Repairing
WordPerfect documents and templates -
How to find and
fix common (and some not so common) problems
Includes -
• Why the program can fail to start, be slow to load, lock up (freeze or "hang"), or show odd behavior
• Why documents and
templates can become damaged (and some typical symptoms)
• A "troubleshooting path"
you can use to isolate the problem
• Various repair methods
• Links to information on
repairing the WordPerfect program itself, fixing print (and printer)
problems, etc.
• Preventing problems with
documents and templates
Related
pages on this site -
• Repairing
'bad' or damaged WordPerfect program files
-
Some tips and procedures, and links to other resources.
• Printer and
fax formatting problems
- WordPerfect makes very heavy use of the printer driver, so some issues such
as a slow opening of the program or documents, or strange video (or
video-vs-printout) problems can be traced to the printer driver or the printer's
connection status.
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This page is meant to be a comprehensive
reference
and since I cannot know your level of expertise, it is long
and detailed. Some sections contain minor redundancies since I have no
way to know where you enter the page from an external site's link.
That said, once you've looked it over you can use it in much the same way as you would use a
cross-referenced cookbook. And it might help to keep in mind something Roy "lemoto" Lewis
[a Corel C_Tech and WordPerfect Universe Administrator] once said:
"An explanation in words
makes any activity seem more complex than it is in practice. To test
this, write out instructions for boiling a kettle or putting a letter
into an envelope. Or riding a bicycle."
Some important points
• Even though
it might not seem so at times, the
majority of unfamiliar or non-obvious problems in WordPerfect tend to
involve internal damage (i.e., file corruption) to the document(s) you are working
on or trying to open — that is, assuming they are
not simply due to a formatting
problem (discussed below) which
is even more common than document corruption.
• Other problems can sometimes involve the WordPerfect default template
(or possibly a custom template) which "spawns" copies of itself so you
can create new documents with some standard and (possibly)
user-preferred formatting.
• Sometimes — although less common that document or template issues — a problem can be due
to WordPerfect's software connection to your printer, or to your
network, or because of a damaged
WordPerfect program file or a corrupted Windows setting. These are discussed later in this article.
• Please note that reinstalling or repairing the WordPerfect program will not fix a corrupted user
document or modified template since these are user files, not program files.
Read further for some fairly simple things you can do to try and fix them.
In
a hurry?
If you can start WordPerfect — i.e., you can at least get to the first blank document window — try the three restore/repair document methods in the "Primary methods and tools"
section below on the document that is giving you problems.
However...
Please be aware
that without following a logical and systematic "troubleshooting path" these methods might only be a shot in the dark, so
to speak. On the other hand they are quick and easy things to do, and if you have backed up
the document no harm is done trying them first. Fear not, it
will
not require advanced computer skills to use them. Moreover, using any of the repair or workaround methods here should take only a few minutes for the
majority of problems you might encounter. Don't automatically assume any of them are not relevant to your situation from their titles alone!
If the three steps do not work for you, or if you cannot
even open WordPerfect, please read — or at least browse — the rest of this page for more troubleshooting methods and suggested solutions. Reason: Some issues might be caused by user formatting issues,
a damaged template, a WordPerfect menu setting, a bad program file, or even
an external factor
involving your printer, a corrupt Windows profile, etc. [Many of the methods are based on how the
program works
"behind the scenes." Some are based on user reports and
verification of them by power users in the real world over many years and versions of WordPerfect.]
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I.
Troubleshooting and repairing
WordPerfect documents
and templates
Some symptoms
of problems
• The program
fails to start.
• The program
starts but it is very slow to open one or more existing documents — such as the one you last worked on.
• You see an
"Unknown Format" message when opening a document.
• The program
locks up ("freezes") unexpectedly, such
as when opening a document or when scrolling past a certain place in a
document.
• You see strange
problems, such as an older document
that appears blank when
it is opened (and you know it should not be empty).
• A document's
formatting shows unexplained or even bizarre changes from what you
expect.
• You notice other
"odd" behavior — especially if it happens only in one
document or in documents based on a particular template.
[Note that all documents in WordPerfect are
initially based on a template (which has a .wpt filename extension).
For everyday work this is typically the default
template, but it could be a custom
template.]
When things like this happen it is normal to
assume something has gone wrong with the WordPerfect program. This is possible, of course, and is discussed on a separate page (here). But it is more likely due to a damaged (corrupted) document or template file.
So
before you decide it's time to reinstall
WordPerfect — usually
the last thing to try — please read further, keeping in mind the old saying:
Half
the solution to a problem is describing it accurately.
The
following sections should help you do that.
A basic but important concept
There are hidden elements in documents and templates.
WordPerfect
documents and templates are not like pieces of paper that serve to hold
only words or pictures on them, like pages in a magazine. In fact, they
are digital structures that contain hidden,
behind-the-scenes information in their prefixes,
such as the current printer selection, style data, formatting, and many
other document-specific settings.
It is here, in
these hidden areas, that things can sometimes go wrong, ranging from a
document that might still open but sometimes show some strange
or erratic behavior or formatting, to a document that displays
one or more of the major symptoms listed above, such as a freeze.
WordPerfect
documents (.wpd, .wcm) and templates (.wpt) can become damaged for
several reasons
Here are the most common ones:
• Improper shut-down of WordPerfect due to (for example):
- Turning the computer off (powering down) before closing WordPerfect.
- A power surge/dropout that turns
off the computer while you were working in WordPerfect.
- A forced reboot of WordPerfect due
to a freeze or crash while working on a
document, or while adjusting something in WordPerfect or elsewhere in Windows.
• Assembling many files or file fragments into one document, especially if one of them is damaged.
• Lots of
copy-and-paste or cut-and-paste operations on the same document — especially involving format codes, graphics, etc.
[Tip: If you need to re-use the same document as a "template," why not turn it into a custom template and reduce or eliminate such problems?]
• Corruption in the template that spawns the document: Even if the template seems to work okay, it can transmit internal damage to its offspring. See Section III and Section IV below.
• Corrupt "objects"
that were imported or inserted into the document, such as
graphic images (especially very large ones), tables, custom styles, etc.
• A conflict with
another program in your computer's RAM memory, especially if it causes a forced reboot.
• Less common but
worth considering: Problems with data storage on the computer disk — e.g.,
cross-linked files; damage to the physical disk surface; disk writes
failing to complete due to write-caching; et al.
Approach the problem systematically by following a "troubleshooting path"
See the next section.
II. A troubleshooting
path to help isolate the problem
(some logical questions to ask yourself)Question 1: When launching WordPerfect does the program...
• Lock
up / freeze?
• Not move past the program's "splash screen"?
• Be very SLOW to load when you try to open it?
There are several known reasons why this can happen.
First:
Try to determine if the program is truly frozen. As noted below, some
things can cause the program to take a few minutes to open.
□ It could be a
corrupted default template. (See "Fixing
the default template" below.)
This
important file is one of the first things WordPerfect accesses when you
start the program. If it's corrupted then the program can "hang" when you try to start it.
Note that the default template also stores some of your user settings, and it
generally is not replaced if
you reinstall WordPerfect since it is a user file. Hence, if the file is
damaged it can still cause problems even after a reinstall. (See "Fixing
the default template" below.)
□ It could also be
due to a printer problem,
especially if WordPerfect is slow to load, rather than refusing to load
at all. See "Printer problems" here for
some solutions.
□ Similarly, it could
be a network
issue if WordPerfect needs to access the network but it is not
available to the user's computer (sometimes it can take several minutes
for the computer to access the network).
□ It
could also be a problem with -
(1) a corrupt document (see
the following
paragraphs), or
(2) an inaccessible document that the program is trying to
access when you have
enabled the Save
Workspace
option.
□ Or it could even be caused by a
corrupt Windows user profile,
which stores various user-specific settings — including
WordPerfect program settings. (More on this topic can be found in the
sections below.)
□ See "Miscellaneous
problems...." below for other issues such as when using the
automatic backup feature, getting various error messages, dealing with corrupt WordPerfect tables, et al.
However: Please read the rest of this section, which lists more common causes of
problems that users encounter before assuming it is
your printer, network, or
some other less common cause.
Question 2: Assuming you can open
WordPerfect... some of the most common problems involve damaged
("corrupt")
documents and/or templates. Could the document or template
be corrupt?
Be aware that many
documents can still be opened, and templates can still function, if they
are not extensively damaged.
This might be one reason some people
immediately conclude that the program is at fault (which is, of course,
possible).
When problems suddenly
appear, try to stop
what you are doing and think about what
is going on at the moment, and also think about the time immediately
preceding the problem's appearance (e.g., did you shut down the
computer without closing the program first?). Sometimes this can offer valuable
clues to the cause, especially if you can determine a pattern in the
surrounding events.
