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WordPerfect for DOS Updated

WPDOS under Modern Windows and macOS, New Printer Drivers, Euro Symbol Support, and Added Features for WPDOS 5.1 and 6.x


Site map | Search this site | How to run WP on your new Windows computer | If you want to run WP on a Mac | Summary | Quick solutions to common problems | Anti-virus false positives | Voluntary contributions | Recent changes (RSS) | Announcements | The reasons for this | New printer drivers | WPDOS under Windows | Windows printing problems solved | Print to any printer or any Windows fax program | WPDOS graphics mode in a window | WP for and on the Mac | Workarounds | Euro symbol | Graphics mode survival guide | Text mode survival guide | Additional and under-documented features | Arabic and Hebrew WP | WordPerfect-related programs and utilities | Third-party tools | Discussion groups and other links | Obtaining WPDOS | WPDOS 6.2 patch program | Linux | What Corel should have done | Feedback | Acknowledgments


Why some people still use a DOS-era word processor

Everything is explained here.

And a security engineer with Google explains (in 2020) why and how he uses WordPerfect 6.2 for DOS.


How to run WordPerfect for DOS on your new Windows 10 or 11 computer

Go immediately to this site's vDos-based vDosWP system (or to the DOSBox-X-based DOSBoxWP system). You probably need not look at any other page on this site other than the first of these.

If you are a medical transcriptionist or court reporter who uses abbreviation-expander software (e.g., SmarType or PRD+) with WordPerfect for DOS, get in touch with me via the feedback page to learn about solutions that will make it possible to use your software under Windows 10.

You may also want to consider running the amazingly fast character-based WordPerfect for Unix under Windows 10 or 11.


If you want to run WordPerfect for DOS on your new Macintosh computer

Go immediately to this site's DOSBox-X based DOSBoxWP system for the Mac or to the vDos-based vDosWP system for the Mac.

Separate pages include methods for running WPDOS on Mac hardware, including the DOXBox-X-based DOSBoxWPMac method and the vDos-based vDosWP method. QuickLook and Spotlight filters for WP files under macOS are also available.

This site also provides methods for running WordPerfect for Windows on any modern Mac.

See another section of this page for information on WordPerfect for the Mac on modern machines.


If (and only if) you have upgraded an existing 32-bit Windows 7 or 8.1 computer to 32-bit Windows 10

See this site's WPDOS under 32-bit Windows 10 page. Also, you may want to read the advice in items 5 and 6 in the first post this thread at WPUniverse.com. This advice only applies if you are absolutely positively certain that you have 32-bit Windows 10 on your computer. If you don't know whether you have 32-bit Windows on your computer, then you don't have it, and should ignore this paragraph!


Summary: all you need to know about WPDOS 5.1, 6.0, 6.1, and 6.2 on modern computers

WordPerfect for DOS will run on any modern Windows-based computer, but under 64-bit Windows it requires one of the two special systems mentioned immediately above. There is no longer any advantage to running WPDOS under 32-bit Windows.

This site provides methods for running WordPerfect for DOS on 64-bit versions of Windows, including Windows 7, 8, 10, and 11. This site recommends that you use one of two special systems devised for this site that make this possible: preferably the vDos-based vDosWP system, possibly the DOSBox-X-based DOSBoxWP system. Information about other methods of running WordPerfect for DOS under 64-bit Windows may also be found on this site.

Note: It makes absolutely no difference whether you have a Pro or Basic or Home or Ultimate or Enterprise or any other specific subtype of any version of Windows; WordPerfect for DOS will run equally well on Pro, Basic, Home, or any other variety of Windows. Please do not waste your valuable time sending me messages asking whether WP will run on your Home or Basic verson of whatever variety of Windows.

This site provides methods for running WordPerfect for DOS on Macintosh computers. You do not have to give up WordPerfect for DOS if you switch to a Mac. See this site's vDosWP for the Mac method or its DOSBox-X-based method for running WPDOS on a Mac.

If you are already running WPDOS on a 32-bit Windows computer, and you are looking for a printer driver for your new printer, see this site's printer driver page for WPDOS 5.1 or a separate printer driver page for WPDOS 6.0, 6.1, or 6.2.

This site provides utilities that run under all versions of Windows and convert WP files to DOCX format, or convert DOCX files to WP format, or copy the contents of a WP file to the Windows clipboard for pasting into other applications.

You may download searchable reference manuals for WordPerfect for DOS 5.1 and 6.x.

If you need to open old WordPerfect files (files created in WPDOS 4.2, 5.1, or 6.x) on a modern computer, you can use any recent version of WordPerfect for Windows. All versions of Microsoft Word for Windows can open WordPerfect 5.1 files, and (more or less reliably) WordPerfect 6.x files.


