Package: emacs,w32 Version: 23.0.60 Executing emacs like so emacs -Q -fn "-*-nonexistent" selects a non-usable font (no ASCII chars). This problem was already discussed: http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/emacs-devel/2008-06/msg01305.html This is the output of C-u M-x describe-char: ---------------------------------------------------------------------- character: ; (59, #o73, #x3b) preferred charset: ascii (ASCII (ISO646 IRV)) code point: 0x3B syntax: < which means: comment category: a:ASCII ASCII graphic characters 32-126 (ISO646 IRV:1983[4/0]) l:Latin r:Roman Japanese roman buffer code: #x3B file code: #x3B (encoded by coding system iso-latin-1-dos) display: no font available Character code properties: customize what to show name: SEMICOLON general-category: Po (Punctuation, Other) There are text properties here: face font-lock-comment-delimiter-face fontified t ---------------------------------------------------------------------- and this is the font-log: ---------------------------------------------------------------------- uniscribe-list: -*-nonexistent -outline-Gautami-normal-normal-normal-*-p-*-nonexistent -outline-Latha-normal-normal-normal-*-p-*-nonexistent -outline-Mangal-normal-normal-normal-*-p-*-nonexistent -outline-MV Boli-normal-normal-normal-*-p-*-nonexistent -outline-Raavi-normal-normal-normal-*-p-*-nonexistent -outline-Shruti-normal-normal-normal-*-p-*-nonexistent -outline-Tunga-normal-normal-normal-*-p-*-nonexistent -outline-Estrangelo Edessa-normal-normal-normal-script-*-p-*-nonexistent w32font-list: -*-nonexistent -outline-Gautami-normal-normal-normal-*-p-*-nonexistent -outline-Latha-normal-normal-normal-*-p-*-nonexistent -outline-Mangal-normal-normal-normal-*-p-*-nonexistent -outline-MV Boli-normal-normal-normal-*-p-*-nonexistent -outline-Raavi-normal-normal-normal-*-p-*-nonexistent -outline-Shruti-normal-normal-normal-*-p-*-nonexistent -outline-Tunga-normal-normal-normal-*-p-*-nonexistent -outline-Estrangelo Edessa-normal-normal-normal-script-*-p-*-nonexistent list: -*-nonexistent -outline-Gautami-normal-normal-normal-*-p-*-nonexistent -outline-Latha-normal-normal-normal-*-p-*-nonexistent -outline-Mangal-normal-normal-normal-*-p-*-nonexistent -outline-MV Boli-normal-normal-normal-*-p-*-nonexistent -outline-Raavi-normal-normal-normal-*-p-*-nonexistent -outline-Shruti-normal-normal-normal-*-p-*-nonexistent -outline-Tunga-normal-normal-normal-*-p-*-nonexistent -outline-Estrangelo Edessa-normal-normal-normal-script-*-p-*-nonexistent -outline-Gautami-normal-normal-normal-*-p-*-nonexistent -outline-Latha-normal-normal-normal-*-p-*-nonexistent -outline-Mangal-normal-normal-normal-*-p-*-nonexistent -outline-MV Boli-normal-normal-normal-*-p-*-nonexistent -outline-Raavi-normal-normal-normal-*-p-*-nonexistent -outline-Shruti-normal-normal-normal-*-p-*-nonexistent -outline-Tunga-normal-normal-normal-*-p-*-nonexistent -outline-Estrangelo Edessa-normal-normal-normal-script-*-p-*-nonexistent sort-by: -*-normal-normal-normal-*-16-*-nonexistent uniscribe:-outline-Gautami-normal-normal-normal-*-p-*-nonexistent open: -outline-Gautami-normal-normal-normal-*-p-*-nonexistent uniscribe:-outline-Gautami-normal-normal-normal-*-16-*-p-*-nonexistent uniscribe-list: -outline-Gautami-*-iso8859-1 w32font-list: -outline-Gautami-*-iso8859-1 list: -outline-Gautami-*-iso8859-1 uniscribe-list: -outline-Gautami-*-ascii-0 -outline-Gautami-normal-normal-normal-*-p-*-ascii-0 w32font-list: -outline-Gautami-*-ascii-0 -outline-Gautami-normal-normal-normal-*-p-*-ascii-0 list: -outline-Gautami-*-ascii-0 -outline-Gautami-normal-normal-normal-*-p-*-ascii-0 -outline-Gautami-normal-normal-normal-*-p-*-ascii-0 sort-by: -outline-Gautami-normal-normal-normal-*-16-*-ascii-0 uniscribe:-outline-Gautami-normal-normal-normal-*-p-*-ascii-0 open: -outline-Gautami-normal-normal-normal-*-p-*-ascii-0 uniscribe:-outline-Gautami-normal-normal-normal-*-16-*-p-*-ascii-0 list: -outline-Gautami-*-iso8859-1 list: -outline-Gautami-*-ascii-0 -outline-Gautami-normal-normal-normal-*-p-*-ascii-0 -outline-Gautami-normal-normal-normal-*-p-*-ascii-0 sort-by: -outline-Gautami-normal-italic-normal-*-16-*-ascii-0 uniscribe:-outline-Gautami-normal-normal-normal-*-p-*-ascii-0 uniscribe-list: -outline-Gautami-*-nonexistent -outline-Gautami-normal-normal-normal-*-p-*-nonexistent w32font-list: -outline-Gautami-*-nonexistent -outline-Gautami-normal-normal-normal-*-p-*-nonexistent list: -outline-Gautami-*-nonexistent -outline-Gautami-normal-normal-normal-*-p-*-nonexistent -outline-Gautami-normal-normal-normal-*-p-*-nonexistent sort-by: -outline-Gautami-normal-normal-normal-*-16-*-p-*-nonexistent uniscribe:-outline-Gautami-normal-normal-normal-*-p-*-nonexistent open: -outline-Gautami-normal-normal-normal-*-p-*-nonexistent uniscribe:-outline-Gautami-normal-normal-normal-*-16-*-p-*-nonexistent uniscribe-list: -outline-Gautami-*-p-*-nonexistent -outline-Gautami-normal-normal-normal-*-p-*-nonexistent w32font-list: -outline-Gautami-*-p-*-nonexistent -outline-Gautami-normal-normal-normal-*-p-*-nonexistent list: -outline-Gautami-*-normal-normal-*-p-*-nonexistent -outline-Gautami-normal-normal-normal-*-p-*-nonexistent -outline-Gautami-normal-normal-normal-*-p-*-nonexistent sort-by: -outline-Gautami-light-normal-normal-*-16-*-p-*-nonexistent uniscribe:-outline-Gautami-normal-normal-normal-*-p-*-nonexistent open: -outline-Gautami-normal-normal-normal-*-p-*-nonexistent uniscribe:-outline-Gautami-normal-normal-normal-*-16-*-p-*-nonexistent list: -outline-Gautami-*-normal-normal-*-p-*-nonexistent -outline-Gautami-normal-normal-normal-*-p-*-nonexistent -outline-Gautami-normal-normal-normal-*-p-*-nonexistent sort-by: -outline-Gautami-light-normal-normal-*-16-*-p-*-nonexistent uniscribe:-outline-Gautami-normal-normal-normal-*-p-*-nonexistent list: -outline-Gautami-*-normal-normal-*-p-*-nonexistent -outline-Gautami-normal-normal-normal-*-p-*-nonexistent -outline-Gautami-normal-normal-normal-*-p-*-nonexistent sort-by: -outline-Gautami-light-normal-normal-*-16-*-p-*-nonexistent uniscribe:-outline-Gautami-normal-normal-normal-*-p-*-nonexistent list: -outline-Gautami-*-normal-normal-*-p-*-nonexistent -outline-Gautami-normal-normal-normal-*-p-*-nonexistent -outline-Gautami-normal-normal-normal-*-p-*-nonexistent sort-by: -outline-Gautami-bold-normal-normal-*-16-*-p-*-nonexistent uniscribe:-outline-Gautami-normal-normal-normal-*-p-*-nonexistent list: -outline-Gautami-normal-*-normal-*-p-*-nonexistent -outline-Gautami-normal-normal-normal-*-p-*-nonexistent -outline-Gautami-normal-normal-normal-*-p-*-nonexistent sort-by: -outline-Gautami-normal-italic-normal-*-16-*-p-*-nonexistent uniscribe:-outline-Gautami-normal-normal-normal-*-p-*-nonexistent ----------------------------------------------------------------------