Font Manager Update problems

Regarding Apple's Font Manager Update 1.0 (mentioned here last time), readers are reporting numerous problems with getting the extension and the Font First Aid utility to work. Here is a sampling:

Bo Hejl writes: "On my PB 1400 Newer G3, the extension slows down Internet Explorer 4.5 with regard to closing windows. Now it takes 1-2 seconds to close a window. Without the extension, it is almost instantaneous." I discovered the same symptom on my Power Mac 7500.

JayD writes "Out of a lot of applications, it only flagged GoLive CyberStudio 3.1.1 and Claris Emailer 2.0.3. I didn't repair CyberStudio yet. After repairing Emailer, I couldn't make a new email. Upon trying to send or close or save, it was giving me end of file errors. Upon returning to my unrepaired backup, all was fine."

Paul Timmins writes: "The process from running the utility found that the Optima (in the Mac 8.6 Font folder had the dreaded FOND problem. It suggested that it fixed the problem. This was the only "fix" necessary. Upon opening Illustrator, Boing! Type 2 error while "reading fonts". Trying to remove the Optima font was impossible. I rebooted from another system folder and tossed the file without incident. I copied the original file again from the 8.5.1 folder."

Several readers report that the Font First Aid utility stopped running midway through checking a drive, indicating an error of some sort, but with no information as to how to fix it. Update: Lanny Chambers replies: "This happened to me, until I restarted with extensions off." Jim Weston writes: "For me, increasing the memory allocation to the Font First Aid utility solved the problem."

Update: We had an initial report of the Font Manager extension causing a freeze in Netscape Communicator 4.6.1. Based on feedback from readers, and a further message from the person initially reporting the problem, we now believe that this finding was in error. We apologize.

Of course, not everyone has problems here. For example, Jim Osmundson writes: "I'm happy to note the font repairs applied to PageMaker's RSRC files made PageMaker act normal..."