Then ask:
Question 3: When working on a document ... does the problem show up only in that particular document but not in a different document on your disk (i.e, not a backup copy of the current file)? If so, perhaps that document is corrupt.
For
the various reasons discussed on this page, it could be a problem with
just that particular document file (or backups of it) — especially if you have done a lot of editing, pasting, or importing
during the session. Comparing the current file to different files helps
you isolate the source of the problem.
But first ask: Could it
simply be a formatting problem?
This is easy
to overlook — although technically speaking this is not
the "damage" we mean here.
Format codes
are always present in a document. The initial code at the very top of
the document (seen in Reveal Codes)
handles some default formatting. Even when you just press <Enter>
you insert a format code!
These
codes are a very useful thing, and it's helpful to know at
least a little bit about them. (Just keeping Reveal Codes open once in
a while can impart knowledge on how they work.)
In fact some formatting
issues that cause intractable problems in other programs are often
solved quite easily in WordPerfect's Reveal Codes window.
However,
sometimes format codes
can make a document appear
damaged because the formatting is not what you wanted or expected. (This probably is a more common cause of
user problems than many of the other things on this page.)
This can
happen for several reasons. For example:
- Strange
codes that were carried into the document when pasting into it. (This
is especially true if the source is another program or the Internet.
The program does its best to interpret the new codes, but sometimes it
cannot.)
- Format codes that the program
placed in the document by design during a previous formatting
operation, such as those that force certain formatting when needed.
- Misplaced or missing codes that
result from manipulating the document's content.
- Incompatible, overlapping, or
contradictory format codes (at least, for the current purpose)
that can "confuse" the program.
If the
problem
suddenly appears when you open a document, or while you are editing it
or trying to print or fax it — and it appears in the form of changes
to formatting, especially if the changes are restricted to
one document, then the validity — or the placement — of formatting
codes
might be the first thing to check.
Tips
☼ You can pass
your cursor slowly over
these format codes in Reveal Codes (View, Reveal
Codes) and you should see information about each
code appear in a floating tip. Look at the
same loction in the main document pane above
Reveal Codes and see if the problem coincides with a particular code
(or codes) in Reveal Codes.
☼ Some format problems become
more obvious if you compare the problem location's formatting in Reveal
Codes
with another similar (but properly working) location in the document
(or a new blank document into which you type — but not paste — some text and format it
the same as in the problem location).
☼ For more
tips on using Reveal Codes see here.
Also,
double-click
on the [Open Style] code at the very top of the document to
open the Styles Editor and examine all format codes inside
the initial document style code. The document will "inherit" any
formatting that is found inside this special code, as explained here. It can also
contain formatting codes that were inserted during document creation or
editing with the intention of using them as a document default. And
if you got the document from someone else, some formatting might not
apply to your system.
Sometimes
manual (or even some automatic) formatting causes the program to insert
a [Delay] code in the document — usually to delay the onset of certain
formatting. (To manually insert a [Delay] code, use Format,
Page,
Delay Codes.) These codes act like little containers for other format
codes, and as such they can hide the codes — even from search attempts! — that might be causing
the problem. You can double-click on the [Delay] code to view what is
inside it.
[Note:
Delay codes are actually made up of two codes: the first [Delay] code
tells WordPerfect what to do; the second [Delay Codes] code appears on
the (delayed) page and tells WordPerfect where to start doing it.
You can double-click on the first [Delay] code of the pair to open the Define Delay Codes
window. (Make sure Reveal Codes is open so you can see what is inside
the [Delay] code.)]
If you have
eliminated — or reduced the possibility of — formatting issues
causing
the problem, see "Some methods..." below
to try and fix any potential document damage. But read
the rest of the current section first (i.e, "Some logical questions to ask...").
Notes
and tips about some other "formatting problems"
• Check to see if the
printout of the document is OK. If so —
and what you see on screen is not OK — you might have a video display
problem such as a problem with the video
driver (i.e., the software that helps operate the display) or a problem
with the video card hardware (video
memory chip, etc.).
• Check to see if the
font is still available for the
document in question. Note that some fonts are built into printers
("hardware fonts"), so
if they are not available WordPerfect will substitute what it thinks is
an appropriate font. This and other "spontaneous" reformat issues are
described here.
• Similarly, a bad or
outdated printer driver can cause problems with
rendering fonts on your screen as well as on paper. See this page for some printer
driver problems and solutions. People often first notice these font
changes when opening an old document (created on an old printer) or one
sent to them by a colleague with a different printer, but they can
happen if the printer driver is damaged or otherwise impacted.
• If you have done some copying and pasting
from other documents or programs (or from an Intenet or email source),
you might get some odd formatting codes carried into the current
document. You might benefit form using Edit, Paste Special, Unformated
text when pasting the material. (See this page
for more information about using this feature.) Note that copying and
pasting over and over in the same document can lead to unexpected
formatting problems, and even lead to internal document corruption. If
such damage might have occured the methods below should help you fix it.
• If you notice that
a document's status (at the top of the WordPerfect
window) changes from "(unmodified)" or you get a "Save
changes..." message when closing the document or when exiting
WordPerfect — and you believe you have not made any changes to that
document — this might not indicate document or template corruption.
Rather, it might be due to other, working-as-designed, "document
reformat" causes which are
detailed here.
Question 4: Does
the problem show up in a new
blank document into which you have typed
(i.e., not pasted or inserted) some new material? If so, perhaps the default template is corrupt.
If you opened the blank document with File, New, then typed some text, and you still see the problem, it could be due to a
problem with the default template.
This special file is used to create Document1,
Document2,
etc., that you see on screen when you first open
WordPerfect (or when you click File, New). Such new documents "inherit"
many things from the template — including possible internal
corruption. See the section, "Fixing the
default template," below.
If you opened the new document some other way it could be a problem with a custom template
that spawned the document. See the methods below, which can be used to fix a custom template as well as document files.
To gain more confidence you are on
the right track, you could try
opening one or more new blank documents the same way you opened the
first one, and then type some text to see if
the same problem appears. If the problem appears in these new documents
as well, then you have good evidence the template file is damaged.
Important:
You should type the
new text into the new blank document. It should not be formatted: Just
use regular plain-text characters.
Why do it this way? Copying and pasting material —
or inserting material (e.g., with Insert, File) from another
WordPerfect document — might simply introduce the problem (or some other
potential problem) into the new document, and not help you isolate the
cause of the current problem. The idea here is to use plain (unformatted)
text in the new document.
Tip: To easily enter some plain, unformatted
"dummy" text
into a document to fill up a paragraph or page (or more) see "What
is Lorem Ipsum?" here: http://www.lipsum.com/.
You can use that site generate a dozen paragraphs or so, and then select them
and copy them (Ctrl+C) into WordPerfect as unformatted text
with Edit, Paste Special, Unformatted text. (This sample text could be turned into a QuickWord for future use.)
Update: WordPerfect X7 and later versions comes with a macro, Lorem Ipsum.wcm,
which quickly generates “Lorem Ipsum” text of a chosen size, and types
it into the current document. Just play it with Tools, Macro, Play,
"Lorem Ipsum," Play. (You could assign the
macro to a keyboard shortcut or toolbar button for quicker access. Its
location is typically shown in Tools, Settings, Files, Merge/Macro. Or,
as above, turn a generated sample into a QuickWord.)
Question 5: What else can you do?
There are several other things you can try. See the
"Miscellaneous problems, error messages, etc.," section below.
[Back to Contents]
III. Some methods
and tools to fix
damaged documents or custom templates
Important
► This section and following sections assume you have a basic familiarity with the troubleshooting material in Sections I and Section II above.
Not all problems are due to
internal corruption of the document, as those sections above indicate.
► Be
sure to back up your document
or custom template before attempting to fix it.
Note: If
you need to fix the default
template,
see Section IV below for information on locating and backing up this critical file.
► Sometimes one method works to fix a particular file and another method does not.
It is highly recommended that you try the primary methods and tools (below) first. Work slowly and carefully. The X-Retrieve method and/or using WPLOOK are likely to succeed for the majority of document problems.
A secondary method (see below the primary ones) might work if a primary method didn't fix the problem.
► Also:
Section V deals with some miscellaneous problems and issues as well as some error messages.
Section VI gives links to information about damaged program files and printer/fax problems.
Section VII gives some tips about preventing document/template corruption and damage.
[See disclaimer.]
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Primary
methods and tools
If you have considered the information in Section I and Section II above and you now believe the file itself might be damaged, the
three primary methods and tools here should be the first
things
to try — preferably
in the order shown. [Secondary methods (below) might help as well.]
These primary methods and tools can fix
many (but not all) internal corruption problems in a
WordPerfect
document or in a custom template. [For
problems
that might involve the default template, see Section
IV below.]
See Section V below for some miscellaneous
problems and error messages users have encountered.
Finally, Section VI links to information about damaged program files, printer problems, etc.
