PRB: Windows NT 3.50 Fonts Look Different from v.3.51 Fonts

 Last reviewed: January 30, 1996
Article ID: Q137328
The information in this article applies to:
  • Microsoft Win32 Software Development Kit (SDK) versions 3.51 and 4.0
  • Microsoft Windows NT version 3.51

SYMPTOMS

An application can instruct Windows that a fixed (non-proportional) system font should be used for a dialog box by specifying "Fixedsys" in the dialog template in the applications resource file (.RC file). For example:

IDD_ABOUTBOX DIALOG DISCARDABLE 22, 17, 167, 64 STYLE DS_MODALFRAME | WS_CAPTION | WS_SYSMENU CAPTION "About Generic" FONT 9, "Fixedsys" BEGIN ...

The fixed system font used in a dialog box in Windows NT version 3.50 differs from that used in version 3.51. A 32-bit Windows-based application run under Windows NT version 3.50 displays a bolder looking dialog box font. In addition, the font editor in Microsoft Visual C++ displays the system fixed font as it would look under Windows NT version 3.50, so the font is incorrectly displayed for a Windows NT version 3.51 application.

RESOLUTION

To instruct Windows to use the bolder font in Windows NT version 3.51 as it does in version 3.50, you need to mark the application as a version 3.10 application. This will also ensure that the application's dialog box font looks the same under the Visual C++ dialog editor as it does when run under Windows NT 3.51. To mark your application as version 3.10, click Settings on the Project menu in Visual C++, click the Link tab in the Project Options dialog box, and add this: 

    /SUBSYSTEM:windows,3.10
You can also add this manually to the "linker" options in your makefile.

Additional reference words: 4.00
KBCategory: kbgraphic kbprb
KBSubcategory: GdiFnt

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Last reviewed: January 30, 1996
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