False positives from antivirus software

If your antivirus software tells you that any program downloaded from this site is infected with malware, this is the result of a "false positive." Do not waste your extremely valuable time by sending me an e-mail asking for advice! If you do not trust my software, do not use my software! Use something else instead.


Quick solutions for common problems

For fast access to this site's mostly commonly-requested advice, please go directly to the troubleshooting page. You can also search the complete text of this site with the Google, Yahoo, or Bing search engines. For an overview of the information available on this site, please visit the site map.

You may also want to read some of the frequently-asked questions about the contents of this site.


Voluntary contributions

If any of the drivers, files, or suggestions on this site are of value to you or your business, please consider making a voluntary contribution to help pay the costs of maintaining the site. Payment can easily be made in U.S. or Canadian dollars, Euros, Pounds Sterling, or other currencies through this link to the PayPal payment service.


Selected recent changes to this site RSS Feed


Announcements

Version 6 of Tame from www.tamedos.com is indispensable for use with WPDOS under 32-bit versions of Windows (but cannot be used with 64-bit versions). This US$20 program speeds keyboard input and improves compatibility for WPDOS and other DOS applications under recent Windows versions. New features include the following: italics and underlines can be displayed in text mode; more than 60 lines of text can be visible in a window; the number of rows and columns on screen can be changed while the program is open; text can be copied and pasted to and from the Windows clipboard without macros or add-ons; a keystroke (Win-Enter) switches between windowed mode and a full-screen mode that uses Windows's  fonts but is as fast as - or faster than - WP in traditional hardware-based full-screen mode. A page of further details provides preliminary information on the vast range of customization options available under Tame.

How to display the euro symbol in MS-DOS and 32-bit Windows DOS. This site provides instructions for typing and displaying the euro symbol in full-screen MS-DOS (including Windows DOS) and in windowed DOS boxes.

Appeals for help:

Alternate address for this site:  This site can almost always be reached at an “alias” address, http://wpdos.org. It can, of course, also be reached at its real address, https://mendelson.org/wpdos.


The reasons for this

WordPerfect for DOS, in the opinion of many knowledgeable users, is still the greatest program ever written. Some of its features have not been matched even by the latest Windows software, and its interface remains unequaled for efficiency and elegance. Its support for multiple font formats has not been equaled by any other program or operating system, and its support for multiple alphabets, languages, and symbol sets has only been equaled by twenty-first-century versions of Windows, Linux, and the Mac OS.

As a reviewer for PC Magazine and other publications since 1985, I have tested hundreds of programs, including almost every word processor that was ever released to the public, plus one or two, like IBM's Signature, that were never released at all. There is much to admire in WordPerfect for Windows (and every user of the DOS version should own a copy of the Windows version, for use with graphics-rich documents), but I still return to WordPerfect for DOS whenever I want to get any serious work done, and even when I simply want to write a letter and address an envelope. (If there were a truth-in-reviewing law, it would oblige me to add that, among graphics-based word processors, I generally prefer Microsoft Word for Windows to Corel WordPerfect for Windows, but if I were forced to choose only one word processor, and I could choose among all text-based and graphic-based programs, I would unhesitatingly choose WordPerfect for DOS 6.2.)

This site was created as a way to share printer drivers and other files that can be of help to anyone who wants to continue to use WordPerfect for DOS in the twenty-first century. This site exists partly because the DOS “environment” (the so-called Virtual DOS Machine, or VDM) in recent 32-bit versions of Windows (including XP, Vista, 32-bit Windows 7, 32-bit Windows 8, and 32-bit Windows 10) is in many ways slow and awkward compared to the original MS-DOS operating system.

The awkward Virtual DOS Machine (VDM) in 32-bit versions of Windows derives from the original VDM that Microsoft wrote for Windows NT. It did not need to be as awkward as it is. The old OS/2 operating system, which began as a joint project of Microsoft and IBM, included a superb DOS environment, probably the best ever written, which was the work of a group of Microsoft programmers led by Ben Slivka, who was still working at Microsoft when Windows NT was being written a few years later. Microsoft had the resources to make a Windows NT VDM that worked well, but simply didn't use them, and we continue to suffer the consequences.

WordPerfect is a registered trademark of Corel Corporation. This site (which was created in Microsoft FrontPage and is maintained in Microsoft Expression Web) is not associated with Corel Corporation, PC Magazine, or any other person or organization. The site is hosted on Columbia University's web server, but the university is not responsible for any of the site's content. Corel Corporation does not support or endorse any of the documents or files on this site, and is perhaps not even aware that the site exists. - Edward Mendelson


WPDOS printer drivers for modern printers

This site provides many new printer drivers for WPDOS 5.1 and 6.x, and links to the original printer drivers created by WordPerfect Corporation when WPDOS 5.1 and 6.x were first released.