■ Method A: Restore
from a previously backed up document
This may seem
obvious, but under the pressure of a deadline or panic situation it can be easy to
forget that a "known good" backup of the document might exist. (But even if
you find a backup of the document that does not show the problem you
might still want to try and repair the "problem" document using
the methods below.)
In any case, it's a good idea to back up the problem document before trying to repair it.
■ Method B: Use the
simple "X-Retrieve" method
Also known as "X-Insert," it is often effective since it rebuilds the internal
prefix for
the document.
Here's how to use X-Retrieve.
Step 1. Close the problem file if
it is open. Open a
new, blank document (i.e., File, New).
Step 2. Type
an "x" (actually, any character) in the new document.
Step 3. Insert
the problem file from your disk with Insert, File.
Important:
Don't use copy-and-paste to insert the contents of the problem file.
Instead, use Insert, File to insert the file directly from your disk.
Step 4. Delete
the "x".
Step 5. Save
the new file (File, Save) and give it a different name from the problem
document.
Step 6. Test
the new file. If the problem still exists, try Method C below.
Tip:
• Even if Method B seems to fix the
problem, you should seriously consider using Corel's free and easy to use file repair
program, WPLOOK (Method C below). The X-Retrieve method often fixes many problems but it will
not always remove all internal file corruption, which WPLOOK might
remove (and thereby prevent the corruption from impacting the document going forward).
Related tips:
• Using WPLOOK first
to repair
corruption, then foregoing using x-retrieve, might not fix things in
some cases. Try using both — in the recommended sequence of X-Retrieve
first, then WPLOOK
second.
• The Updater macro in the Library
makes use of the X-Retrieve method. ■ Method C: Repair
the file with Corel's (free) WPLOOK utility
If the methods above — i.e., restore from a backup or use the X-Retrieve method — didn't work to repair your document, try this:
WPLOOK
Automatically repairing one (or many) users files can often be done quickly and easily using Corel's file repair
utility, WpLook.exe.
This utility does NOT have to be installed — it is a
stand-alone program — but you
should use it in the recommended manner below.
Compatibility
WPLOOK
will work with WordPerfect documents and templates created in WordPerfect
for Windows 6 (c. 1996) and later versions, including
• user documents (.wpd)
• templates (.wpt)
• macro files (.wcm)
• merge forms (.frm) and
• merge data files (.dat).
It will
work under all versions of Windows.
Getting it
Option A
You should already have it.
In recent versions of WordPerfect it is included on your computer during program installation.
• For example, in WordPerfect X5-WP2020 (and presumably later versions) on a Windows 7-10 system the single file WpLook.exe
file should be found in -
C:\Program Files
(x86)\Corel\WordPerfect Office <version>\Programs
You
can run it from there — it does not need to be installed since it is a
single standalone file. Or better yet, create a Windows shortcut to it and
drag
the shortcut onto your Windows desktop.
• But ... for WordPerfect X6 (c. 2012) and later versions, WPLOOK can be started directly from within the program. See the tip under "Starting it" below.
Note:
If you cannot
find the file in File (or Windows) Explorer, perhaps Windows is set to hide some
program files — a Microsoft default setting. See the procedure here
on the Templates page (which is
similar).
Option B
If
you don't have it on your
computer it might be included on the installation disk #2,
where you can just copy it to any convenient folder or to your Windows
desktop. Again, it
does not need to be installed since it is a single standalone file.
Option C
If
you don't have it at all
you probably can get an earlier version (X4) for free from Corel by downloading it directly from an attachments server on the Corel Knowledgebase site at
https://kb.corel.com/Attachments/kcs-182174/wplook.exe
or from an old Corel FTP
site at
ftp://ftp.corel.com/pub/WordPerfect/wpwin/10/
Note that the FTP source is an older (c. 2009) version of WPLOOK but it should still
do the job.]
Starting
it (a.k.a. "launching it")
To launch it (note that the problem document should be closed before using WPLOOK):
Just double-click on the WpLook.exe filename
on your desktop (or locate it in My Computer, Computer, This PC, or with Windows
Explorer or File Explorer) to launch it from the folder where it is located. (See "Getting it" above.)
This should bring up ("launch") the WPLOOK dialog window. Choose a file to repair, other than one that is currently open.
Two alternative methods:
Method A
For WordPerfect X6 (released in 2012) and later versions, WPLOOK
can be launched directly from within the program:
▸ In WordPerfect,
click on Help, About WordPerfect.
▸ While holding down the Ctrl+Shift keys, click
on the System Info button. This should bring up the WPLOOK dialog window. (For
earlier WP versions see "Getting it" above.)
▸ Choose a file (on disk) to repair using WPLOOK's own File menu. (You can't use a currently open file.)
Method B (Advanced users)
You can add a shortcut to WPLOOK to your Windows context menu's "Send To" choice (which appears when you right-click a filename in Windows Explorer and then click "Send To").
This will let you quickly send that WordPerfect file (.wpd,
.wpt, .wcm, .frm, and .dat) directly to WPLOOK from File Explorer or any other file manager.
Again, be sure to choose a WordPerfect file that is not currently open.
Here's the "Send To" method from the How-To Geek site here (applies to Windows 7,8,10):
▸ From Windows Explorer (or File Explorer), navigate to this folder:
C:\Users\<yourusername>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\SendTo
[Alternative: Use the Windows Search field and enter "shell:sendto"]
▸ Create (or drag) a Windows shortcut in that folder to the WpLook.exe program file (see "Getting it" above).
How to
use it effectively
First, please note:
1. WPLOOK
attempts to fix corruption in a file's internal prefix, which stores information about the document, some user program settings in WordPerfect, the printer (shown in File, Print),
etc.
By itself it should fix the majority of corruption
problems. (There are other things that can cause problems and not all
of them lead to corruption. These are discussed elsewhere on this page.)
2. However, it might NOT clean up corruption located in tables, imported styles from other documents, or images.
▸ Tables can
often be fixed with the /recover
start up switch, discussed both in this
thread at WordPerfect Universe and (briefly, along with other
startup switches) on this Startup switches
page on the Toolbox site. (Also see "Problems with tables" below.)
▸ Imported
styles and graphic/photographic images
can often be fixed by [1] deleting them
and then [2] re-importing them into a "known-good" document — e.g., the
same (or different) document that has been previously vetted by WPLOOK
using the method below.
[For more information on importing custom styles (including outline styles and graphic styles)
see "Retrieving custom styles from other documents or templates" here.]
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Step 1
The
first thing to do is take a minute to read — or at least skim over — the steps below.
Although WPLOOK is both quick and easy to use, you will improve the chance that it
will do the job by understanding how it (basically) works and by carefully following the recommended
procedures when using it.
Step 2
Close
the problem document if it is open (otherwise you will get an error
message if WPLOOK tries to replace the existing file in Step 4).
Make a back up?
Note that in
the next steps WPLOOK will offer to save the file it is working on with
a different name (i.e., to back it up) if you answer No to a
"Save As" message asking you if you want to replace the
existing file.
If you answer No, the "saved as" version will be
the one WPLOOK works on when you Repair it in the steps below.
If you
answer Yes, then WPLOOK will simply replace (overwrite) the
original file when you Repair it.
Hence, if you have no other backup of the
original file it might be a good idea to answer No and work on
the renamed file instead of the original.
Then you can load this file
in WordPerfect and test it.
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Step 3
As described above, launch WPLOOK.
[The
following
information is also found on this screen
shot, which includes basic instructions.]
When WPLOOK
loads you will see three checkboxes on the main WPLOOK screen (on the Repair Document tab) under
the "Repair" group label:
□ Repair
Corruption
□ Remove
UNDO information
□ Remove
Unused Styles
At the very
least, be sure to enable (tick) the checkbox to Repair Corruption.
Should you enable all three checkboxes?
In the majority of situations the answer is Yes.
Unless
you
have a specific reason why you need to retain Undo information or
retain
Unused styles in the document, enable these two Repair options, too.
Some Undo information (visible in the document's Edit, Undo/Redo
History) might
be a cause of the corruption, and unused styles will be removed only
from
the current document and not from the template (thus making the
document file slightly smaller,
too).
|
Step 4
With
WPLOOK
on screen, click File, Open on the WPLOOK menu to load your problem
file into WPLOOK.
Tip: You can optionally select more than one WordPerfect file to repair in a single WPLOOK operation using <Ctrl+click> or <Shift+click>. However,
if this is your first time using WPLOOK you might want to open and deal
with just one file at a time to see how it works.
Important
When
the file is loaded into WPLOOK -
► Click the Repair button on the WPLOOK
dialog
at least 2 or 3 times — even if no corruption
is found
or even if several "Repairing corruption" messages
are
displayed.
► Just answer Yes each
time when the "Replace...?" question appears.
