Microsoft KB Archive/291451

Knowledge Base

WordPerfect file contains garbled text when it is opened in Word 2002

Article ID: 291451

Article Last Modified on 7/27/2006

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APPLIES TO

• Microsoft Word 2002 Standard Edition

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This article was previously published under Q291451

For a Microsoft Word 2000 version of this article, see 211360.

IMPORTANT: This article contains information about modifying the registry. Before you modify the registry, make sure to back it up and make sure that you understand how to restore the registry if a problem occurs. For information about how to back up, restore, and edit the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

256986 Description of the Microsoft Windows Registry

SYMPTOMS

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

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

CAUSE

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

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

RESOLUTION

To resolve this issue, use one of the following methods as appropriate to your situation.

Method 1: Specify Which File Converter to Use When You Open 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, click to select the Confirm conversion at Open check box, and then click OK.
4. On the File menu, click Open.
5. Select the WordPerfect document that you want to open, and then click Open.
6. In the Convert File dialog box, click 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: If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

To set Word to open a WordPerfect file with a different extension, follow these steps:

1. Quit Word and all other Microsoft Windows programs.
2. Click Start, and then click Run.
3. In the Open box, type regedit, and then click OK.
4. In the Registry Editor, open the following Import registry key:

   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 contents of the Value Data box should now resemble the following:

   doc wpd wp7

   NOTE: You can add all the different extensions that you use for saving your WordPerfect files to this list.
8. Repeat step 7 for each extension that you want to add, and then click OK.
9. On the Registry menu, click Exit.

After you restart Word, it uses 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 you save files from WordPerfect is "wpd." Word automatically recognizes and opens files created in WordPerfect 6.x and later that have the .wpd file extension.

The following is the default file location for Word file converters:

Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\TextConv

REFERENCES

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

235928 Supported file and graphics formats in Word 2000

The third-party products that are discussed in this article are manufactured by companies that are independent of Microsoft. Microsoft makes no warranty, implied or otherwise, regarding the performance or reliability of these products.

For information about how to contact Corel Corporation, click the appropriate article number in the following list to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

65416 Hardware and Software Third-Party Vendor Contact List, A-K

60781 Hardware and Software Third-Party Vendor Contact List, L-P

60782 Hardware and Software Third-Party Vendor Contact List, Q-Z

Additional query words: wp6 wp7 wpft prb

Keywords: kbfix kbformat kbmigrate kbprb kb3rdparty kbopenfile KB291451

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