cymbolic
asked on
WFW 3.11 & MS Works 2.0
Hey! I know this is the wrong forum, but this is where the guys with the right answers hang out! I have a friend with WFW 3.11 using Works for Windows 2.0. He has been using Works for some time, no problems and has made a number of WPS (word processing) files. One day last week, Works stopped displaying? all his wps files. I looked at them, they are all there, and seem intact, including all that gobbledygook header information at the beginning. Notepad reads them in and displays them (with header information) and so does write. Works shows them to be there but when ever you open one in Works, it shows as having no content, that is as being an empty document. I figure works has forgotten how to read the formatting, but a reinstall of Works made no change in this behaviour, and an examination of all the ini file settings shows nothing outrageous.
So, I hope that heres an easy 200 points, multiplied by the "A" grade I give to the solution. Thanks!!
So, I hope that heres an easy 200 points, multiplied by the "A" grade I give to the solution. Thanks!!
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Oh Yea, What happens when you double click on a .wps extention file in the file manager? And are they showing that they are still associated with MS Works?
ASKER
Yep, association still works, I tried that. A double click on the file brings up Works, showing an empty doc, same as when you open it from within Works. I'll get over there this weekend and try the 32bit file access turnoff. Thx!
smeebud...
Your theory could be right IF he did enabled it lately, but if he didn't, would that be the solution???
Regards
Your theory could be right IF he did enabled it lately, but if he didn't, would that be the solution???
Regards
Well, I was talking about disabling it, that's what did it for me once. You remember how unpredictable WFW 3.11 was in the 32bit file access. You have to turn it on for some things and off for others. I've never like WFW 3.11 for that. But it was a pre NT poor mans solution to networking.
ASKER
Hey guys! thanks for your help. I wanted very much to have smeebud's answer to be right, because it's so neat, and it fits our general impression regarding the flakey nature of WFW 3.11 32bit file access.
But, we tried it and it didn't work. In checking the problem system, 32bit file access was set. We turned it off, and Windows restarted. Then we tried to open a .wps document, and still empty. Then we exited windows, restarted and tried again. Still no go. THen we looked at the 32bit box and it surely was turned off. SO we know that changed. Then I had the user make a new document, get out of works and go in to look at the document just created. Guess what! It shows empty too! All we Know for sure about this is that screwball bugs are not new with Win 95, they have a genetic basis in earlier versions of Windows!
Any other advice? All are welcome! I've scanned the microsoft KB with out finding any hint of this type of problem. I'm still looking. If you come up with the right answer, even if I find it too, I'll still give you the points...after all, what good are they to me anyway if I don't use 'em.
But, we tried it and it didn't work. In checking the problem system, 32bit file access was set. We turned it off, and Windows restarted. Then we tried to open a .wps document, and still empty. Then we exited windows, restarted and tried again. Still no go. THen we looked at the 32bit box and it surely was turned off. SO we know that changed. Then I had the user make a new document, get out of works and go in to look at the document just created. Guess what! It shows empty too! All we Know for sure about this is that screwball bugs are not new with Win 95, they have a genetic basis in earlier versions of Windows!
Any other advice? All are welcome! I've scanned the microsoft KB with out finding any hint of this type of problem. I'm still looking. If you come up with the right answer, even if I find it too, I'll still give you the points...after all, what good are they to me anyway if I don't use 'em.
ASKER
Nope, turning off 32bit file access didn't work. Too bad too, cause it made so much sense. It was on, we changed it and restarted, but works still opens all docs and show them empty, even though you can see the stuff with notepad. We checked too, and 32bit was turned off. We even exited and restarted windows, tried again, no change.
Then we made a new document in works, got out, got in, opened it, and it shows empty too! SO it's not just the old documents, WOrks can'r read a thing it writes. Funny thing is, spreadsheets still work just fine.
Any ideas? I'm desparate. Can't find a thing on MS KB related to this problem.
Then we made a new document in works, got out, got in, opened it, and it shows empty too! SO it's not just the old documents, WOrks can'r read a thing it writes. Funny thing is, spreadsheets still work just fine.
Any ideas? I'm desparate. Can't find a thing on MS KB related to this problem.
Msworks.exe in file manager works, correct?
Go thru your options and see that your font colors are set so you can see them.
Does your .wps files show byte sizes?
In you open dialog box, is your "List of file types" show .wps?
Finally, how about reinstalling over your present Works. it shouls see that there are files there and ask if you want them or not.
But only after you do a "all files virus check from dos".
If you don't have a virus checker other than msav go to
http://www.mcafee.com/ and D/L a evaluation copy and do it with that.
Run a thorough scandisk and defrag.
Get back to me.
Good luck.
Go thru your options and see that your font colors are set so you can see them.
Does your .wps files show byte sizes?
In you open dialog box, is your "List of file types" show .wps?
Finally, how about reinstalling over your present Works. it shouls see that there are files there and ask if you want them or not.
But only after you do a "all files virus check from dos".
If you don't have a virus checker other than msav go to
http://www.mcafee.com/ and D/L a evaluation copy and do it with that.
Run a thorough scandisk and defrag.
Get back to me.
Good luck.
ASKER
Thanks! You sent me in the right direction, and I found the problem. Unfortunately, Microsoft's recommended solution cripples the situation.
The problem was: Too many fonts installed. Everything else on the system works with all the fonts, but MS Works shows nothing in the font selection pull down, and when you try to set default font option, gives message out of memory on exit.
MS sezdisable Adobe type manager and true type fonts in Windows to get works working again. Of course, all the other systems that use those fonts are now crippled as well! I'm looking for ways to just remove specific fonts, and try to get everything back working again. Thank you Microsoft for another perfectly accurate but thouroughly useless solution!
Gee, it's just like the help system!
The problem was: Too many fonts installed. Everything else on the system works with all the fonts, but MS Works shows nothing in the font selection pull down, and when you try to set default font option, gives message out of memory on exit.
MS sezdisable Adobe type manager and true type fonts in Windows to get works working again. Of course, all the other systems that use those fonts are now crippled as well! I'm looking for ways to just remove specific fonts, and try to get everything back working again. Thank you Microsoft for another perfectly accurate but thouroughly useless solution!
Gee, it's just like the help system!
Please let me know what you did in the end to resolve it. Or Is the problem resolved.
95 has a 1000 font limit. I forget what 3.x limit is, however I do remember too many fonts always created problems.
Still here to help.
Thanks for the grade:)
95 has a 1000 font limit. I forget what 3.x limit is, however I do remember too many fonts always created problems.
Still here to help.
Thanks for the grade:)
Oh By the way, you can or should be able to remove specific drivers in the control panel fonts section.
ASKER
Well, all recommeded options involved removing fonts, etc. But it looks like 3.0 version of Works doesn't have this problem, and operates with a larger number of fonts, without losing all your word processing documents just to spite you. We're currently looking to upgrade as a way to save the fonts for the other programs that use them, and still allow ms works to run, and to be once again able to use all those documents that are now invisible to its creator, and the user. I'll let you know how it works out. thx.
ASKER
We installed Works 3.0. It has no problems with the current fonts, and reads the old 2.0 files as well.