Reason
It is thought that using Repair multiple times is more effective than
using it just once — perhaps to clean out any internal dependencies between
corrupted items.
Note
After the first press of the Repair button WPLOOK doesn't tell you if
it found any more corruption — in fact, it probably will
simply
report "No Corruption Found" with each subsequent press of Repair.
Ignore the messages: Just click Repair several times as recommended above.
|
Step
5
• If the repairs above seem to have worked:
(Optional, but suggested by some power users:) After using WPLOOK you
can use Method B ("X-Retrieve") above on the file to add
some assurance that the problem has been resolved. This should take only a few more seconds.
• If the repairs above do NOT work, you can try these methods:
▸ On the WPLOOK menu, click on Edit and extract
all text
from the
document,
then save the extracted content to a .TXT file. It might be easier to
re-format the extracted plain text than continue to try and fix a
seriously
corrupted document.
▸ See several other methods in the "Secondary methods and tools" section below.
☼ Formatting issues? Need to share a confidential file with a Help Desk?
See WPLOOK's
Edit menu for an option to "Scramble all text..." in a file. It brings up a Scramble dialog that lets you turn all characters into Z's — but the overall formatting will remain the same. [For very long
documents, be sure to verify that all text was scrambled.]
This can be
helpful when sending a confidential file to someone who might be able
to help with
your formatting issues.
Notes
¤ If you don't have a backup of the file, be sure
to save the Output file with a different
name.
¤ Important:
Sharing a WordPerfect document with other WordPerfect users (e.g., clients)
means that you might also be sharing things like your recent edits,
which might be stored in the Edit, Undo history and therefore be easily
viewable by your recipient. (For more on Undo history see here.) It might be better to publish the document
to PDF and distribute it that way.
Also: WPLOOK's Scramble
dialog's button to "Remove sensitive data" appears to be just a
variation of an "OK" button — it does not appear to do anything else,
such as remove metadata from the file that you might wish to keep
confidential.
But: WordPerfect X3 and later versions
can remove various metadata (including the Undo/Redo history) directly
from a choice on the File menu ("Save Without Metadata"). (See here for an old treatment of this topic.) WordPerfect's built-in Help (F1) has more information: search its Index for "Metadata".
Secondary
methods and tools
Assuming you have tried the primary methods above ...
The following items do not need to be
tried in any particular order. Read through them to see which might
appear useful to you.
□ Save without Metadata
In some cases
where X-Insert or WPLOOK will not recover the document, saving it without
metadata (a choice available in versions WPOX3 and later on the File
menu) will recover it without loss of formatting. This is a quick and
easy method.
But ... be careful with the Save Without Metadata choice on the File menu since there are additional choices on its dialog to remove
the document's headers or footer, as well as editor comments, hidden
text. and summary data — unless this is okay with you.
However, it
might be easier to re-create these items following their removal if it
saves the rest of the document. Be sure to back up the document first!
□ Use QuattroPro to retrieve the text
For badly damaged
documents, you can try retrieving the document's content with QuattroPro. (Yes, that's right — the WordPerfect Office spreadsheet program.)
[1] Open
QuattroPro, then click File, Open.
[2] Change the file type to "All Files"; then choose the damaged WordPerfect document and click Open.
[3] If the document's data appears, use your mouse to select the range of cells containing that data; then click Edit, Copy (or just use Ctrl+C).
[4] Close QuattroPro. In WordPerfect, paste the data into a new (blank)
WordPerfect document with Edit, Paste (or just use Ctrl+V).
[5] Save the file with File, Save.
Graphics and
formatting will be lost, but the text may survive and can be reformatted, so it's worth a try.
This is fairly easy — although it can be time-consuming to reformat larger documents.
□ "Divide and conquer"
This method assumes you can open the "problem" document. It's a relatively easy method, although it can be time-consuming.
[1] Make a backup copy of the problem document.
[2] Working on the backup copy, remove
one-half of it (e.g., delete the second half of the document). If the
problem disappears, it was likely in that section.
[3] You can then open a fresh copy of the backup, and remove the last quarter of it.
[4] Repeat step 3, removing successively smaller sections until you can isolate (and then remove) the problematic section.
[5] Then use X-Retrieve and/or WPLOOK (above) on the "repaired" version and test it.
Alternatives
• Paste
successive sections of the "bad" document into a new, blank document,
saving the new document after each paste, until you see the problem
reappear. (See also the next item, "Remove formatting.")
• Use a macro to determine the line in the document where corruption occurs. Here's one posted by Kenneth Hobson at WordPerfect Universe: "Macro that Checks for Corruption, Line-by-Line". (Scroll down in that thread for a downloadable version.)
□ Remove all formatting using a separate document
[Note:
If the problem might be with WordPerfect tables, imported styles
(including outlines), or graphics — all of which are forms of built-in
styles — see the note above for a possible solution.]
There are several ways to produce a separate document containing only text characters.
The methods are quick and easy to use but if you have lots of custom formatting in the
original document it can be very time consuming to restore that formatting, depending on the formatting, length of
the document, etc.
But this might be better than losing the entire document to file corruption. (See also the Tip below.)
Method A (Document must be open.)
Save the document using File, Save As and choose — in the File type field at the bottom of the Save As window — ANSI
Windows Text.
This should remove everything but plain text in the new (separate)
file, which will have the same filename but with a ".txt" extension.
Method B (Document must be open. See Caution below.)
You can -
[1] select the entire document and copy it (Ctrl+c) to the Windows
clipboard, then -
[2] paste the copied material into a new blank document
with Edit, Paste Special, Unformatted text (or with the choice on the right-click context menu).
As the name implies,
this will remove all formatting (left tabs are retained), producing a
plain text document — i.e., only those things you can type on a
keyboard.
[Side note: This method is often used on a regular document — or a selected part of the document — by immediately pasting the unformatted text directly back on top of the selected material rather than into a new document. It's a quick and easy way to remove all text attributes, images, most
symbols, paragraph and page formatting, etc., from that selected area,
leaving just plain text. (And remember: you can usually Undo an
operation with Ctrl+z.) But here, Method 2 pastes the unformatted text
into a new and presumably "healthy" document.]
Caution:
Be sure the default template
(on which all new blank documents are based) is free of corruption
before you paste the
unformatted material into a new blank document. Otherwise you might
paste into a new document that also has problems. [One quick method to
repair template corruption is to back it up and then play WPLOOK (above) on it — just as you would any WordPerfect document. Alternative:
The "gold standard" to fix any default template corruption is to rename
the default template to force the program to automatically generate a
new virgin copy, as discussed here.]
Method C (Document should be CLOSED.)
As noted in the WPLOOK section above, you
can also click Edit on the WPLOOK menu and extract all text from the
document,
then save the extracted content as a separate .txt file.
Tip
Now that you have two separate documents — the original and an unformatted version — you
can tile them on screen to make a visual
comparison easier with Window, Tile... .
□ Use a file viewer to retrieve the text
The following method is taken from an old Corel Knowledge Base article here
and [annotated] for clarity, and to update information related to newer
WordPerfect versions. It can be effective since it directly copies all displayed material from a built-in file viewer.
"The purpose [...] is to try to salvage as much of the document as possible. [...]
[Use the built-in WordPerfect] Viewer:
If you have WordPerfect 6,7,8,9,10, for Windows [or a later version]
copy the contents from the Viewer [into a new
document as unformatted text].
To do this:
[1] Start from a blank document screen and choose File | Open.
[2] Click View | Preview | No Preview [and de-select that choice to allow the Preview window to open if it's not already open].
[3] Click ONCE on the document in the left ["Name"] window.
[The document should appear in the Preview window.]
[4] Right click in the Preview window, then choose Select All.
[For older WordPerfect versions, for which the method was first described:
Select content, left click with the mouse in preview window, hold and drag through the document material until highlighted.]
[5] Right click in the Preview window [i.e., on the selection] and [choose] Copy.
[6] Click Close [on the Open File] window.
[7] In a blank document, click Edit | Paste and the document will be placed in the current screen.
[8] Save the file with [a] new name."
Notes
- If you do not want the Preview pane to be open by default in the future use File | Open, and then click View | Preview |
No Preview [to enable that choice].
- Since all formatting is removed in the copied document,
you probably will need to reformat it. [Note that this method is
similar to using QuattroPro to view the WordPerfect file, as described above.]
□ Hardware drivers
Some problems with documents can be traced to the
computer's video card driver or its printer drivers (next section below).
You could try visiting the web sites for your video card and/or printer
manufacturer to see if updated drivers are available. (This is
especially a good idea if you have upgraded your computer to Windows 7+
and your printer was manufactured before the newer operating system became
available.)
□ Printers and printer drivers
Some
WordPerfect experts have felt that a bad or outdated printer driver can
produce problems with documents, especially frequently edited ones. Moreover, the currently selected (via File, Print) printer's information is saved internally with the document.
