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Repairing
WordPerfect documents and templates
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WordPerfect locking up or won't
start? ... Strange problems with a document? ...... Getting an "Unknown Format" message?
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When something goes wrong, it is normal to
assume something has gone wrong with the WordPerfect program.
This is, of course, possible; see "Repairing 'bad' or damaged WordPerfect program
files" for more. But more likely it could be 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 on.
In particular, you should be aware that 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 structures that contain hidden
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 up but show some strange or erratic behavior, to a document
that displays one or more of the major symptoms listed below.
Also see "Preventing
document corruption/damage".
Also see Footnote 1 before
reinstalling the program. |
Documents and templates
Documents (.WPD, .WCM) and templates (.WPT)
can become damaged for several reasons
- improper shut-down of WordPerfect (e.g.,
turning the computer off before closing WordPerfect);
- assembling many files or file fragments into
one;
- lots of copy-and-paste or cut-and-paste;
- corrupt "objects" [imported images
(especially very large ones), tables, styles, etc.];
- ...and so on.
Typical symptoms of damaged documents or
templates
- program lockup or "freeze";
- "Unknown Format" message when opening
a document; or
- 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 based on a template. For everyday work this is typically
the default template, but it could
be a custom template.)
First, here are some logical questions to
ask yourself
- Does the program simply lock up or freeze
when you try to load WordPerfect? See the sections below
on "Fixing the default template"
and "Miscellaneous problems...."
- Assuming you can open WordPerfect ... Does
the problem happen with a particlar existing document
you opened from your disk that you are now editing or attempting
to save, but not with another existing document on disk?
If so, it could be a problem with that particular file. See "Some
solutions..." below.
- Does the problem happen with a new blank
document into which you have typed or inserted material?
If so, it could be a problem with that particular new document
-- especially if you have done a lot of editing, pasting, or
importing during the session. Or, it could be a problem with
the template on which the new document is based (usually, this
is the default template). You could
try opening another new blank document and then copy the material
from the problem document into it. Or, you might need to fix
the default template, especially if the next paragraph is true.
- Does the problem happen with more than
one new, blank documents into which you have typed, pasted,
or inserted material -- but not in other existing documents?
If so, it is likely to be a problem with the default
template, which is used to create Document1, Document2,
etc., that you see on screen when you first open WordPerfect
(or when you click File, New). See the next section, "Fixing
the default template."
- Does the problem happen with more than one
new document based on a custom template that you have
created? It could be a problem with that particular custom template.
See the next paragraphs "Some solutions...").
- Do you use WordPerfect's automatic backup
features? See here for suggested settings
and recovery-of-work techniques.
Some solutions for damaged documents or custom
templates
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The first thing to do is make a backup of the problem document
or custom template, then see the Corel
support database article (Answer
ID 755359) for several possible solutions.
Note that sometimes
one method works to fix a particular file, and another method
does not. Try the following
methods in sequence. Work slowly and
carefully. The first two methods are
likely to succeed for the majority of document problems.
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- The "X-Retrieve" method mentioned on the Corel support site is often effective
since it rebuilds the internal prefix for the document. However,
the instructions are a little sketchy. Here's how to do it:
- Open a new, blank document;
- type an "x" (actually, any character);
- insert the problem file with Insert>File;
- delete the "x";
- save the file.
- This rebuilds a critical internal component
(the "prefix") of the document.
[N.B.: Macros that make use of the X-Retrieve
method are UPDATER in the
Library and Charles Rossiter's CLEANSAVE
and NEWSAVE.]
- Corel's free WPLOOK file repair utility mentioned in the above article is available directly
from a Corel FTP site here.
It can be downloaded to any convenient directory/folder or to
your Windows desktop. It does not need to be installed since
it is a single standalone file.
- Step 1. You
should read Laura Acklen's excellent article
about the WPLOOK file repair utility.
- Step 2. Close
the corrupt document if it is open.
