? Can someone help me?
? I use Wordstar with Microsoft Dos system on a Windows98 computer.
I must have pressed something at some time or other and lost the ability to save any added material to a document or letter.? It will save the first time that I write to a document.? However, when I open the document and add to it, it will not save the added material when I control KD it.? I am working on a Wordstar 3.31 program.? Does anyone have any idea what I can do to restore the ability to save added material.?
Elinor,
A few questions:
- Have you made any changes to the computer recently?
- Have you copied your documents via a CD?
- How many files are there in the directory (folder) where you are having problems with these files (use DOS' DIR command to list them - it should include a count of the files)
Mike
Mike
I just responded by E-mail to your questions and just realized I could respond this way I think. Anyway you will be deluged with my replies.
No changes to computer recently and have not copied documents via CD.
There are 79 files on one WS3.31 directory and 30 files on another WS3.31 directory that I call WS2, which I added to see if a fresh copy of the program would save an edited file or addition of new material. It did not. Nor will it rename a file.
Perhaps I need an earlier version of Dos than the one that is on the Windows98.
Thanks again for any help.
Elinor
Elinor,
Was this working and then stopped working, or are you only just starting to try and use WordStar 3.x on a Windows 98 computer?
Your answer may be in the following article on the WordStar Resource Site Web site help pages: http://www.wordstar.org/wsdos/kb/Q2004.htm
Regards
Mike
Mike
Will go to your suggested site but first want to let you know that WS3x was working fully when installed on Windows98 in 1998. It could save edited
documents. rename, etc.
Now I will go to the site you suggested.
Elinor
Mike
I have looked at your site. The solution says I should boot into real mode or reboot to Dos mode and stay on a partition that uses the FAT16 format. Any partition under 512MB should meet this latter requirement.
Trouble is I don't know how to do that (partition, etc.). I always have to boot into DOs (i.e., MS DOS) mode to get to my WS directory and files. I don't understand what real mode is either.
I have a feeling that when I lost the ability to save altered files it was because I pressed something that eleminated something in DOS. Maybe there was a partition. However, the person who helped me install WS in no longer with us.
So now I need to know how to partition using a FAT16 format, et al.
Thanks loads for your help.
Elinor
Also, I wonder if anyone knows someone in New York City that has gone through this and knows how to do a partition, etc. Someone perhaps I could call.
Thanks again.
Elinor
Saturday, June 03, 2006
Hi Elinor!
Other dealing with WS3 inability to work on newer systems, I would suggest going to www.writeandset.com and use Write&Set. You should find using this WS4 clone similar to WS3.
Phil
Phil,
Thanks so much. Will let you know if it works for me.
Elinor
I still need help.
Elinor
Elinor,
Open Windows Explorer and then right-click on the C: disk drive icon, then select Properties. On the screen that will open it should tell you that C: is a Local Disk and it's File System is... The choices will be FAT, FAT16, or FAT32. It should also tell you its Capacity.
What you need are FAT16 and 512Mb or less capacity.
Real Mode is one way your processor can be set to work - all Intel CPUs start this way, but better operating systems then switch them into Protected Mode, which is used to help stop one program from interfering with another by protecting the memory area it uses. Don't worry too much about that for now.
The only changes that I can think are likely are that you either installed a program that altered your AUTOEXEC.BAT or CONFIG.SYS files in C:\, which you could check by looking at these to see if there are any copies with different names after the dot, and any versions have a date about the time you noticed the problem start; or, you ran a Windows utility to convert from FAT16 to FAT32.
Can you copy your WS directory to a floppy? If you can you could try running it from there. You'll probably see some erors and have bits of WordStar missing, but I think it should run. If it does, try creating a new file and then make and save some changes. If that works we can sort out the errors.
The other options are as Phil has suggested - to switch to a later program, either Write&Set or even WS 4 onwards.
Regards
Mike
Before you go to the trouble of re-formating and partitioning a disk drive, there is a way to test this solution first.
Copy the file to a floppy disk, and then try and edit and save the file on a floppy.
If that works, then the partitioning may very well be your problem.
If it doesn't work on the floppy, then partitioning is a waste of time and effort.
