??Corrupted file, will not save to floppy, please help

[ann l]

My Dad uses WordStar 6 in DOS (on an old Epson 386 SX) to compose his documents, but must take them to another computer on a floppy for printing with a modern printer. We have a translator that works fine (an older copy of MacLink Plus that converts to the Macintosh platform), but we now encounter a very important, 37 page Wordstar document that is refusing to be saved to a floppy disk. We have tried using the Save As command in Wordstar to save it to the A drive (floppy drive), and it claims there isn't enough space (not true) or a line of code FILE=30 is missing from the CONFIG.SYS; and we have tried using the DOS command to copy the file from the C drive to the A drive in DOS, and we get error messages that it can't fine a sector on A, every time. Other WordStar files save just fine, either by Save As or using copy in DOS, and the floppy disk is good. I can only conclude that the WordStar document is corrupted somehow. However, it opens, saves (to the hard drive), and prints just fine (on an ailing old dot matrix impact printer). It just refuses to copy to a floppy. Any suggestions? I've tried saving a copy of the file under a different name, but the corruption just comes along with it. E-mailing it is out of the question as the Epson lacks a modem.

[PGAGA]

Sunday 12 March 2006

My Dad uses WordStar 6 in DOS (on an old Epson 386 SX) to compose his documents, but must take them to another computer on a floppy for printing with a modern printer. We have a translator that works fine (an older copy of MacLink Plus that converts to the Macintosh platform), but we now encounter a very important, 37 page Wordstar document that is refusing to be saved to a floppy disk. We have tried using the Save As command in Wordstar to save it to the A drive (floppy drive), and it claims there isn't enough space (not true) or a line of code FILE=30 is missing from the CONFIG.SYS; and we have tried using the DOS command to copy the file from the C drive to the A drive in DOS, and we get error messages that it can't fine a sector on A, every time. Other WordStar files save just fine, either by Save As or using copy in DOS, and the floppy disk is good. I can only conclude that the WordStar document is corrupted somehow. However, it opens, saves (to the hard drive), and prints just fine (on an ailing old dot matrix impact printer). It just refuses to copy to a floppy. Any suggestions? I've tried saving a copy of the file under a different name, but the corruption just comes along with it. E-mailing it is out of the question as the Epson lacks a modem.

Is this the largest file which you have tried to save?  If it is that would suggest that the problem is  system related.

Did you try saving the first page and copying just it?

Usually when the error show up it means that linked files are still open because of poor file closing--but your saving with a new names suggests that is not the problem.

WS6 comes with two tools which might help--Profinder and Star Exchange.  You can try the file copying with Profinder.  Star exchange will permit you change the file's format.

Phil

[Mike_Newcomb]

I think it may simply be that the file is too big, such that it will not fit on a flopppy disc.

Suggest:-

using worsdstar, save as two or three smaller documents

Thought I would post a reply, even though this is an old query.

[Gene Wirchenko]

I think it may simply be that the file is too big, such that it will not fit on a flopppy disc.

Suggest:-

using worsdstar, save as two or three smaller documents

Thought I would post a reply, even though this is an old query.

I have seen a question like this posted before.  Something twigged this time.

I think it is that WordStar saves the file onto whatever medium, deletes the old version, and renames the new one.  If there is not enough space on the medium for both copies, the save will fail.  You could try deleting the old copy before saving (but then run the risk of losing the document if your system crashes before the save is done).

Sincerely,

Gene Wirchenko