Feature Requests

Re: Dual-core & Quad-Core Support

Darry D — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 11:09:14 GMT

One of the best features that puts WordPerfect over the other choices is its macros. They save me so much time and effort. Everything from simple insertions of special characters to scanning an entire document and converting it from email or a copy-&-paste from the web into WP format, including publisher's en and em marks, the macros are just really powerful.

I have shared a lot of lessons, but if there's one missing that you'd like to share, please, send it. You'll see that I have posted lessons from others because I believe the more we share, the fast and more effective we can - all - be.

I'll be publishing two more lessons some time today on Publish to PDF in WP X4 and X5 to overcome the "can't insert JPG into document" problem that seems to be persistent in those versions of WP. Expect them to be onsite at http://DarryD.com/WP by tonight.

Re: Dual-core & Quad-Core Support

damiross — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 04:42:15 GMT

Looks like you have a lot of good stuff on your WordPerfect page, Darry. It will be a great help to refresh my mind on some of the WP features seeing as I haven't been able to use it for about 2 years now. I actually did install it on my Vista machine but it would crash. Of course, it was an older version...

You're right about WP once being a desktop publishing program. Even with all of the problems I had getting it to work, I think it is still better than Word and Open Office for two reasons: reveal codes and captions. The former should be self-explanatory when it comes to why it's great. The latter is a bit less obvious. While you can add captions to pictures in Word, you must preface it with picture X or similar. In WP the type of picture can be deleted so you can put just the caption in.

Re: Dual-core & Quad-Core Support

Darry D — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 00:14:09 GMT

It is a shame to watch what was once the trend setter in desktop publishing slowly die becoming more and more irrelevant in an age where your product is either on the leading edge or in the toilet. If you'll visit http://DarryD.com/WP , you'll see that I have shared a lot of lessons on a product that I've been using since early 1980's.

Now, when people ask me what to buy, I suggest Open Office because it's free and offers most of the functionality of WordPerfect.

Re: Dual-core & Quad-Core Support

damiross — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 23:46:59 GMT

I finally figured out how to get jpegs into X5. Inserting them did not work in either the trial version I downloaded or the home-and-student version I purchased. The latter doesn't even have PDF capability. In the former I never used PDF. (I had downloaded the trial version while waiting for the purchased version to arrive.)

The trick about changing comparability to Windows 95 didn't work on my Windows 7 home premium machine. I changed it to Windows Vista with service pack two. Also running as administrator.

I am extremely disappointed with Corel. I've used WordPerfect since the 1980's. Always thought it was a much better program, especially when it came to graphics, than Word. I spent five days trying to get x5 to work. I emailed "support". I didn't receive an answer for 3 days then I was told that the home version wasn't supported via email because it cost less. What BS. Yes, it costs less but it also has less functionality. I tried a chat a couple of days ago. The guy would type something, I'd reply, and then 10 minutes later he would reply.

Whatever happened to the great support we use to get from WordPerfect?

Re: Dual-core & Quad-Core Support

Darry D — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 21:53:00 GMT

Yes, I remember the infamous 1/2-black JPG insertions. And, they were right back then that doing an emulation to Windows98/Me on the CDRCONV.EXE did solve that problem. However, as I stated earlier, doing so on this PC had zero affect.

What bothers me the most is that Corel has been aware of this problem with the quad core computers for all this time (since WP X3, for sure), and its only response is, "Buy our newest edition. It fixes the problem."

Unfortunately, that is a lie.

I fell for it when I bought the WordPerfect Office X4 when all of the PCs in my family - and there are 6 - use WP X3. I will not buy X5 to cure a problem that Corel knew existed when it placed X3 on the shelves.

No, I'll be content to keep a second User on this system. I'll switch to it every time I need to Publish to PDF. Of course, I'll curse the Corel code writers every time I do so.

As we upgrade all of our systems to Windows 7 computers, we'll either stick with WP Office X3 or transfer to Google Documents as so many of my former WP-user friends are doing. Only the power of the WP macros, which has not been enhanced in a decade or more, keeps me using WordPerfect.

I wish I had stayed with WP 11. It may have been the best version WordPerfect ever produced for Windows. (There is little question that WordPerfect 5.1 was the best ever for DOS.)

P.S. Forgive my tardy response to your comments. I've been kept busy with some extended family health issues.

Re: Dual-core & Quad-Core Support

ajwh — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 07:50:14 GMT

Darry,

I suspect the issue isn't the file locations.

My memory has just dug up from its depths that there has been a previous issue with jpg files for which the fix was to disable hyperthreading.

I can't remember which Corel product had the problem - WP Office or Corel Graphics Suite.

