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Barry MacDonnell's
Toolbox for WordPerfect

Macros, tips, and templates for Corel® WordPerfect® for Windows®
© Copyright 1996-2023 by Barry MacDonnell. All Rights Reserved.

 Page updated Dec 13, 2021

WordPerfect Tips
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Updating, upgrading, or reinstalling WordPerfect
Note

WordPerfect menu choices refer to the <WordPerfect> menu. (Right-click on WordPerfect's top menu bar for a choice of menus.)

If you use a <Microsoft Word> menu, the choices might be absent from your menu (but not from the program), or they might be found under another menu selection.

If the menu choices or toolbars discussed on this site seem to be missing from your program, see here.


Other parts in this series

[Part 1] Overview: Some things to keep in mind about WordPerfect documents and program files

...

[Part 3] Upgrading to a newer version of WordPerfect

[Part 4] Uninstalling and/or reinstalling your current WordPerfect program (and how to completely remove it)

[Part 5] Migrating customizations

[Part 6] Multiple versions of WordPerfect on the same computer

[Part 7] Transferring macros from one system to another, or from an earlier version of WordPerfect to a newer version


[Return to main Tips Page]
Part 2:  Updating your current copy of WordPerfect - i.e., bringing your program up to date with a Corel Service Pack or "patch"

Know your WordPerfect "build number" (a.k.a "release number" or "minor version")

When a major version is released or when you "patch" it by installing a free Service Pack (see the Corel Patches & Updates site or else Corel's main site under the Support tab), WordPerfect will display a four-part number in its Help, About WordPerfect... menu. 

For example, you'll see a number like 16.0.0.428. The first digits (e.g., 16) indicate the major version. The last part of the number (e.g., 428) is the build number.

Note that starting with WordPerfect Office X3, the first part of the number is the number 13; in WordPerfect Office X4 it is 14, and so forth.

Tips
☼  The build number can also be found in a text file on the root directory of the WordPerfect CD called VOLINFO.TXT (in WordPerfect 8 and later).

☼  If you don't have a WordPerfect CD, here's a way to get the build number directly from the currently installed program's executable file.

[This example works in Windows 7 with WordPerfect Office X6 and X7 but other versions of WordPerfect and Windows should be similar:]

(1) Browse to the folder containing the main executable program file. In WPX7/Windows7 it is wpwin17.exe, located C:\Program Files (x86)\Corel\WordPerfect Office X7\Programs.

(2) Right click on that file name, select Properties, then click the Details tab. You should see the file version/build (e.g., 17.0.0.337).

You might need to know this four-part number to obtain and apply the correct patches (see next paragraphs) for your edition and version of WordPerfect (which is almost always a Good Thing to Do)

Note that recent WordPerfect versions can be updated directly from the Help menu's "Check for Updates".

Further, if you visit peer support groups such as WordPerfect Universe, providing this information helps make assistance or troubleshooting much more effective. In fact, it is sometimes indispensable since there are many times when suggestions or solutions work (or don't work!) in specific builds of WordPerfect. 

Where to find information about Service Packs and links to download them

[Note that some recent versions of WordPerfect (X8, and X9 as of late 2019) have never been issued a Service Pack or Hot Patch.]

As mentioned above, if a Service Pack or Hot Patch exists for a recent program version it can be updated directly from the WordPerfect Help menu's "Check for Updates".

Most gurus suggest you keep your version up to date with a Service Pack, since many bugs are fixed -- and sometimes new features are added -- with a Service Pack.

Alternative: Download, save, and manually install the patch files.

•  For recent versions of WordPerfect see the Support tab on the main Corel site for "Download Patches & Updates".

Note the Corel patch page shows the most recent WordPerfect version's patch(es), so be sure you verify the main version number (e.g., WordPerfect Office X6, WordPerfect Office X7, etc.) before downloading. You will want to apply the correct patch(es).

Be sure to read the Release Notes for the Service Pack(s). Some patches might need to be installed in order, and some might be cumulative.

 •  For older versions of WordPerfect see the "--Select a product--" drop list on the Corel patch page, which lists the most recent two or three versions -- which is all Corel supports.

Or perhaps visit the WordPerfect Universe FAQ: What "version" of WordPerfect do I have; what updates/patches are available? The FAQ describes the various releases ("builds") of WordPerfect, important information about applying Service Packs, and links to Corel's download site.  Tip: Take the time to carefully read the information on the WordPerfect Universe linked page for your WordPerfect version. You will want to apply the correct patch(es). [UPDATE: This page is no longer updated.]

Applying the patch:

[My opinion:]

It's probably a good idea to back up your system (a full disk image is always best), clean out your Windows Temp folders (I use CCleaner for this), then restart your computer. (Some folks also recommend temporarily stopping your antivirus program -- it's said that some of them can be a bit aggressive and prevent the update from starting -- but I've never needed to do it.)

Then double click on the Service Pack's filename to start the patch. It should only take a few minutes to complete the job.

There's an old saying that "if it ain't broke don't fix it" ... but it is "broke," even if just a little, or they wouldn't have needed to issue a patch!

Updating WordPerfect from a trial version of WordPerfect to a fully functional version or to a retail (boxed CD) version

For WordPerfect X6 and later versions:

Corel reported that (e.g.) the trial versions of WordPerfect Office X6 via Electronic Software Download (or ESD) are exactly the same as the WordPerfect X6 retail (boxed) versions (CD#1).

Hence, there should be no need to remove the trial version of WPOX6 or later version.

Once you pay for the product you should receive an email to unlock the trial and (depending on the edition) also a link to download "extras" that are usually on a separate CD: clipart, photos, fonts (fonts can be installed separately), a contents manual for the download, etc.

Two personal opinions:

1. If you are upgrading to a retail boxed version you might want to start "fresh" by completely removing the trial version first (but see Part 5 on migrating any customizations you might have made to the trial version). This is especially true if the new version is a different edition (e.g., Standard or Professional) or even a different version and build number than the trial version.

2. After updating from a trial version you might still want to check to see if a newer patch has been issued since you downloaded the trial. (See Where to find information about Service Packs... above.)

For WordPerfect X5 and earlier:

Some expert users feel -- and often strongly recommend -- that it is a good idea to save any customizations (see Part 5) and then completely remove these early (pre-WordPerfect X6) trial versions before installing a new, full retail (boxed) version.

They see this as "insurance" in preparation for a clean installation. [On the other hand, many users have never done this and seem to have suffered no ill effects. Further, this should not be necessary anymore with WordPerfect Office X6 and possibly later versions, since the downloadable trial of X6 and the regular boxed version (CD#1) are the same, as noted above.]
 
To manually remove all traces of WordPerfect Office X5, for example, see here (for other versions, search that Corel database for "How to remove WordPerfect").

Then it is suggested that you clean out your Windows \Temp folders; the free CCleaner -- a very popular program -- is an easy way to do it; it can also clean out left-over things in the Registry.

Then reboot your computer, turn off your anti-virus program temporarily, and install the full version from the CD. Once installed, turn your AV on again. (Some few AV programs can interfere; hence the recommendation. Note that some other memory resident programs can also interfere with program installation.)

[Note: If you are trying to install a WordPerfect X5 retail (boxed) version over a trial version, and get an error message "Your system has not been modified. To complete installation...", see the Corel support database site (#11399). (Scroll down when there.)]

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