- Step 3. Run
WPLOOK.EXE by double-clicking its filename in Windows Explorer
or My Computer.
- You will see three checkboxes on the main
WPLOOK screen, under "Repair":
- Repair Corruption;
- Remove UNDO information; and
- Remove Unused Styles.
- At the very least, be sure to enable the
checkbox to Repair Corruption.
- Unless you have a specific reason why you
need to retain Undo information or Unused styles, enable these
two Repair options, too. The former might be a cause of the corruption,
and the latter will be removed only from the current document
anyway (thus making the file slightly smaller, too). Many if
not most users will enable all three checkboxes on the WPLOOK
dialog's Repair Document tab, even if they are only trying to
fix a damaged file.
- Step 4. IMPORTANT:
With WPLOOK on screen, click File, Open
on the WPLOOK menu to load your document in WPLOOK. Then,
when the file is loaded, click the Repair button on the WPLOOK
dialog at least 3 or 4 times -- even if no corruption is found
or even if several "Repairing corruption" messages
are displayed. (Just answer "Yes" each time
to the "Replace...?" question appears.) It is thought
that using Repair multiple times is more effective than using
it just once -- perhaps to clean out any dependencies between
corrupted items.
- Note: After
the first press of the Repair button, WPLOOK doesn't tell you
there isn't any more corruption -- in fact, it probably will
report "no corruption." Ignore the messages. Just click
Repair several times.
- Tip: You can
also click Edit on the WPLOOK menu and extract all text from
the document, then save the content to a .TXT file.
- Tip: See WPLOOK's
Edit menu for a way to "scramble" a file's text (all
characters are turned into Z's, leaving just the formatting).
This can be helpful when sending a confidential file to someone
who can help with formatting problems.
- Divide and Conquer:
Working on your 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. You can then open a fresh copy
of the backup, and remove the last quarter of it. Repeat, removing
successively smaller sections until you isolate the problematic
section. (An alternative to this is to 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.)
- QuattroPro:
For badly damaged documents, you can try opening the document
in QuattroPro. Graphics and formatting will be lost, but the
text may survive, so it's worth a try.
- File viewers:
If you have a file viewer such as QuickView, you might be able
to copy text from the viewed file and paste it into a new document.
- Drivers: Some
problems with documents can be traced to the computer's video
card drivers or printer drivers. You could try visiting the web
sites for your video card and/or printer manufacturer to see
if updated drivers are available.
- Printers: 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. 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!
- Charles Rossiter, Corel C_Tech, suggests
this: "Delete your printer. If you are using WinXP, still
in the Printers and Faxes dialog, do File, Server Properties,
Drivers tab, and delete the drivers as well." Then reinstall
the printer drivers.
- From Corel's Answer ID 207671: "If more
then one printer is present on the system, try setting another
printer as default. If you have multiple printers installed,
you may be required to remove all the printers one at a time
from your Control Panel and try launching WordPerfect after the
removal of each. If no physical printer is available, 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 skip the "print test page" step.]
- For some possible printing problems,
see here.
- 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.
- See "Miscellaneous problems, error messages"
below.
- Finally, if you conclude that it might be
a WordPerfect program problem, see here.
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Fixing
the default template
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As mentioned, not only new or existing documents
can become corrupted, but even template files (.WPT)
can suffer damage. This includes the default template on which
all new (blank) documents are based; it can become corrupted,
too.
If newly created documents -- those based
on the default template -- are giving you problems, try this:
- Step 1. Locate the WordPerfect default
template on your hard drive.
- The name of the default template varies
with the version of WordPerfect. 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. Note that "XX" is your language version,
such as "US" -- so in this case your template
would be named WP12US.WPT, or WP13US.WPT, or similar pattern.
- See "The default
template" for more information about this important
file -- especially if you can't seem to find it. For example, the default Windows setup hides certain
files from view in Windows Explorer. Or, someone might have placed
the default template in a different location -- or even renamed
it. The default template will
show you how to find it.
