Viewports always display: 0'-0"

I'm creating a new drawing template for my current employer and currently I'm trying to get the dropdown scale list to work properly. Frankly, I didn't know dropdown scales needed to be worked on, but I've found the dropdown "viewport scale control" the little dialogue box on the viewports toolbar dropdown list for AutoCAD's default isn't working.

Here's my problem:

When I adjust an unlocked viewport and assign the viewport a scale of say, 1"=10' using the dropdown list, the viewport will suddenly zoom in wayyyy too close. Checking the scale using the distance tool, measuring the line out of the viewport, and it'll read a 10' line (drawn in modelspace) is 12" long (in paperspace) which to me sounds like a global scaling issue, but I don't know what to change.

Now if I type in a custom scale, say for the 1"=10' scale, I'd type in ".008333" into the viewport scale control, and the viewport scale works fine, but the control will display 0'-0" no matter the scale: custom will always read 0'-0". Is it a units or global scaling issue?

Here are the drawings vitals...

dimscale: 1.0

dimlfac: 1.0

ltscale: .5

linetype scale (globally applied): 1.0

LAND DESKTOP 2006

what do you see if you type UNITS ?

what do you see if you type UNITS ?

Shoot, I tried to post an image, but I don't have enough posts up on the boards yet. Let me see if I can solve that real quick.

what do you see if you type UNITS ?

and now if you alter your PRECISION in that box....

BTW - I'm currently CADless so this is rummaging about in the dark a bit