Search Support

Avoid support scams. We will never ask you to call or text a phone number or share personal information. Please report suspicious activity using the “Report Abuse” option.

Learn More

Strange characters

  • 16
  • 3
  • 11 views
  • Nzaghachi ikpeazụ nke Matt

more options

Many messages contain strange characters that replace symbols such as quotation marks, apostrophes, etc. What can I do to eliminate these characters?

Many messages contain strange characters that replace symbols such as quotation marks, apostrophes, etc. What can I do to eliminate these characters?

All Replies (16)

more options

View menu (alt+V) > text encoding > probably set to UTF-8 but try western and latin if utf does not work.

more options

There is no UTF-8 or latin listed. It is set as Western. Is there some way I can get additional listings?

more options

UTF-8 = Unicode.

more options

Thanks for the translation of UTF-8 = Unicode. So I changed character encoding to Unicode, and I'm still getting strange characters that replace sumbols such as -, ', ", etc. Anybody have an alternate solution?

more options

Can you post an image showing the strange characters?


Select email so it shows in Message Pane click on 'Other Actions' > 'View source' Look for all lines that start with: example: Content-Type: multipart/alternative;

MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="utf-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

What have you got in the email source?


Tools > Options > Display > Formatting tab or Menu icon > Options > Options > Display > Formatting tab

  • click on 'Advanced' button
  • Please post image of the 'Fonts & Encodings' window.


Are you viewing in Plain Text or HTML? View > Message Body as > what is here?

more options

I'm sorry. I can't understand your instructions. I've examined all the menus and can't find anything called "Other Actions."

If I press Ctrl U for Message Source, I find: Content-Type: multipart/alternative;

boundary="===============5728969158230157436=="

MIME-Version: 1.0 Subject: Toad-Hall posted an answer to your question "Strange characters" From: Mozilla Support Forum <no-reply@support.mozilla.org> To: kklarin@yahoo.com Date: Mon, 11 May 2015 17:14:15 -0000 Message-ID: <20150511171415.18579.63616@support-celery1.webapp.phx1.mozilla.com> Reply-To: no-reply@mozilla.org X-Brightmail-Tracker: AAAAASRfILA= X-Brightmail-Tracker: AAAAAA==

--===============5728969158230157436== MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Does this help? KWK

more options

Here is an example of the strange characters: Events - Aqua            Private Events - Green Cruises - Violet          Special Notices - Bright Yellow Meetings - Pink         Cleaning of Club - Light Yellow

more options

You supplied the message Source info of the email you received from Mozilla support forum. Did that email have strange characters?

I need to see the Ctrl U for Message Source of the email you received which has contents: Events - Aqua            Private Events - Green

I also need this info: Tools > Options > Display > Formatting tab or Menu icon > Options > Options > Display > Formatting tab

   click on 'Advanced' button
   Please post image of the 'Fonts & Encodings' window. 


Are you viewing in Plain Text or HTML? View > Message Body as > what is here?

more options

Here are results of ctrl-U from an email with strange characters. Thunderbird is set for HTML.

From - Mon May 11 11:06:32 2015 X-Account-Key: account1 X-UIDL: 3160178.m6EIwsQ5XjhDvnFeS8lfFIpyj4DInJAYS5NvTWRTWVY= X-Mozilla-Status: 0001 X-Mozilla-Status2: 00000000 X-Mozilla-Keys: Return-Path: kklarin@comcast.net Received: from reszmta-po-01v.sys.comcast.net (LHLO

reszmta-po-01v.sys.comcast.net) (96.114.154.193) by
resmail-po-230v.sys.comcast.net with LMTP; Mon, 11 May 2015 15:06:06 +0000
(UTC)

Received: from resomta-po-16v.sys.comcast.net ([96.114.154.240]) by reszmta-po-01v.sys.comcast.net with comcast id Sf621q00z5BUCh401f66n0; Mon, 11 May 2015 15:06:06 +0000 Received: from [192.168.0.106] ([98.249.203.91]) by resomta-po-16v.sys.comcast.net with comcast id Sf661q0091yq3yS01f66uK; Mon, 11 May 2015 15:06:06 +0000 X-CAA-SPAM: N00000 X-Authority-Analysis: v=2.1 cv=TagYtHgh c=1 sm=1 tr=0

a=1IswzylcLJfXBC5wHxR4ng==:117 a=1IswzylcLJfXBC5wHxR4ng==:17 a=C_IRinGWAAAA:8
a=GGcpBh7Jt_oA:10 a=naziTCeN6agA:10 a=r77TgQKjGQsHNAKrUKIA:9
a=9iDbn-4jx3cA:10 a=cKsnjEOsciEA:10 a=gZbpxnkM3yUA:10 a=MzloGHhFAAAA:8
a=-NF2-sb0AAAA:8 a=SFoJ08i4fYKJHmfZWbMA:9 a=QEXdDO2ut3YA:10
a=NE2UYrvSJK05QpYSzF8A:9 a=SWIEK4PAD4rRSB0C:21 a=_W_S_7VecoQA:10