- Step 2. Rename the default template file to make a backup since it contains many of your customizations
and settings. For example, rename it to WP12US-Back.WPT, or WP13US-Back.WPT,
etc.
- Step 3. Re-launch WordPerfect and a new, "factory shipped" default template
file will be created automatically.
- Does that help?
- If so, your customizations (toolbars,
etc.) can be copied from the backup template to the new default
template.
- See Corel's support database Article ID 207516, "Migrating
the default template into WordPerfect" (versions 9-X3+).
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 default template file (Step 2 above).
- Alternatively, see this
post on WordPerfect Universe. It also discusses recovering
custom styles from the backed up template.
- If it didn't help -
- You can rename the backup back to its original
name. Then visit one of Corel's newsgroups or WordPerfect
Universe's Troubleshooting Forum for more help.
- Also: Try the
WPLOOK repair utility listed above for use on ordinary documents.
This author has found occasional template corruption that could
be fixed with WPLOOK.
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Miscellaneous
problems, error messages, etc.
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This is not a comprehensive list
of possible error messages. Corel
has two sites with "Answer ID" articles, and there
is some overlap in terms of the WordPerfect versions they cover.
The "old" site: http://kb.corel.com.
The "new" site: http://support.corel.com
The following is a list that might grow in
the future.
- When you try to start WordPerfect and you
see the cursor hourglass ... and then nothing happens ... here's
one possible cause: Users have reported that when they enable
the "Save workspace" radio button in Tools, Settings,
Environment, Interface, and they were working on a possibly
corrupted document when they last used WP, they get the "hourglass-and-fail"
problem. Solutions:
- 1. Set "Save workspace" to "Never"
to prevent such problems.
- 2. If you think you already have the problem
and can't open WP, and you are comfortable with editing your
registry (back it up first!), you can adjust an entry to force
WP's setting to "Never". See this
thread at WordPerfect Universe.
- If you are getting a "low memory"
error message when you start WordPerfect, see Corel's support
database Answer ID 753730 at http://tinyurl.com/y4qujw.
- Does WordPerfect freeze, crash, or generate
errors while loading the program? See Corel's support database
Answer ID 754025 at http://tinyurl.com/ylx8b7,
which discusses possible factors (some OD which are addressed
above) including a corrupt Windows user profile, interference
from other startup items, etc.
- If you cannot open a file or save it, and
you are using a laptop 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 to a
network folder which is not available.
- "Error while reading from prefix: you
may not have sufficient memory"
- From Corel's 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:
- Open the damaged file in WordPerfect
Go up to File and select Save As.
In the Save As dialog box select 'WordPerfect 5.1/5.2' and click
Save.
Close any open documents.
Go up to File and select Open.
Ensure the file type is set to 'All Files (*.*)'.
Click on the document and click Open
Go up to File and select Save As. Set the file type back to WordPerfect
6/7/8/9.. etc.
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.
- If you suspect that you are having problems
with WordPerfect tables, you can force WordPerfect to
fix them when you start WordPerfect with a "Startup switch".
Use the online Help <F1> and search the Index for "startup
switch". There, you will find information on using the /recover
startup switch, which "Rebuilds table information in the
prefix of the document upon retrieval."
- For problems that you suspect have something
to do with WordPerfect's program files, see here.
- You can always post a question on a Corel
newsgroup or on WordPerfect Universe.
See here for some help tips.
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Preventing
document corruption/damage
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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 below.)
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 word or recent edits. See "Automatically make back
ups of your document to help you recover your work" here.
- 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.
- 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.
- Have several intermediate copies 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.
- Never save your work
to a floppy disk 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.
- Don't set WordPerfect's automatic timed
backup feature to less than 4 or 5 minutes, especially if you work on long documents, which can
take some time to save a document. See here
for more on the timed backup feature.