These drivers are not needed by the vDosWP and DOSBoxWP systems for running WordPerfect for DOS under 64-bit Windows; suitable drivers are supplied with the system itself.

This site has new WPDOS 5.1 drivers for the HP LaserJet, HP Color LaserJet, and Business Inkjet models. Both PCL and PostScript drivers are available; all 80 internal fonts in the 3200 and later models are supported; and all these drivers support the euro through the printer's hardware or through soft fonts available from this site. Drivers are also supplied for recent HP OfficeJet and other inkjet models, with euro support where available. Drivers are also available for recent Postscript Level 3 printers, Lexmark Optra laser printers. Special HP LaserJet drivers that “draw” the euro symbol, for older printers without built-in euro support, are also available. All these drivers are written by the author of this site, and are not endorsed or supported by Corel, Hewlett Packard, Lexmark, or anyone else. Information is also provided on drivers available elsewhere for some other printer models.

This site also has new WPDOS 6.x drivers for all recent HP LaserJet, HP Color LaserJet, and HP Business InkJet models. Both PCL and PostScript modes are supported; all 80 internal fonts in the 3200 and later models are supported; and all these drivers support the euro symbol either through the printer's hardware or through soft fonts available from this site. Drivers are also supplied for recent HP OfficeJet and other inkjet models, with euro support where available. Drivers are also available for recent Postscript Level 3 printers, Lexmark Optra laser printers, and some Canon bubble-jet printers. Special HP LaserJet drivers that “draw” the euro symbol, for older printers without built-in euro support, are also available. All these drivers were prepared by the author of this site, and are not endorsed or supported by Corel, Hewlett Packard, Lexmark, Canon, or anyone else. Information is provided on drivers available elsewhere for some other printer models.

This site's WPDOS 5.1 and 6.x driver pages also offer recommendations that can help you to choose a printer that works effectively with WPDOS 5.1 or 6.x.

If possible, I will try to provide drivers for other printers not supported on this site if you are willing to beta-test the results. Some Windows-only printers, however, cannot be directly supported through custom WPDOS drivers; for these printers, see this site's instructions on printing to any Windows printer.

The original WPDOS 5.1 and 6.x printer drivers are available from Corel's page for WPDOS 5.1 printer drivers or its page for WPDOS 6.x printer drivers. If you have difficulty downloading files from Corel's site, see this troubleshooting advice.


WordPerfect for DOS under Windows

Most Windows users should start at either this site's page about the vDosWP method of running WPDOS under 64-bit Windows or, as a distant second choice, the page about the DOSBox-X-based DOSBoxWP method.

WordPerfect for DOS can be used without serious difficulties under all versions of Windows, and WPDOS 6.x can use many of the TrueType fonts that Microsoft provides with Windows 9x, Me, NT, 2000, XP, Vista, and Windows 7, 8, and 10. Troubleshooting and other tips for Windows users may be found on this site's Windows page. Separate pages provide essential information on customizing the WPDOS desktop shortcut, on running WPDOS under Windows NT, 2000, and XP, and on running WPDOS under Vista, Windows 7Windows 8, or Windows 10.

This site offers a system that runs WordPerfect for DOS from a portable USB drive (a “thumb” drive) lets you use WPDOS on any Windows-based system, including 64-bit windows.

Useful advice on Windows housekeeping for WPDOS users may be found on a separate page.

A survival guide for medical transcriptionists provides methods of using WPDOS with abbreviation-expander software under Windows.

A wide range of information is also available on opening WordPerfect files in Microsoft Word, on automatic conversion of WordPerfect files to Word or PDF format, and on converting Microsoft Word files for use in WordPerfect.


Windows-based WPDOS printing and faxing problems solved

Extensive problem-solving advice on printing under 32-bit Windows may be found on a page about printing and faxing from WPDOS under Windows, so you can avoid mysterious crashes and extra pages containing nonsense characters. The same page includes advice on using Windows fonts in WPDOS 6.x and on printing to a printer connected by a USB cable or across a network. (If your printer is a Windows-only printer, see the separate page on printing to any printer supported by Windows.) Multiple methods are provided for creating PDF files from WPDOS

Advanced techniques for accessing characters and symbols in multilingual TrueType fonts in WPDOS 6.x are on a page of their own. Other pages explain how to install PostScript Type 1 fonts into WPDOS 5.1 and 6.x and how to install and use Speedo soft fonts in WPDOS 6.x.


