BIG PROBLEM with Microsoft XP: Please Help?

Question

All of my regular text has been replaced with weird symbols and characters, I'm wondering if I can change it back to English. Everything readable is in this format, see this picture for a better idea. Yeah, it's weird. Please help.

http://img187.imageshack.us/img187/8481/pppppppppppnv0.png

I have another computer to view the answers, but I'd like to get this problem fixed, preferably without erasing everything. Thanks.

Answer 1

try using system restore.. restore it to an earlier date before the problem started its on help and support on your start menu...

Answer 2

The "Regional Settings" may have been changed from "English" to another language.

Try accessing the "Regional and Language Options" window in the Windows Control Panel.

If the text in the Control Panel is also unreadable, look for the icon that resembles a globe on a stand (the kind that you can spin around).

On the "Regional Options" tab, (first tab), select "English" from the drop down combo box (this assumes that the text is readable). Good luck!

references:
http://www.microsoft.com/resources/documentation/windows/xp/all/proddocs/en-us/int_pr_custom_workspace_regionalsettings.mspx?mfr=true

Answer 3

Ok by the image you had your xp in chinese right? I see a chinese red symbol on your desktop. It seems that the chinese support was removed from your system. hopefully it is what I think it is.

go to control panel, then to regional and language options and check to see if english is set as your first language to find this out. click on the little down arrow and set the bar all the way to the top and count 27 languages down to english. I tried to see if I could add a simplified chinese but none is listed on the language tab. maybe you can compare with your other computer. it is on the language tab, then to details then to add. hopefully by changing it first to english it will solve the problem.

all those symbols and weird characters are just chinese language not decoded by your computer. I have seen them before when I connect to the network files here at work.(I work with oriental people)

good luck

Answer 4

In Windows98
Start
Settings
Control Panel
Regional Settings
cl Regional Settings tab
select English (United States)

it is probably similar in WindowsXP - check the Control Panel

Answer 5

i would try using an anitvirus and anti spyware software to clean it up, i dont know but that little red shield in you system tray may mean that you dont have a secure system, first i would go to onecare.live.com and run the scan from there, if you do it on you other computer at the same time you should be able to figure out which buttons to press, then you could use avg (free) and spybot (free) and lavasoft (free) you can download them from download.com and use a flash drive to transfer the .exe file you download to the crazy computer, i hope that would fix it running all those scans and cleaners. if not you can always kick it? im lost after that.

Answer 6

Go to the control panel (the icon of the pen writing a checkmark on a lined piece of paper), click on Regional and Language Options (the icon with the globe) and make sure it is set to English (hopefully the first one listed).

Answer 7

If you try to change the Language to English in Control Panel but it not OK --> Plz try this:
- Right click on your desktop --> Properties --> Appearance --> Advance --> Item (pull down and select Icon) --> Font (pull down and select Tahoma or some another font) --> OK.
Good luck.

Answer 8

I dont know what happened and I have no idea. Try this though since my icons just randomly changed the other day and this helped.

Right click your desktop, click properties. Click the settings tab. It should say color quality 32 bit. Change it to 16 then change it back. It may require a restart but usually doesnt.

Im sorry I dont know how to help. Good luck and best wishes to you!