Since WordPerfect is a true WYSIWYG ("What you
see is what you get") program, it makes heavy use of your system's
graphics capabilities and especially the printer driver
installed to render documents on screen as well as in print.
[In fact, if you do not have at least one printer driver
installed you might find that WordPerfect hangs when you try to load it! (See "Is the printer turned on? Is it available to your computer?"
For example, if it's on a network, is it disconnected? In that case
could you benefit from a separate Windows user profile for off line
work?)]
¤ From Corel's Knowledgebase
article #3496 (with some added formatting and editorial comments):
"If
more then one printer is present on the system, try setting
another printer as [your computer's] default.
You
can do this in your Windows Control Panel: Look for Printers and Faxes
in Windows XP, or just Printers in Windows Vista/7. Right-click the
icon for the new default printer, and choose Set as Default. Then, in
WordPerfect, you can turn on (i.e., enable) "Reformat documents for the
WordPerfect default printer on open" in Tools, Files, Environment to
force WordPerfect to use the new default when you open the problem (or
any) document. Or, you can just open the problem document and choose
the new printer in File, Print. If it cures the problem, you have
evidence that the original printer driver is bad or damaged. To remove
and reinstall a printer driver, see here.
If
you have multiple printers installed, you
may be required to remove all the printers
[and printer drivers: see here]
one at a time from your Control Panel and try launching WordPerfect
after the removal of each.
Note:
Sometimes [other installed] printer drivers will send WordPerfect
information it doesn't understand, causing issues, perhaps even
crashes. To eliminate this possibility, try removing your installed
printers. If this is the problem, installing updated/alternate drivers
may fix the problem. [As noted above] changing your default printer to
another device could also help. [-Thanks to Pascal Coutoure, Senior
Quality Assurance, Corel, for this tip.]
If
no physical printer is available [or if you want to
troubleshoot with a different "known good" printer driver], add a generic printer to the Control Panel. A
good printer to select from the list is any model of Apple LaserWriter."
Note:
Set the port to File to test it, since no physical printer is
installed; or just skip the "print test page" step. Then, in
WordPerfect, (1) turn off (i.e., disable) "Reformat
documents for the WordPerfect default printer on open" in Tools, Files,
Environment to ensure that WordPerfect won't automatically use the
default printer (if different); then (2) open the problem document and
choose the new printer in File, Print. If it cures the problem, you
have evidence that the original driver is bad or damaged. To remove and
reinstall a printer driver, see here.
¤ Printer drivers: As noted, some
problems that appear to be problems with documents or templates might
be caused by a bad or damaged printer driver. To
remove and reinstall a printer driver, see here.
¤ For some
other possible printing problems, see this page:
"Printer and fax formatting problems - some reasons why WordPerfect might -
• not print
• be slow to print
• be slow to open (i.e., "load" or "launch")
• print text incorrectly
• print to the wrong tray
• print multiple copies
• or have other print issues"
□ Proofreading tools
If WordPerfect
freezes or slows, sometimes this
works:
Click Tools, Proofread, Off. Also un-check (disable)
Prompt-As-You-Go.
□ Reload/reboot
Try exiting
WordPerfect and reloading it — or
even rebooting Windows. This sometimes cures the problem.
□ "Miscellaneous problems, error messages"
□ Finally, if you
conclude that it might be a WordPerfect program problem...
See the Repairing 'bad' or damaged WordPerfect program files page here.
IV.
Fixing
the default template by restoring it
Important points
► The default template issues
discussed in this section do not
refer to a normal WordPerfect document (.WPD) that you might be using
as a "template" to use over and over as a source document for some
current task.
They also do not refer to user-created custom templates — though these too can become corrupted and can be treated for damage the same as ordinary documents (see Section III).
Instead,
they refer to files with a special 6-character filename pattern that begins with WP and ends with the extension
.WPT, located in a specific folder, as noted below.
► For
more extensive information on the default template, see "The
default template (how to find it, modify it and fix it) and custom
templates".
► For
the steps to take to find the default template and fix it, see "Finding
and restoring the default template" below the Overview section below.
|
□ Overview
Not only can new or previously saved documents (.WPD) become corrupted, as was discussed in the previous sections above, but template files (.WPT)
can suffer damage, too.
This includes the WordPerfect
default template, the
file on which all your new, blank documents are
based, and
which transmits certain user settings and formatting (possibly
including some corrupted elements!) "downstream" to them as they are
created.
While corruption
in the default template is not as common as corruption
in normal documents,
it happens sometimes — such as when the computer is abruptly turned off while changes are being saved to it.
If newly
created (blank) documents (i.e., opened by clicking File, New) are
giving you problems — or you cannot even open WordPerfect as mentioned
in the troubleshooting introduction above — try the following method to repair the
default template. As noted previously,
"This important file is one of the first things WordPerfect accesses when you start the program. ..."
Hence,
a damaged default template can keep the program from launching, or if
the damage is not severe enough to prevent launching it can cause other
problems with the new documents it spawns, or with some of the items
(e.g., toolbars) or various user settings that are stored inside it.
Side note:
Does re-installing WordPerfect or installing a newer version of it help fix a default template?
Can you use a customized default template from another version of the program?
... For answers and a brief discussion see Footnote 4 below. |
□ Finding and restoring the default template in 3 steps
Step 1
Important: Locate the currently active
default
template on your hard drive. (Some installations have more than one default template installed, but only one of them will be currently active.)
• Open WordPerfect
and then open the File Settings dialog by clicking on Tools, Settings, Files, Template (tab).
Note:
If you cannot even open WordPerfect to view that dialog, see the more
detailed "Default template" section on the Templates page here.
• Take
note of the contents in the two fields there:
"Default template folder" and "Default template".
• Jot
down the Windows path to the file (first field), and the name of the file
(second field; you may need to scroll to the end of the field to see
it).
Notes
¤ Be
aware that WordPerfect always
looks for,
and uses, the default template that is specified in these fields.
¤ The actual name of the default template in the second field varies
with the WordPerfect version (and language version), but the pattern of these names is the same.
For
example, if you have WordPerfect 12 it will be
named WP12XX.WPT; if you have WordPerfect X3 it will be named
WP13XX.WPT and so on (if you have WordPerfect 2020, released in 2020, it will be named WP20XX.WPT).
Here, "XX" represents your language version — such
as "US" for the U.S. language edition — so in these examples your template would be
named WP12US.WPT or WP13US.WPT or WP20CE.WPT or similar pattern.
To recap, the pattern is always
WP +
2-digit version number +
language abbreviation +
filename extension for templates
If you see some other name that does not fit this pattern see "Filenames matter" here.
¤ It is worth repeating that this
file is the currently
active default template.
As noted, sometimes there can be other files with the same name
elsewhere on your computer — probably placed there during installation
of the program. (These are NOT
the currently active default template, so they can be ignored here.)
¤ Because default template files are version-specific they should not be
renamed just so they can be copied and used with another WordPerfect version. Instead, you can
migrate the customizations stored in them to the other version, as described here.
Step 2
Rename that template.
• Close WordPerfect.
• Open Windows File Explorer, Windows Explorer, or My Computer — or any other file manager — and
navigate to the currently active default template file
you located in Step 1. (If you can't find it or see the file name, see here.)
• Rename that file to make a backup of it and temporarily
"hide" it (as a default template) from the WordPerfect program.
Renaming it is a way to back it up in place, which can be handy later as noted in Step 3 below.
[Side note: What if you delete
that file? The same thing will happen as if you renamed it: WordPerfect
will create a new, virgin copy of it when next you launch the program.
However, if it's not recoverable from the Windows Recycle Bin or some
other backup folder you will have removed a quick and easy way to
restore it — or to copy some of the customizations you might have made
in it. Hence, the recommendation is to rename it.]
Here's an example of the best way to
rename it:
If you
use the US language edition of WordPerfect X5 (i.e., version number 15), rename
the default template WP15US.WPT to WP15US-BACKUP.WPT.
[Generally, you can use
<F2> to rename a
file, or right-click on the name and choose Rename. It is best to
retain the .WPT filename extension; hence, just add
something to the filename itself, as in the above example.]
Use a similar method for
other versions or language editions of WordPerfect (e.g., rename WP16UK.WPT to WP16UK-BACKUP.WPT.)
The main idea here is to force WordPerfect — when it next loads (Step 3
below) — to create a new, virgin default template (in our example it
also will be named WP15US.WPT) when it cannot find a legitimate default
template for your WordPerfect version and language edition.
This happens because the renamed file is temporarily hidden from the
WordPerfect program. In such a circumstance a new one is
automatically created because a default template on your computer is always
required
for the WordPerfect program's operation.
Notes
and tips
☼ This file
contains many of your user customizations and settings. These can be
recovered later, if desired. (See Step 3.)
☼ See
"The
default template" for more information about this
important file — especially if you
can't seem to find it.
