WD2000: WordPerfect File Contains Garbled Text If Opened in Word

ID: Q211360

The information in this article applies to:
  • Microsoft Word 2000
IMPORTANT: This article contains information about editing the registry. Before you edit the registry, make sure you understand how to restore it if a problem occurs. For information about how to do this, view the "Restoring the Registry" Help topic in Regedit.exe or the "Restoring a Registry Key" Help topic in Regedt32.exe.

SYMPTOMS

When you try to open in Microsoft Word a WordPerfect file that has an extension other than "doc" or "wpd", Word may open the file in text-only format.

NOTE: When the file is opened as text, the document may be displayed incorrectly, and you may see strange or incorrect (garbage) characters.


CAUSE

When the WordPerfect file you are opening has an extension other than .doc or .wpd, Word may not recognize the file as a WordPerfect document and may use the wrong file converter to open the file.

When Word cannot determine which file converter to use, it uses the Text Only file converter.


RESOLUTION

Use one of the following methods appropriate for your situation:

Method 1: Specify Which File Converter to Use When Opening a File

To specify which file converter to use when Word opens a WordPerfect file, follow these steps:
  1. Start Word and open a new, blank document. Do not try to open your WordPerfect file.


  2. On the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the General tab.


  3. On the General tab, select the Confirm conversion at open check box, and then click OK.


  4. On the File menu, click Open.


  5. Select the WordPerfect document you want to open, and then click Open.


  6. In the Convert File dialog box, select WordPerfect 6.x, and then click OK.


Word now opens your WordPerfect document correctly using the WordPerfect 6.x converter.

Method 2: Set Word to Open a WordPerfect File with a Different Extension

WARNING: Using Registry Editor incorrectly can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that problems resulting from the incorrect use of Registry Editor can be solved. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

For information about how to edit the registry, view the "Changing Keys and Values" Help topic in Registry Editor (Regedit.exe) or the "Add and Delete Information in the Registry" and "Edit Registry Data" Help topics in Regedt32.exe. Note that you should back up the registry before you edit it. If you are running Windows NT, you should also update your Emergency Repair Disk (ERD).

To set Word to open a WordPerfect file with a different extension, follow these steps:
  1. Quit Word and all other Windows programs.


  2. On the Windows Start menu, click Run.


  3. In the Open box, type RegEdit and click OK.


  4. In the Registry Editor, open the following Import registry key:


    5. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Shared Tools\Text Converters\Import
  5. In the left pane, click WordPerfect6x. In the right pane, click Extensions.


  6. On the Edit menu, click Modify.


  7. In the Value Data box, you may see some extensions similar to the following:
    doc wpd
    Add your specific extension to this list.

    For example, if you have saved files in WordPerfect with a "wp7" extension, add the wp7 extension to the Value Data box. The Value Data box should now resemble the following:
    doc wpd wp7
    NOTE: You can add all the different extensions you use for saving your WordPerfect files to this list.


  8. Repeat step 7 for each extension you want to add, and then click OK.


  9. On the Registry menu, click Exit.


After you restart Word, it will use the WordPerfect 6.x file converter to open your WordPerfect files with the different extensions.


MORE INFORMATION

Starting with WordPerfect version 6.x, the default file extension when saving files from WordPerfect is "wpd." Microsoft Word automatically recognizes and opens files created in WordPerfect 6.x and later with the .wpd file extension.


REFERENCES

For additional information, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q235928 WD2000: Supported File and Graphics Formats
The third-party products discussed in this article are manufactured by vendors independent of Microsoft; we make no warranty, implied or otherwise, regarding these products' performance or reliability.
For information about how to contact Corel Corporation, click the appropriate article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
Q65416 Hardware and Software Third-Party Vendor Contact List, A-K

Q60781 Hardware and Software Third-Party Vendor Contact List, L-P

Q60782 Hardware and Software Third-Party Vendor Contact List, Q-Z

Additional query words: wp6 wp7 wpft

Keywords : kb3rdparty kbdta kbmigrate wd2000
Version : WINDOWS:2000
Platform : WINDOWS
Issue type : kbprb


Last Reviewed: December 15, 1999
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