual Effects in Systems Properties/ Performance/ Settings.

You can also run the System File Checker program from the Run Box by typing.....Sfc /Scannow in it and have your XP CD handy.

 

[rs51]

in first place i want to thank you for your help

- i re-checked my regional settings: all they are the way they should be

- i installed the language icon/bar tool portuguese and portuguese brasilian : no changes...

- i run sfc/scannow, inserted the winXP cd and done it

- also followed bcastner ideas

...nothing...

Please dont go away right now and let me expose my idea:

1) all these strange chars thing ONLY happens in my user (admin), because in ANY other user (admin or not), the strange chars doesnt appear in the folders name

2) only under C:\Documents and Settings\MyUser appear 2 (TWO) folders with the very same name: definições locais. And here lies the problem: one of these folders its named
Definiþ§es locais, and its visible, while the other its called Definições locais and its hidden (and its the correctly written!).
Should i delete the Definiþ§es locais folder?
How did it was created?
Why only these probs appear in my user?
3) And, for last, the color of the background menus like i refered to in my first post, only happens too in my user
Dont know what else to do...
Thanks again

 

[bcastner]

The color isssue is a clue. I think that the EFS system was used on the folder.
Either the folder was compressed, or encrypted, or both.

First, rename the visisble folder. It is unlikely even if it appears that way, that the two folders have identical names. But rename it temporarily.

Second, right-click the "hidden" folder, Properties, and check all the tabs. Start by "unsharing" the folder if it is shared. Look under the Security tab, Advanced, to make certain that Administrator Group, System, and CREATOR/OWNER have full permissions to the folder. Check the Customize tab to be certain it is set for "all file types."

Third, create a new folder with a unique name. Copy the contents of folder #2.

Does Folder #3 show strange characters? If not, and the copy operation was complete, hold down the Shift key and right-click to delete Folder #2.

Finally, clean your recycle bin.

 

[rs51]

thank you very much again
i deleteed the strange folder
i had open it and noticed that it only had info about some aladin/sttufit site ... everywhere!
so i deleted it (but keep it in recycle bin)
i guess was that aplication (sttufit)i had allready uninstalled that changed the chars in those folders.
i checked my dos command: when i write in there, the portuguese is clear and ok, but, if i use Mysql with dos, the portuguese appears with those strange chars...
so i guess its a MySql prob.
About the menus color and mouseover being incorrect in my user... i dont know...
i'm going to make a post in Mysql forum because i cant open a mysql file called my.
i rightclick, click on open and doesnt open since i run that dos scannow thing to check my winxp files where ok
once more thanks a lot for your good help

 

[rs51]

oops
i still can open that my file, with notepad...sorry

 

[bcastner]

Stuffit is a Zip compression program. If you have "stuffed" a file or folder it is compressed.

This would explain not only the odd characters if you open a file in notepad, but the different color. As I said earlier compressed and/or encrypted folders are shown in a different color in Explorer, although you can remove this feature.

Either reinstall Stuffit, or Winzip or some similar de-compression routine.

 

[rs51]

i quote bcastner:
"This would explain not only the odd characters if you open a file in notepad, but the different color"
Notice the odd characters appeared in the name of the folder, not inside notepad or else; and the color of background menu is not in all the bar but just behind the letters, where you can mouseover.
thanks for continuing help!