For
example, if the default Windows setup "hides" certain files from view in
File Explorer, Windows Explore,r and (My) Computer.
☼ See also Footnote
3 for
an easy, copy-and-paste way to locate the currently active default
template using Windows Explorer so that you can rename it.
Step 3
Restart WordPerfect and
a new, "factory fresh" default template file will be created
automatically.
• Does that help?
Important: Be sure to see (and use) the
information above on opening a new blank document into which you type (not paste) some text into it to test the new template.
If the new template seems to have cured the problem:
Your customizations — the ones stored in the default template (toolbars,
keyboard shortcuts, etc.) — can be copied ("migrated") from the renamed backup template to the new default
template.
☼ See "Migrating customizations" - or - "Transferring keyboards, toolbars, menus, etc....".
☼ Alternative 1: See
Corel's support database Article
3495, "How do I migrate or copy items, such as Toolbars,
Menus, and Keyboards, from an older version of WordPerfect® to my
latest version?" (versions 9-X5+). Even though the article focuses on
migrating the default template from an earlier version, you can use the
same procedure to "migrate" from your backed up version of the default
template file (Step 2 above) to the new factory fresh version.
☼ Alternative 2: See this
post ("Saving and Recovering Customizations") on WordPerfect
Universe. (It also discusses recovering custom styles
from the backed up template.)
☼ Alternative 3: Rather than migrate customizations you could try repairing the original (and now renamed but damaged) template with WPLOOK.
Then use it in place of the newly created virgin copy by (1) deleting
the new virgin copy and then (2) renaming the repaired copy back to the
factory name for the default template (i.e., to the same name as the
virgin copy you just deleted). Then restart
WordPerfect so that it "reads" the repaired copy. This sometimes works.
If not, use one of the above migration methods.
• If
it didn't help -
First, you can rename the backup version of your default template file (created in the 3 steps above) back to
its original name. Or, if you had only a small number of easily
re-created customizations stored in it, you can simply continue to use
the newly created factory-fresh template.
Then you'll need to troubleshoot further.
You could follow
the next tips below (also recommended by a Corel article on their Knowledgebase
site: "WordPerfect freezes or generates errors while
opening").
Note that a damaged printer driver can also cause this issue as discussed here.
Note
The next tips cover local workstations (not networked systems; see
"Networks" below).
It
might also be a good idea to clean out any temporary
files from
the Windows "Temp" folders, then reboot your computer, before trying the
following steps. (The free and well-regarded program, CCleaner,
is useful here.)]
Tips
☼ First try fixing the default template by renaming it, as explained above.
☼ If
you haven't already done it, apply the latest Service Pack for
your version of WordPerfect. (See Corel's site under "Support" and
"Patches & Updates" here.) Then restart your computer, load WordPerfect, and test.
☼ You
can restore the program to the factory
default settings
to
see if the installation was damaged or a modification to the program is
the problem. This will not affect user data or user modified files
(such as the default template or QuickWords template). It only resets
WordPerfect's program files.
See Corel's article "WordPerfect Office: How do I restore WordPerfect Office to its factory defaults in Windows 10 or Windows 11?" at https://kb.corel.com/en/127412. Then restart your computer, load WordPerfect, and test.
☼ Login
to your computer using a new Windows
User Account.
Why?
Some WordPerfect settings are stored in the Windows Registry and in
various user-specific files on disk. Sometimes this "User Profile" becomes corrupted (or
becomes affected by some other non-Corel program's setting) and
it can impact WordPerfect.
What's a User Profile? When you create a new Windows User Account (e.g., see here for Windows 10; see here for Windows 7) you will automatically create a new User Profile
when you first log on to that account. It contains user-specific
folders, settings, and preferences relating to your applications,
desktop, etc. [For a somewhat dated list see (e.g.) Wikipedia here. See also Footnote 2.]
Restart Windows, log in under that new user profile, and test WordPerfect.
☼ To
see if some other program
might be interfering with WordPerfect, you could temporarily disable
the Windows Startup items using MSCONFIG, then restart your computer.
(See the Microsoft site or a good third-party Windows book for help.)
Restart WordPerfect and test.
☼ Visit WordPerfect
Universe's Troubleshooting Forum for more help.
V.
Miscellaneous
problems, error messages, etc.
Note: This is not
a comprehensive list of possible specific problems and/or error
messages. Further, they are not in a "troubleshooting path" order, so
you might want to look over them before use.
• Error
messages.
Corel has
a Knowledge Base support site at https://kb.corel.com.
It does not list or discuss all possible error messages (actually, not
many!), but it might be worth searching for the message using an exact
phrase you see in the message. Similarly, try using Google or other
search method from your internet browser: The message might be known to
other users, especially if Windows was the source of it.
• Problems with tables.
If
you suspect that you are having problems with
WordPerfect tables:
Method A
You can force WordPerfect to try and fix them when you
launch WordPerfect with a "Startup switch". Use the program's Help
<F1> feature and search the Index for "startup switch" (or see here). There, you will find
information on using the /recover startup switch,
which "Rebuilds table information in the prefix of the document upon
retrieval (i.e., when you open the document)." Obviously, back up your document
first, and don't forget to remove that startup switch when you are done with it.
Method B
Obviously, back up your document
first.
[From Corel's Knowledge Base article here:]
"...
Resolution 3a) if the document seems OK, but the table behaves oddly,
the table can be rebuilt. Formatting / layout will be lost in the table:
Solution:
1. Click into the table
2. Click Edit, Select, Table
3. Click the Table menu, Convert...
4. Select "Convert text to merge data file (dat)" and click OK
5. Hold shift, and press the down arrow until all lines with an "ENDFIELD" or "ENDRECORD" are highlighted.
6. Click Table menu, Convert...
7. Click OK
8. Below the ruler bar, click Options at the right and choose "Convert to WordPerfect document"
9. Click OK
10. Save your file under a new file name."
• Problems with imported styles and/or graphic images.
If these things are corrupted, they can cause some of the problems mentioned previously. They can be
deleted and re-created or re-imported into a "good" document. (Custom styles can also be retrieved, even from other documents and templates.) Obviously, back up your
document first.
• WordPerfect's automatic timed backup feature is set improperly.
See "Automatically make back ups of your document..." here
for suggested time interval settings and recovery-of-work techniques.
(For example, a time setting that is too short on a busy computer can corrupt some large
files — or simply give you a "spinning hourglass" on screen while
WordPerfect continuously tries to save your work, stopping you from
doing anything else with the program.)
• Using the "Save
Workspace" option.
A potential problem with this option when opening WordPerfect:
When you open WordPerfect and you see the cursor turn to a rotating wheel (or hourglass in earlier Windows versions) ... and nothing happens for a long while or the program eventually crashes
... here's one possible cause:
[1] The "Save workspace" radio button on the Tools, Settings, Environment, Interface tab was enabled by choosing either Always or Prompt on exit;
and
[2] you were working on a possibly corrupted document or one that became corrupted during an improper program shutdown or system crash, or (another possibility) one that is unavailable, such as on a network share that is not currently connected.
These two conditions can make that document inaccessible to the program — even by double-clicking on its name
in Windows — and cause the program to freeze or crash as it tries to
open it.
[Be aware there
are other reasons for the program to freeze or crash, as noted
elsewhere on this RepairDocs page (as well as solutions for corrupted documents
and templates).]
For some solutions to this issue, and some tips about preventing it, see below.
Notes and tips:
¤ What is this feature? In WordPerfect, the workspace (or “work area”) refers to everything within the WordPerfect application window.
This includes the document window — including any open documents shown there — the menu bar, the toolbars and property bars, and the application bar ("status bar") at the bottom of the screen.
Toolbars, property bars, and the application bar are usually displayed by default if they are enabled — see "To see these bars on screen" here.
From WordPerfect X8 Help (F1):
"WordPerfect
lets you use different workspaces for creating documents. When choosing
a workspace, you are specifying the toolbars, buttons, options, and
menus that WordPerfect displays.
You can customize and save workspace settings, including shadow cursor
settings, measurement and ruler settings, toolbar, application bar and
property bar settings. Saving your workspace settings [with the Save Workspace option] ensures they remain in effect until you change them."
Hence, in addition to saving these items (if you enabled the Save Workspace option) it
retains the names of open documents so that it can reload them when you
next launch WordPerfect (assuming they are not seriously corrupted and
they are still accessible).
¤ Don't forget this related issue: If you
have included a program shortcut in your Windows Startup group so that
WordPerfect automatically loads whenever you start your computer, you
might experience a WordPerfect freeze for the same reasons: the "Save
workspace..." option was enabled and the last opened document was
corrupted or inaccessible.
¤ Note that this feature is not exactly the same
thing as the "Workspace Manager"
on the Tools menu (see the Corel article here).
