Macintosh: Correcting Garbled System Numerals

All the numbers in my Control Panel, on SuperClock, in the Get Info box, in About the Finder, or any other system-related window are messed up. For example, in About the Finder (About This Macintosh in System 7), you might see "Largest unused Block: 1,?22K" instead of "Largest unused Block: 1,722K", or "Total Memory: 3,89>K" instead of "Total Memory: 3,898K" My SuperClock says "6:2 PM" instead of "6:20PM."

Occasionally, a number is represented by a character. However, when I type numbers into applications like Word or Excel, the numbers are always represented correctly.
There are two possible solutions worth trying. First, try resetting the parameter RAM (PRAM). PRAM could be causing some of the numbers to be misrepresented. (Search for "PRAM" in this database for how to reset PRAM. The procedure is different for System 7.x than for System 6.x.)

If the problem persists, throw away the System Folder in use and reinstall from known-good, locked, original System diskettes.

Finally, if none of these works, have the logic board checked. It may need to be replaced.
Published Date: Feb 18, 2012