I've recently upgraded from Windows XP to Windows 8.1 for security reasons (Microsoft dropping support for XP). Corel 12 installed just fine and operates almost as good as on XP. I have only two issues that I've noticed so far:
1) I have been unable to install Corel 12 Service Pack 1 and the MultiPatch. Neither will install and so I am without the benefit of the host of little fixes that solve little annoyances.
2) Some fonts are broken. This is very much like the Security Update back in that people had on Win XP and Win 7 back in '12. The difference here is that some of the installed fonts are not usable in Corel but they do work everywhere else. Obviously not the same Windows Update issue and I can find no information anywhere on how to fix it. Most of them are relatively innocuous ones that I don't really use anyway, but one is the corporate font chosen by a very important client and is used on every piece of art I have on file for them - years worth of files.
I am NOT AT ALL interested in upgrading past Corel 12 unless it is absolutely necessary in order to start using those fonts again. What I really need is a fix so that I can keep using Corel Graphics Suite 12 to my hearts content.
Hello, Roy.
The problem with the fonts has a simple cause: Windows 8.x is pretty much converted over to using OTF fonts instead of TTF fonts. Their font engine still recognizes and renders TTF fonts correctly, but they have updated their fonts (that are supplied with Windows, Office, etc.) to OTF fonts, dropping the TTF fonts.
The other half of the problem equation that you are facing, is that Ver. 12 of the CGS knows absolutely nothing about OTF fonts. The Graphics Suite is too old (around ten years old, by now).
Best solution would be to try to find the TTF fonts that Microsoft has replaced with OTF versions, and then use the Bitstream Font Navigator to control and activate/de-activate the TTF fonts as you need them. Just be careful about having more than one type of the same font active at the same time.
The other alternatives are to update your Graphics Suite or find a good Windows XP machine and run Version 12 of the Graphics Suite on that. If you have a license and install disk for Windows XP, get a copy of VirtualBox, install that on your Windows 8.1 machine, and then in the VirtualBox, install WinXP and under WinXP, install your Ver. 12 of the CGS.