Message-ID: <5550C55C.9070502@comcast.net> Date: Mon, 11 May 2015 11:06:04 -0400 From: Keith Klarin <kklarin@comcast.net> Reply-To: kklarin@comcast.net User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 6.1; WOW64; rv:31.0) Gecko/20100101 Thunderbird/31.6.0 MIME-Version: 1.0 To: Keith Klarin <kklarin@comcast.net> Subject: SCYC Reminder Calendar Content-Type: multipart/alternative;

boundary="------------090203080200000807080407"

X-Brightmail-Tracker: AAAAAA== X-Brightmail-Tracker: AAAAAA==

This is a multi-part message in MIME format.


090203080200000807080407

Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

  • SCYC Reminder Calendar*
  • Here is your weekly SCYC Reminder Calendar. Remember, details of

activities can be obtained by going to http://myscyc.com/?page_id=46 and clicking on any underlined item. To print the calendar, go to http://plus.calendars.net/scyc. To sign up for an event, go to: http://myscyc.com/?page_id=58?

Color coding: Events - Aqua Private Events - Green Cruises - Violet Special Notices - Bright Yellow Meetings - Pink Cleaning of Club -**Light Yellow

Hi-lites of the week: *



090203080200000807080407

Content-Type: text/html; charset=utf-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit

<meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8">

<font color="#3333ff"><big><big>SCYC Reminder Calendar</big></big></font>

Here is your weekly SCYC Reminder Calendar. Remember, details of activities can be obtained by going to http://myscyc.com/?page_id=46 and clicking on any underlined item. To print the calendar, go to http://plus.calendars.net/scyc. To sign up for an event, go to: http://myscyc.com/?page_id=58?

Color coding:
Events - <font color="#33ccff">Aqua        </font>Private Events - <font color="#33cc00">Green</font>
Cruises - <font color="#cc33cc">Violet </font>      Special Notices - <font color="#ffcc00">Bright Yellow</font>
Meetings - <font color="#ff9966">Pink      </font>Cleaning of Club -
<font color="#ffff99"><font color="#ffff33">Light Yellow

</font></font><big><big><font color="#ffff99"><font color="#ffff33"><font color="#990000">Hi-lites of the week:Â </font></font></font></big></big>



090203080200000807080407--
more options

I tried to capture the other info you wanted with my screen capture program, but it won't paste to this message window.

more options

You need to use the 'Print screen' key to capture. Then paste into an image program like 'Paint' Save as filename: eg: encoding.jpg then in this forum Enter some text in the Reply box eg: Here is image click on the 'Browse' button locate the saved jpg file and click on 'Open'

the image below shows my selections.

more options

Okay, I have 3 images to send you: Image #1 below

more options

Matt: Could the following meta tag be causing it to not display correctly?

I notice, the line supplied says: <meta content="text/html; charset=utf-8" http-equiv="content-type">

but I was expecting to see this arrangement: <meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" >


kklarin Does the information display correctly if you use Plain Text: 'View' > 'Message Body as' > 'Plain Text'

Is this a problem in several or all of incomming mail or just emails from that sender?

more options

The message does seem to display properly as plain text; i.e., no strange characters.

The problems occur in messages from many different senders.

more options

Toad-Hall said

Matt: Could the following meta tag be causing it to not display correctly? I notice, the line supplied says: <meta content="text/html; charset=utf-8" http-equiv="content-type"> but I was expecting to see this arrangement: <meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" >

his does not cause issues

Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252; format=flowed
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Nor does

Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8; format=flowed
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

Both of which I extracted from my TB support crew mails.

It is also worth noting that the HTML5 does not use the http-equiv Attribute to set the character set of a HTTP page.

While there was a bug in the TB 17 era, around the order of elements in the http-equiv Attribute it was fixed. See https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=594646 But there is nothing to say it could not be a regression.