For all floppy disk drives are Fat-16 by default!
Thanks Mike.
I have printed out your last posting because I e-mail on my newish XP computer.
I will take the instructions to the Windows98 and investigage.
Will let you know. And thanks so much for your input.
Elinor
Hi - This is a different Mike.
I have seen something like this before. I think the problem is caused by somehow you have managed to protect (make read only) your wordstar files in maybe both directories.
Thus wordstar can read a file, change it (in memory) but is unable to write it back.
Test this by writing the file to a different? directory or floppy. Then read it and see if the changes have been retained.
Wordstar can protect/unprotect files, (see ALT + F menu) but I am not sure if you can do this to all the files in a directory or the directory itself easily, which would explain your problem.
Please advise test results.
Good Luck - Mike Newcomb
Hi both Mikes:
Thanks so much for the info. I've tried everything I think. I copied the file to a floppy disk and tried to save after editing. It did not.
I'm thinking I should try to get a Wordstar 4 if the commands are the same as Wordstar 3x. All this is for my husband who is a lawyer and does contracts, briefs, etc. He had an old 1992 PC which recently crashed. He has copies of forms, etc., on 3 1/2 floppies. On the PC that crashed, he was able to save and do all things on 3.31 except print to updated printer. For that he would copy a file to a Wordstar 5 directory and it successfully printed out the 3.31 file. He never learned the Wordstar 5 commands, etc. because it is so different from what he was used to. Now I'm hoping if someone knows if Wordstar 4 commands and settings are similar to 3x and where , if so , I can find a copy.
And I gave out of space on the last posting to thank everyone again.
Elinor
Elinor - You will not achieve anything by copying, because I think the file is protected. Thus the copied file is the same.
Can you try to unprotect the input file. I think Wordstar will only unprotect if the file is protected and vice versa. If you have dos, check out the attrib(ute) command, part of which is the equivalent of the wordstar protect/unprotect facility.
I use wordstar version 6.0 and would have liked to obtain v7.0 because it has mouse support. I am sure your husband would find these just as easy to use.
Try also the test I advised early - read file, but write elsewhere.
As a matter of interest where are you based? I am in Hammersmith, West London. Good Luck - Mike Newcomb
Hi Elinor,
The WordStar 5 commands are a super-set of the WordStar 3 commands - i.e., the basic commands are the same, but you get more of them because more features were added with each release. If your husband has WordStar 5 working it may be that he just needs to customise it to turn off menus and other features he's not used to.
WordStar 4 is still sold new - the only version that is! Go to the site's home page and follow the link to the "where to buy WordStar" page. eBay is probably the best option for getting hold of the various versions of WordStar.
Regards
Mike
Mike Newcomb
Thank you for your input. I haven't been able to try to unprotect my file or files since my husband has been using the computer and saving files the hard way, i.e., blocking the entire file and sending it (<KW) to a new file. You suggested alt=F. I will try that when I get a chance.
After a search hiatus because of health reasons, I am also back looking for a copy of Wordstar 4. I am afraid version 6 or more that you suggested in one of your replies will, like Wordstar 5, be too different from Wordstar 3x.
Incidentally, if a Wordstar file is protected, what is it protected from?
And Phil, do you know if Write and Set, have the same commands as Wordstar 3x. I could not tell from the site.
I want to thank both Mikes for your ideas and help and also Phil. Anymore suggestions are welcome and appreciated.
Elinor
Tuesday 20 June 2006
Hi Elinor!
I finally installed a copy of WS3.3 for testing and had the same error. It feels like the issue described here:
http://www.glinx.com/~grifwood/Wswin.html
Quote from: Elinor on June 21, 2006, 12:06:36 AM
After a search hiatus because of health reasons, I am also back looking for a copy of Wordstar 4. I am afraid version 6 or more that you suggested in one of your replies will, like Wordstar 5, be too different from Wordstar 3x.
All versions of WSDos have 3.3 emulations settings.
Quote
Incidentally, if a Wordstar file is protected, what is it protected from?
It is protected from any modification--it is set to read only.
Quote
And Phil, do you know if Write and Set, have the same commands as Wordstar 3x. I could not tell from the site.
Yes it has.
Phil