Word 2003 has many fonts I'll never use and don't want...Constantia, Times New Roman, Wingdings, Wingdings 2, and Wingdings 3 are about the only ones I would choose to keep...all the rest I'd prefer to have uninstalled, and replaced with ones I like. Can this be done? One forum says yes, another one says no. If yes, which fonts are the 'system fonts' that cannot be removed without screwing up the OS? Lastly, how complicated and time-consuming would this be (my new tech guy is charging $100 an hour)?

I do not know which fonts you may safely remove. That said, in my opinion, it is not worth the time.
Set styles that use the fonts you want and focus on using those styles.
Importance of Styles in Word
Basic concepts of Microsoft Word: An introduction by Shauna Kelly, MVP

And what are you going to do when someone emails you a document or PDF that requires a font you've deleted (e.g. Arial, Courier New)? Very few people bother embedding standard Windows fonts in such files because it is expected recipients will have all the standard fonts already installed on their systems.

__________________
Cheers,
Paul Edstein
[Fmr MS MVP - Word]

Well to start, I don't have any email on my PC. None at all. I use webmail. I don't access webmail on my computer...that was a $100 mistake I made years ago, and I don't make the same mistake twice. When I want to check email (which is very rarely) I do that at the public library. They can deal with the acne-ridden technovandals and their viruses much cheaper and easier than me.

But let's just say someone did manage to get an email or pdf to my computer, and it was in one of the myriad crappy fonts I ditched. What happens? It gets deleted, along with the junkmails. Same as what happens to anything sent in Spanish, Russian, or any other language I don't speak. If it works I may read it; if not it gets deleted. If it even hints at being spam, it gets deleted without even trying to open it. That stuff just doesn't mean anything to me. Now customizing Word does mean a lot, changing the defaults to cater to my convenience means more, and not having to dig through an irritating list of junk fonts to find what I want means the most. I may not be able to ditch the 'system fonts', but if there is any way to expunge the rest, and replace the junk with fonts I like...that's what I want. The question is not should I have it done. The question is can it be done, and if so, which ones are the 'system fonts' that I have to endure.

Fonts like Cambria, Arial, & Courier New are very common.

A Web search will soon enough turn up the Windows system fonts.

Any font that is not listed as a Windows system font can probably be deleted fairly safely, though some Apps and many web pages use fonts other than the Windows system ones... You're unlikely to find many fonts specifically for Spanish, Russian, etc. Rather support for those languages is embedded in the regular fonts - including the system ones. Delete common non-system fonts at your own peril.

__________________
Cheers,
Paul Edstein
[Fmr MS MVP - Word]

I do not believe you can delete any system Fonts from the Fonts folder. In Win10 I get a warning that I cannot, and I expect that behavior the same for most previous Windows versions.
I agree with Doriyin on the list of fonts in Word and other MS applications is frustrating in that there is no option for a preferential listing of Fonts. Only the two for Header and Body and then the entire list of installed fonts.
Yes, Style Sets is the best way to go. But if you want to go a little bit of the Style Set, that list is just too much.
Unfortunately, Doriyin, I believe Charles' first response is the correct one. Its not the one we would want, but it is the right one till MS changes the Font features of Windows and/or the Applications.

Well thanks for trying. The only thing near-useless Google was able to turn up is that SegoeUI is a system font. Whether it is the only system font...Google refuses to cough up. On my Word 2003 there are six versions of Segoe, so I guess I'll have to leave these as sacrosanct, see if the tech guy can nuke the rest...and just hope none are system fonts.

Another you'll need to keep is Marlett. Any font not listed here: List of typefaces included with Microsoft Windows - Wikipedia can probably be uninstalled, as probably can some in the list. You should get a warning if you try to delete any that are protected.

Still, it's your $100/hr for miniscule benefit...

__________________
Cheers,
Paul Edstein
[Fmr MS MVP - Word]

Well it appears that at least some fonts can be ditched:

Remove languages and fonts you don'''t use - Microsoft Support.

...so some cause for celebration...and I guess if one is a 'system font' it will pop a warning, so that should be of no danger to a pro that knows what he is doing. I think this is a 'green light' to proceed.

Thanks for the tip, I'll add Marlett, Cambria, Arial, & Courier New to the keep list.

We all have our lil foibles. Gals have no problem spending $100 on stiletto heels that will eventually screw up their feet, and help finance their podiatrist's future Bahamas vacation. Guys have no hesitation spending $100 for tickets to a football game...add in gas to get there, parking, food, plus all the silly accouterments, and that price can likely be doubled. Teenyboppers are ever eager to drop $1000 for the latest and greatest graphics card, to best help poor Laura Croft be a better graverobber.

Mine is my cat and my PC. I did a $400 vet bill couple months ago without a second thought. Same with paying a tech guy to do a housecall every three to four months, to mess with the registry, or whatever else I don't care to mess with. I made it through a stressful life, and now my goal is a stress-free life (or as stress-free as I can get it), and I have no problem paying for it. Stress shortens ones life and contributes to bringing forth various diseases, a fact known decades ago, and none of the current research has done anything to disprove it. Anytime you can eliminate (or at least limit) a stressor, that is not what I would consider a minuscule benefit.