I've deleted a system font!

I've two issues regarding fonts, but one is more important than the other - i.e. I've deleted a system font. I'm in a quandary - whilst messing around with fonts, I made a copy folder for my system fonts in case this happened. So, you say, copy them back into the original folder. Ah, but when I try and do that, I get this:-



So I'm stuck! I can't do what I want to do, because that particular system font is missing. Does anyone know what it's called? (And it won't let me fill it in with what I know should go in the boxes.)

Also, when I look at my Firefox now, I get this bizarre font showing on the tabs and in the location & Google bars:-



This is the main issue to be solved. The other issue is Mac fonts generally - I could cry when I install them. No matter how many times I do it, the ones I want just DO NOT appear in my list in Word, PowerPoint etc. - this is so frustrating! I can see them in Font Book, but I just can't use them. I've tried telling Font Book to only use my User Fonts folder and vice versa, but it doesn't make any difference. So I copied all fonts from everywhere into one font copy folder, deleted them everywhere else and reinstalled them. All great - apart from the system fonts of course. (Why do Apple make this so HARD? Even Windows fonts made more sense than this!)

Therefore I need some urgent help for item one, please - and possibly for item two, if anyone can explain this. (In words of one syllable please, and speak slowly as if to a very old person - when I look at other replies to problems here, I just don't understand the terminology sometimes - sorry! ) Thank you SO much!

PS. Before this happened, I checked (or thought I had) the system fonts list with the list here:- OS X: Fonts included with Mavericks - but I must have inadvertently missed one out?

That's not a complete list. Here are the System fonts in /System/Library/Fonts:
Apple Braille Outline 6 Dot.ttf
Apple Braille Outline 8 Dot.ttf
Apple Braille Pinpoint 6 Dot.ttf
Apple Braille Pinpoint 8 Dot.ttf
Apple Braille.ttf
Apple Color Emoji.ttf
Apple Symbols.ttf
AppleSDGothicNeo-Bold.otf
AppleSDGothicNeo-Regular.otf
AquaKana.ttc
Avenir Next Condensed.ttc
Avenir Next.ttc
Avenir.ttc
Courier.dfont
Geeza Pro Bold.ttf
Geeza Pro.ttf
Geneva.dfont
HelveLTMM
Helvetica LT MM
Helvetica.dfont
HelveticaNeue.dfont
HelveticaNeueDeskUI.ttc
Keyboard.ttf
LastResort.ttf
LucidaGrande.ttc
MarkerFelt.ttc
Menlo.ttc
Monaco.dfont
Noteworthy.ttc
Optima.ttc
Palatino.ttc
STHeiti Light.ttc
STHeiti Medium.ttc
Symbol.ttf
Thonburi.ttc
Times LT MM
Times.dfont
TimesLTMM
ZapfDingbats.ttf
encodings.dir
fonts.dir
fonts.list
fonts.scale
ヒラギノ明朝 ProN W3.otf
ヒラギノ明朝 ProN W6.otf
ヒラギノ角ゴ ProN W3.otf
ヒラギノ角ゴ ProN W6.otf
You may be looking at a re-install.

That seems to be the solution I've found too Craig. I almost suggested using the Combo updater but I don't think it will work. Booting from the recovery partition and reinstalling is probably the best solution.

And MS Office also places some fonts in the Font Book. Also think youa re up for re-install.

A bit late here, but do you not have a recent backup clone you could just clone back??

PS: I didn't think that Font Book allowed a user to delete a required font. But I guess I'm wrong.

Thanks to everybody! I did indeed have to do a Cmd-R recovery and reinstall the OS - I did have backups from a short while ago (and of course couldn't do another without being able to fill in that empty box!), so I just took a chance and did it - no choice really? It's sorted out the system fonts, and put back what it needed. (Strangely, this also sorted out the other font problem - I can now see the missing ones that I installed. However, I suppose this could just be down to the restart, I don't know?)

Just in case anyone's interested, this is what I've now got in my system fonts:-



(And pm-r - you can delete system fonts if you put in your admin password - which should have rung my alarm bells, lol. ;D)

The same 43 fonts as I have in the system fonts folder with Maverisks 10.9.4 FWIW.

Hi again to all - I thought this was over, but it isn't! Would you believe that I still got the blank dialogue box whilst trying to do an admin task?! I really thought everything was fixed, but clearly not..... another recovery I suppose.

And I still have a problem with loading new fonts that don't show up - surely I don't have to do a recovery every time I want to use a newly installed font?! (NB. Just discovered that this problem is only with Microsoft apps!)

Are you quitting the MS apps and relaunching, Office Apps will only use the fonts they detect when launched and will not load up new fonts on the fly

Well for your MS apps, according to them if you have a backup, "Starting with Office 2008, Microsoft Office fonts are installed in the Library/Fonts/Microsoft folder. ..."
Font Management | OfficeforMacHelp.com

Or just re-install???

This OS X font stuff is almost crazy - still, and I just used "Find Any File" and it lists 30-40 Font(s) folders and I haven't even added some applications from my SL partition or reinstalled them.

Thanks all - this general fonts thing is as weird as ****! On a whim, I booted up in Safe mode and reinstalled the new fonts - then after a normal boot, I could see two out of three of them in PowerPoint. I give up now, that will do me! (I also deleted the Microsoft fonts cache, suggested by someone else - that may have helped?)

However, I'm still stuck with my blank box (see my first post)! Even after a reinstall, this is still haunting me and clearly making life really difficult - there's so much I can't do, of course. I'm going to try one more reinstall and report back on this - which is the most serious problem of all really.

Forty three fonts?

You guys are missing out big time. Go into Applicatons > Font Book and see how many there. Running MS Office, with OS X.9.4 gave up at one hundred and just reached the F's!

harryb2448 said:

Forty three fonts?

You guys are missing out big time. Go into Applicatons > Font Book and see how many there. Running MS Office, with OS X.9.4 gave up at one hundred and just reached the F's!

Click to expand...

43 SYSTEM fonts!! ;D (We've all got lots in our Font Book, lol - I've got 827!)

HOWEVER - after yet another reinstall, I still have my blank box!! Urgent suggestions please!

Where exactly are you installing fonts? What folder?
Fonts go in your User Library, ~/Library, not in the System library. Which is probably why you're getting a box. It's asking to authorize.
(or I misunderstood)

Jaycey said:

43 SYSTEM fonts!! ;D (We've all got lots in our Font Book, lol - I've got 827!)

HOWEVER - after yet another reinstall, I still have my blank box!! Urgent suggestions please!

Click to expand...

I'd say that you've got that Mac pretty well FUBAR and I'd start over using a new volume, OS X download and clean install and some use of Migration Assistant and some cloning software to get back to where you want.

It reminds me a bit of Winnie the Poo and some of his "mucking about" escapades.

I gather that you don't have a proper working bootable clone backup you could use?? That's a real bummer!!!