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Footnote 1
It is my observation that many users think
that the first and best thing to do when they have a problem
with WordPerfect is to reinstall it. I believe this idea comes
from two general sources:
(1) People unfamiliar with how software programs
actually work, or how modern hardware devices actually work,
have hit upon the technique of "if it doesn't work, reboot
(or reinstall) the thing." They then pass this recommendation
on to others, who assume the information is valid because it
appears logical and it was (and often, still is) a commonplace
thing to do when dealing with some Microsoft Windows issues.
In an earlier age we used to think that smacking
a wonky TV would help get better reception. That actually seemed
to help once in a while -- possibly because vacuum tubes (something
like incandescent light bulbs) powered the thing and they were
susceptible to vibration. And because rebooting a modern device
once in a while actually works (and for some devices -- e.g.,
iPods, smart phones -- rebooting can be a preferred solution
for some things), folks seem to be inclined to perpetuate the
same (somewhat superstitious) behavior for all computerized
products: "Whack it! Reboot it! Reinstall it!"
(2) A call to a "Help Desk" -- if
you can reach one these days -- will often result in instructions
to perform a few basic troubleshooting steps followed by the
recommendation to completely remove and reinstall the program.
Since the recommendation comes from a presumed expert, it becomes
the Remedy of Choice instead of the Remedy of Last Resort.
It seems to me that the real reason
this recommendation is so quickly given is that it works sometimes
and it immediately gets the caller off the line while
they go about the task of reinstalling the program. A call back
will no doubt be answered by some other Help Desk "guru."
In other words, it's sometimes a pass-the-buck option for the
Help Desk people. If the problem persists, and the user has the
time and energy to call back, the Help Desk can then drill down
through a series of alternatives. (If you listen carefully, you
will hear them clicking through their on-screen list of things
for you to try. They are following a script.) This method works
-- for them -- and possibly for you, too.
You might conclude from your call that one
of the first things to do is a "program reinstall"
whenever you have a problem. Why waste time on any other remedy?
you think. It worked before. Why not now?
But with WordPerfect, immediate reinstallation
often is a waste of time because (for one thing) it does not
overwrite user-customized program files -- including those files
that might have been damaged internally and which are a possible
source of your problem. Moreover, many WordPerfect problems can
be traced to printer drivers, which
are separate Windows files and which not affected by reinstalling
WordPerfect. These things are usually
fairly easy to fix, as explained above.
To me, reinstalling is just about the last
thing to do, especially with WordPerfect. But, hey, that's
my opinion -- as well as the opinion on most WordPerfect experts
who have actually used the program for many years.
If you really want to reinstall the program,
see here.
Disclaimer
The materials and any software contained on
this site are offered without warranty or guarantee of any kind,
either express or implied, including but not limited to implied
warranties of merchantability, satisfactory quality, fitness
for a particular purpose, noninfringement, or those arising by
law, statute, usage of trade, course of dealing or otherwise,
and are provided on an "as is," and "with all
faults" basis. The entire risk as to the results and performance
of these materials is assumed by you. The author assumes no liability
whatsoever to you or any other entity or third party for any
special, incidental, direct, indirect, or consequential damages
-- including without limitation any damages to equipment, or
for loss of profits, for business interruption, for loss of data
or other information, or for any other loss arising out of the
use or inability to use these materials, techniques, suggestions,
or software programs, even if the author has been notified of
the possibility or actuality of such damages, or they are foreseeable.
Materials on these pages have been prepared with reasonable care
for educational and informative purposes. No representations
are made regarding the use or the results of the use of any macro,
suggestion, technique, or other material in terms of their correctness,
accuracy, reliability, or otherwise, and you are again cautioned
that you use them solely at your own risk. You are advised to
make backups of any important files before implementing any macro,
suggestion, or technique. Do not assume anything here is error
free.
The above Disclaimer also applies to any communication
the author may have with you.
The external links on this site, or in any
related materials or communications, do not constitute an endorsement
or guarantee of the linked sites, their visitors, or their associated
owners, operators, or staff. |