They are related — but you don't have to deliberately use the
Workspace Manager first to use "Save Workspace": the latter will save
the current workspace, whichever workspace mode was chosen (e.g.,
WordPerfect Mode, Microsoft Word mode, etc.).
The Workspace Manager "...
lets you use different workspaces for creating documents. When choosing
a workspace, you are specifying the toolbars, buttons, options, and
menus that WordPerfect displays."
For more on the Workspace Manager (introduced in WordPerfect 12), which lets you simulate Microsoft Word's
features
as well as WordPerfect 5.1 (a.k.a. "Classic mode") and WordPerfect's
Legal mode (in recent versions) — and for some potential downsides
using the Microsoft Word mode — see "Migrating from Microsoft Word® to
WordPerfect - Setting up WordPerfect to be more familiar to Microsoft
Word users" (and the following sections) here.
As noted, you can automatically always (or optionally) save the workspace with the Save Workspace option (above) if you customize it.
Solutions to the "Save Workspace" problem above:
• Adjust a Registry entry:
If you
think you already have the problem and can't open WordPerfect, and you
are comfortable with editing your Windows Registry (back it up first!),
you can adjust an entry to force WordPerfect's default setting to Never.
For one method to do it using the Registry Editor, see this
2006 post from a well-known guru on WordPerfect Universe
about adjusting that specific Registry entry with a simple Registry
Editor file. (It's an old post, but advanced users should be able to
make the appropriate adjustments for newer versions of the program.)
Alternatives: See the
equivalent (and easy) manual method (next) of adjusting that Registry key. Or see the "Rename the file/folder" solution below, which does not require editing the Windows Registry.
- - - - -
Manual method - Details:
For those familiar with (and assume all risks for) editing the Windows Registry — and relating to
the WordPerfect Universe post above — you should find the relevant Save Workspace registry key for recent WordPerfect versions
under -
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Corel\WordPerfect\NN\Environment
- where "NN" is your WordPerfect version number.
For example, for WordPerfect X9 the key will show as (..\19\..); for WordPerfeect 2021 it will show as (..\21\..); etc.
NOTE that you need to look under \WordPerfect\ and not under \WordPerfect Office...\.
Right-clicking on Save Workspace in the \Environment section
allows you to Modify its value. The first accessible value you can modify has one
of the following values: 00="Always"; 01="Never"; 02="Prompt". The above-referenced WPU thread
suggested using 01 (i.e., "Never") for the value in order to disable it so that you can
open the program if it is stuck on launch trying to open a corrupted
file.
[Many users prefer this setting ("Never") as their program default. Of
course, if the program is open you can manually set it in Tools,
Settings, Environment, Interface (tab).]
• Rename the file/folder:
As an alternative to the above Registry solution, try this method from a WordPerfect Universe
user ("howell"), which does NOT involve editing the Registry:
Exit from
WordPerfect and use Windows Explorer, File Explorer, or My Computer to rename the
(potentially) corrupt document — or even the folder containing it (you
can rename it back to the original later). Then start WordPerfect. It
may still pop an error message, but it should open. You can then try to
repair the corrupted document, as explained above.
Prevention and alternatives:
• Set "Save Workspace" to Never on the Tools, Settings, Environment, Interface tab to prevent such problems. (It's what I do.)
• If you need frequent access
to the same documents, you could record a macro to open them, and then assign the macro to a toolbar, menu, or
shortcut key. You could also use a vertical toolbar (see this PDF file) with descriptive labels instead of buttons.
• "Low memory" error message when starting WordPerfect.
• Various issues related to excessive Windows' Temp files.
From Corel's Knowledge Base here:
[annotations in brackets - like this one - were added]
"How to remove Temp files from Windows to resolve multiple software and system issues
Excessive amounts of Temp files can cause many known issues with Corel
products as well as other software running on Windows.
Cleaning out the
temp directory on a monthly basis should help the following:
• Slow Running System
• Product [WordPerfect] Crashes
• Out of Memory messages
• Copy/Paste pastes corrupt objects
• Documents becoming corrupted frequently
• Slow Print times
• Slow Save times
• Error message: "Temp Drive or Output Drive may be full"
It is very easy to clean up temp files, simply complete the following steps:
[1] Click on the Windows Start menu at the bottom left side of your screen.
[Alternative: Use the Windows shortcut key Search: Windows[logo]key+S]
[2] Type into the search box: %temp% (For Windows XP type:%temp% in the RUN command window).
[3] Hit Enter and the Temp directory will open.
[For the curious: You can
navigate to this location: In modern versions of Windows the path to
this directory/folder is usually
C:\Users\<USERNAME>]\AppData\Local\Temp. But using steps 1&2 is easiest.]
[4] Hit Ctrl+A on the keyboard to Select All.
[5] Hit the Delete key and then press OK or hit Enter to the message asking if you are sure you wish to delete.
[Notes: Step 5 sends the
selected files to your Recycle Bin. However, holding down the Shift key
while pressing the Del key will skip sending them to the Recycle Bin —
i.e., they will be immediately and permanently deleted.]
[6] Skip all files
that cannot be deleted (there will usually be [...] a few temp files
in use by windows at any given time which cannot be deleted [while they are open]).
[7] Close out of the temp directory.
Note
The proceedure may have to be
repeated or files deleted in batches when using Windows XP due to its
limitations when deleting mass amounts of files"
• Program interference.
To see if some
other Windows program or utility might be interfering with WordPerfect, you could
temporarily disable the Windows Startup items using MSCONFIG, then
restart your computer — particularly starting it in Safe Mode. (These are relatively simple and safe things to do, but see the Microsoft site or a good third-party
Windows book if you need help.) Re-launch WordPerfect and test.
• A corrupted Windows User Profile.
The
Windows User Profile is basically
a section of the Windows registry on your computer — a database of
user-specific settings — along with a set of folders that are stored
in a per-user directory on your disk. (For more see Footnote
2)
• If the user profile becomes corrupted it can (or might)
cause WordPerfect to freeze, crash, or generate errors while
loading the program. It can also cause less severe issues with WordPerfect. See Corel's support
database, "3559
- WordPerfect freezes or generates errors while opening," at
http://corel.force.com/index
which discusses possible factors (some of which are addressed above)
including a corrupt Windows user profile, interference from other
startup items, etc.
• When you create a new Windows User Account (e.g., see here for Windows 7) you will automatically create a new User Profile.
[Note that some problems surface because you don't have the required
"rights" to a folder, etc. You can test this if you create a new User
Account with Administrator status.]
You can then log in to Windows as that User. You don't need to delete the old
User Account.
If the problem goes away you probably should just
re-create your customized WordPerfect settings using that Account.
For
more information about the Windows User Account and User Profile,
including methods of transferring user settings, search the Microsoft
site (e.g., for Windows 7 see Fix a corrupted user profile).
[Note from a Corel employee several years ago on Office Community:
"[...] WP may still be slow to launch the first time on the new user
because it's creating a new profile. I recommend launching it
once, rebooting (to clear the system memory/cache) and launching it
again[...]."
• Damaged WordPerfect confuguration files.
Part of the Windows User Profile (see above) contains WordPerfect's configuration files.
These can be restored to factory defaults with the procedure outlined
on the Corel site ("How do I restore WordPerfect to its factory
defaults" here) and also mentioned here. It's a relatively simple procedure that simply renames
(rather than deletes) a few Windows settings in the Windows Registry. You should make a
backup copy of the Registry first. Search the Internet or the Microsoft site if you are
not sure how to do it.
• Internet and Network connections (including cloud accounts).
▸ When WordPerfect opens (at least recent versions), it can "phone home" to check for program updates or messages (in recent versions see also WordPerfect's Help, Message Settings). You
can temporarily disable your computer's connection to the internet (via WiFi or Ethernet, depending on your system) to see if the program's launch time improves under that "isolated" condition.
▸ Some problems with slow program opening, loading or saving documents,
or delays followed by an immediate program termination ("crash")
can
be traced to WordPerfect having been installed on a network (or having certain settings "point" to a network).
For
example, if you cannot open (or save) a file and you are using a
laptop or other system that is not currently connected to a
network, check
to make sure your default document folder is available in Tools,
Settings, Files. It might be set ("pointed") to a local network or cloud folder which is not
available.
Some users create different Windows User Profiles to use
when they are, or are not, connected to their network and its printer.
(See also information about the Additional Objects
template, which some organizations place on a network server.)
• "Error
while reading from prefix:
you may not have sufficient memory"
From Corel's
(old) support database (http://support.corel.com):
Answer ID 758802 - When creating table of contents, indexes or using
any other component within Corel's reference tools the following
message is produced: "Error while reading from prefix: you may not have
sufficient memory".
This issue is
typically caused by a specific type of document corruption and can be
repaired by taking the damaged file and saving it under the WordPefect®
v5.1/5.2 file format. Once this is done the file can be re-saved using
the current WordPerfect file format. To do this, follow the steps below:
[1] Open the
damaged file in WordPerfect.