Andrew

Later:

It was WP12:

http://www.wpuniverse.com/vb/showthread.php?threadid=24784

Same solution....

There was a patch which fixed this...

Andrew

Re: Dual-core & Quad-Core Support

Darry D — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 10:21:36 GMT

My hypothesis is that your placement of WP on the E drive must have some effect upon how it reacts to the Publish to PDF challenge. I shall experiment with uninstalling WP Office X4 today and see if I can replicate your success. I shall keep all of you informed of my progress.

Thank you so much for sharing how you've got your WP Office X4 working.

Re: Dual-core & Quad-Core Support

ajwh — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 08:18:11 GMT

Opened X4; Opened new document; inserted jpg; added text; inserted same jpg again; added more text; published to pdf.

Close file.

Repeated above using two different jpgs - no problem.

Repeated not closing file after publishing to pdf - just opening new document.... no problem.

My file locations aren't standard.

I always use a 4-partition system. C: has operating system and some programs which insist on going there; D: has all data files (including My Docs), and TMP and TEMP are directed there; E: has most programs; and F: is where I copy all distributions and patches.

Andrew

OOPS: I've just checked the BIOS, and although it's a quad core CPU, it isn't hyperthreading capable.....

SO - it isn't just a quad core issue, it's something to do with hyperthreading...

Is it possible for someone with an i5/i7/i9 to turn off hyperthreading in the BIOS to check?

Andrew

Re: Dual-core & Quad-Core Support

Darry D — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 18:18:31 GMT

Have you inserted JPG into documents, used Publish to PDF for those documents, and then tried to install at least 2 JPG into other documents?

IF so, did you do a 'normal' install of WP Office X4 or did you specify other folders for the locations of files?

Re: Dual-core & Quad-Core Support

ajwh — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 09:43:14 GMT

I'm using WPOX4 on a Dell machine with a Q6700 Quad CPU and don't get this problem......

Andrew

Re: Dual-core & Quad-Core Support

Darry D — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 01:08:33 GMT

That's exactly what I'm referring to. The compatibility mode is a short-term, quick fix and my family does not have the time nor the inclination to remove and to reinstall WP every few days. (The age group is 50-91 years of age and most are limited to smart users on WP, but with limited computer savvy.)

It is sad that a program as powerful as WP should stumble over a capability that it's had since WP9 (as I recall). Publish to PDF has always work albeit pre-quad processor; but, Intel's creation and sale of that processor was never a secret and Corel should have foreseen that power users of WP would buy higher-end PCs.

Re: Dual-core & Quad-Core Support

hapeman — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 00:54:54 GMT

I should clarify that the solution I'm referring to is Ward's suggestion to set the compatibility mode for cdrconv.exe to Windows 98/ME. The solution seemed to work fine for a few days. Suddenly, it's back to the recurring problem of not being able to convert and insert graphics in WordPerfect.

As has been noted throughout this thread, this problem only occurs with computers using Intel quad-core processors.

Re: Dual-core & Quad-Core Support

Darry D — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 00:51:39 GMT

I had the same result, but the fix only last 3-4 days on either computer. What's sad for me is the pressure from my family to fix this issue so we can standarize on a single version of WP instead of the 4 different versions we're using now. I had hoped to fix the problem so that we could standarize on WP X4, but now Corel has created WP X5. NONE of my friends and family that are involved in this planned consolidation are willing to change from what they have to a product that causes me so much effort to Publish to PDF. So I'm left having 2 Users: One to insert graphics into WP; the other to Publish to PDF. All have upgraded their PCs to either the Dell XPS 4000 or XPS 9000, but none wants to do the extra work I'm having to do. WHY can no one at Corel fix a seemingly simple problem. NO... buying WP X5 to see if they fixed the problem is NOT an option. This problem with WP and the Intel Quad existed before WP X4 was created, and I'm not willing to bet that they have now fixed it with WP X5.

Re: Dual-core & Quad-Core Support

hapeman — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 22:17:39 GMT

Hi, Ward and others.

I want to report that this solution worked for a short time (a week or two), and then everything reverted back to no graphics insertion. Same old error message "Unknown file format." :(

Doug

Re: Dual-core & Quad-Core Support

Kenneth Hobson — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 23:58:16 GMT

Maybe you are the Lone Ranger if you think that setting a compatibility for the cdrconv,exe affects the other EXE programs? We are turning off the hyperthreading while converting graphic files only with this method. This does not negate the fact that it should not be required to do this.

I doubt that the other programs are using cdrconv.exe but I have no way of knowing since I don't use them. With Corel's other graphic programs under its wing, one would think that graphic handling in wp would be superior to MSWord.