[2] Go up to File and select Save As.
[3] In the Save As dialog box select 'WordPerfect 5.1/5.2' and click Save.
[4] Close any open documents.
[5] Go up to File and select Open.
[6] Ensure the file type is set to 'All Files (*.*)'.
[7] Click on the document and click Open.
[8] Go up to File and select Save As. Set the file type back to WordPerfect
6/7/8/9... etc.
[9] Save the document.
Once this procedure has been completed it should be possible to run the
reference tool. If problems persist try scanning the document using
WPLOOK.
• ''The
Macro is Being Canceled Due to an Out of Range Token Completion Code.
..."
Possible
cause: The macro has been given commands that it cannot complete or
which confuse it, such as trying to find a QuickMark that doesn't exist.
• Disappearing
WordPerfect icon on the taskbar.
This is often
a sign of a corrupted WordPerfect default template. See here
for solutions.
• Other places for help:
You can always post a question on WordPerfect Universe. See here for some help tips.
VI. When
you have tried everything else on this page:
Repairing the
program ... printer and fax problems ... etc.
• Repairing
'bad' or damaged WordPerfect program files
-
Some tips and procedures, and links to other resources. [See also: Should
you reinstall WordPerfect as the first step in fixing problems? in
Footnote 1.]
• Printer and
fax formatting problems
- WordPerfect makes very heavy use of the printer, so some issues such
as a slow opening of the program or documents, or strange video (or
video-vs-printout) problems can be traced to the printer or its
connection status.
VII.
Preventing
document corruption and damage
This is not
a comprehensive list of possible techniques or remedies, and none are
guaranteed to prevent document corruption/damage 100 percent of the
time. They represent "conventional wisdom" about how to prevent, or at
least minimize, such problems. (See Disclaimer.)
The following is a
list that might grow in the future.
• Always
close WordPerfect normally before turning off your computer.
Don't simply
shut off your computer while WordPerfect is still loaded. Doing so
appears to be a common cause of file corruption in WordPerfect (and
perhaps other software programs). Moreover, you cannot depend on
WordPerfect saving all your work or recent edits. See "Automatically
make back ups of your document to help you recover your work" here.
• Avoid
reusing the same document, over and over, as a "template."
Constantly
deleting, copying, pasting, inserting,
etc., can eventually lead to a corrupt document. It is better to create
a template (a file with a .WPT filename extension) which will "spawn"
fresh, uncorrupted copies as needed. The template can be nothing more
fancy than a document with a logo, or it can be an automated template
that asks for information, inserts it in various places, etc. See Custom templates on
the Default template
page for more information.
• Avoid
using write-caching on
your hard drive(s).
A tip from Roy
("lemoto") Lewis, Corel C_Tech:
"Ensure
write-caching (also known as "write-behind" or "write-back" caching) is
disabled. Read-caching is a good scheme, with no downside.
Write-caching runs the risk that some glitch will prevent the actual
write to disk. With slower drives and systems, there was something to
be said for it. Nowadays the chances of Windows failing are smaller,
but the systems are so fast that there is no significant upside to the
feature, so the small chance of error is still worth avoiding."
To disable
write-caching:
Windows
98SE: Click Control
Panel, System, Performance, File System, Troubleshooting. Enable the
checkbox, "Disable write-behind caching."
Windows
XP/2000: You may
need Administrator rights to do the following:
Open
Explorer or My Computer, then right-click the partition (or drive icon,
if the drive is not partitioned) where WordPerfect files are located,
then choose Properties, Hardware Tab. Choose a drive name from the
list, then:
In Windows
XP, click Properties, then click the Policies tab;
In Windows
2000, click the Disk Properties tab; then uncheck
the box, "Enable write caching on the disk" (or similar wording). Repeat
for other hard drives, if desired.
Windows
Vista: You need
Administrator rights to do the following:
Open
Explorer or Computer, then right-click the partition or drive where
WordPerfect files are located, then choose the Hardware Tab. Choose a
drive name from the list, then click the Properties button, then the
General tab. Click the Change Settings button, then click the Policies
tab on the next dialog. On that tab you will see two radio buttons.
Notice that under the second one, "Optimize for performance," are two
check boxes: "Enable write caching on the disk," and "Enable advanced
performance."
To
disable write caching, uncheck the first box, "Enable write caching on
the disk." The second box should also be unchecked. Click OK.
Repeat
for other hard drives, if desired.
NOTE:
If you have a laptop with a working (and charged) battery in it, or a
desktop system with a battery back up device (sometimes called a
"UPS"), you might prefer to check (i.e., enable) both boxes instead of
disabling write caching. The battery backup should allow time for the
system to write cached data to disk.
Windows
7/8/10: You need
Administrator rights to do the following:
Click
the Start orb on the Windows desktop, then follow this path:
Control
Panel, System and Security, System, Device Manager, then choose Disk
Drives.
Right-click on the drive, then click Properties.
On the
dialog that opens, choose the Policies tab, and disable (un-tick)
"Enable write caching on the device." Click
OK.
For the
technical side of this issue, see "Notes
on write-caching" in a post on WordPerfect Universe.
• Make
frequent sequential backups of important work —
preferably to another drive in case the drive crashes.
Having several
intermediate copies ("iterations") of a document might allow
you to recover material from an uncorrupted earlier version of the file. It has the added
benefit of preserving earlier material which might be useful later on.
This might be
especially useful if you need to do a lot of copy-and-paste within or
between documents, or you are importing material or graphic images from
another source.
See "MULTISAV -
Macros to help automate saving documents" here.
• Don't set
WordPerfect's automatic timed backup feature to
less than 4 or 5 minutes,
especially if you work on long documents; sometimes, this feature can
take a little time to
save a document. See here
for more on the timed backup feature.
• Keep
WordPerfect up to date.
Like most software publishers, Corel occasionally issues "patches"
(Corel calls them "Service Packs") to correct bugs it feels warrant
correction. (You may disagree on what "warrants" a correction.)
While
some early versions of WordPerfect were released with some serious bugs
(and later corrected), recent versions are far more resistant to such
things.
But in any case the nature of software is that some bugs are
inevitable — especially since software can be affected by
external changes in Windows, printer drivers, resident programs, etc.,
etc. Use WordPerfect's Help,
Check for Updates to get and apply Service Packs. [Earlier
Service Packs, up to WordPerfect 12, might still be available for
direct download here.]
[Some
people feel that "if it isn't broken, don't fix it." It's your choice,
of course, but this author has always applied SPs as soon as they were
available. Also, sometimes minor bug fixes are included in the newest
WordPerfect version but the immediately previous version might no
longer have Service Packs issued to correct the same bugs. It's largely
a matter of how much time and effort a company can devote to supporting
older — and no longer profitable — versions of a program.]
It's always a
good idea to back up your data — and read the Release Notes — before
applying a Service Pack.
• Never save your
work to a floppy disk
(if you still use them!) first before
saving it to your hard drive. Never save your work only
on a floppy disk: they are more fragile than a hard drive.
Moreover,
floppies (and ZIP drives) are relatively small and can quickly fill up.
Even if there appears to be room on the floppy, there can be a problem
with this method:
The way
Windows saves a file to another drive is a multi-step process, if the
file already exists on the target drive.
It first makes a temporary
file on the target drive, and once that process is successful, it then
copies the temporary file to the original on the target drive,
overwriting it. Then it deletes the temporary file.
Thus, there is some
safety built into the process. However, this means that the target must
have enough free space for roughly double the original file size. If
not, you may not be able to save a current file to the floppy or Zip
drive.
Always
save your file to your hard drive first, and then
copy the file to the floppy. A macro can help automated this. See
"SaveCopy - A macro that saves the current file and then immediately
makes a copy on another hard drive, floppy disk, or other removable
disk," here.
What about
using Corel's shipping macro, SAVETOA.WCM?
If you
open an existing file on Drive A, SAVETOA will save to it first (or try
to save it there), before making the copy to your hard drive's default
Document folder (see your Tools, Settings, Files, Document tab for the
location of this folder).
However,
if you start a new file with File, New — or open a file on your hard
drive — then the macro will save it to your hard drive first, and then
make a copy to your Drive A.
The latter
is a better and safer method.
In the
existing-file-on-the-floppy (drive A) case, SaveToA will first make (or
attempt to make) a copy on the floppy, which most experts agree is
fraught with potential problems — not the least of which is that there
might not be enough space on the floppy for the copying operation to be
carried to completion. Therefore, it is much safer to work from, and
save to, a hard drive (or at least a drive with plenty of space
available — at least twice the size of the file you are trying to
save) than to try and save to a floppy, which can quickly and
unnoticeably fill up — not to mention that the floppy media itself if
much more prone to damage than a hard drive.
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