Print to any Windows printer or fax software

This information applies to 32-bit Windows only; printing is effortless using this site's methods of running WPDOS under 64-bit Windows. Using a combination freely-available programs, you can print from WPDOS to any printer supported by Windows, even if no WPDOS driver exists for the printer, and even if the printer is connected to your computer by a USB cable or across a network. This site offers a variety of methods for printing from WPDOS to any Windows printer, some of which can be set up automatically, some of which require complex manual setup. After any of these methods is first set up, however, it works automatically with no further effort from the user. A separate page explains how to use a similar method to fax from WPDOS to any Windows fax software (under 32-bit Windows only).


WordPerfect for DOS graphics mode in a window on the Windows desktop

This information applies to 32-bit Windows only; graphics are easily available using this site's methods of running WPDOS under 64-bit Windows.One problem with WPDOS under 32-bit Windows systems is that Windows makes it impossible to use WPDOS's graphics mode in a window on the Window desktop. This means that print preview and image editing under WPDOS 5.1 and 6.x, and graphics-based text entry under WPDOS 6.x, can be used only when WPDOS is running full-screen under Windows XP or, through Ludwig Ertl's method, under 32-bit Windows 7. This site's methods of running WPDOS under modern Windows makes it possible to use WPDOS's graphics screens.


WordPerfect for (and on) the Macintosh

WordPerfect for the Macintosh (a freely downloadable program) was written for older version of the Macintosh operating system, but it can be run on modern Intel-based Macs (or any Mac running OS X 10.6 or later) through the use of “emulation” software. A page on WordPerfect for the Mac on Intel-based Macs provides a complete system for running WPMac on Intel machines. Methods are provided for converting WPMac files to modern word-processing formats, or for converting modern word-processing files into WPMac format.

A separate section on this page has information on WPDOS running on a Mac.


Work around the limitations of WordPerfect for DOS

WordPerfect for DOS has built-in limitations that will never be removed. Perhaps the most annoying is the program's inability to import GIF, JPEG, and other modern graphics formats; this site's WPG graphic format page provides ways of converting such formats into WordPerfect's WPG format. A separate workarounds page offer solutions for minor bugs and other inconveniences. A further page describes minor limitations in WPDOS related to Year 2000 issues.


WordPerfect and the euro symbol

This information applies to 32-bit Windows only; the euro symbol is easily available using this site's methods of running WPDOS under 64-bit Windows.The euro symbol was introduced after Corel stopped further development of WordPerfect for DOS. However, through the use of drivers, fonts, and other files available from the euro page of this site, the euro symbol can be used in WPDOS 5.1 or 6.x. The most extensive support provided on this page is for HP LaserJet and other PCL-compatible printers, but the euro can also be printed with any other printer that supports graphics, and this site provides drivers for newer HP, Lexmark, and other HP-compatible printers that have the euro symbol in the printer's hardware. Instructions on this site's euro page also make it possible to use the euro as a currency symbol in WPDOS 6.x tables.

A separate page provides methods of displaying and accessing the euro symbol in MS-DOS and Windows DOS, in both full-screen and windowed modes. These methods are designed mostly for users in Western Europe.


Graphics mode survival guide

This information applies to 32-bit Windows only; graphics are not a problem when using this site's methods of running WPDOS under 64-bit Windows. If you run WordPerfect for DOS under the vDosWP or DOSBoxWP emulators, you can use its graphics-mode print preview, page view, and graphics view (the latter two in WPDOS 6.x only). These modes require graphics driver files. vDosWP can only display 640x480 VGA graphics; DOSBoxWP supports all high-resolution video modes supported by WPDOS.

The page includes a VESA graphics driver for WPDOS 5.1 that gives 5.1 users the same high-resolution, low-flicker images available under WordPerfect for DOS 6.x. (For 32-bit Windows users, the page also includes a patched WPDOS 6.x VESA VBE graphic driver for new video cards for use with some video boards that will not work with the original driver.)


Text mode survival guide

This information applies to 32-bit Windows only: The built-in text-mode font on many recent computers is less attractive and legible than the fonts on older machines. This site's text mode page provides a utility that can replace the text font used by full-screen DOS. The page also includes notes on using WPDOS in monochrome mode.


Additional and under-documented features

Some features that have been added to recent versions of WordPerfect for Windows can also be added to WPDOS through the use of macros. among the features available on this site's additional features page are tools for copying and pasting text between WPDOS and Windows applications, “smart quotes” for WPDOS 5.1, Windows-style block selection for WPDOS 5.1, and a LineBreak code for WPDOS 6.x.

WordPerfect for DOS is so packed with features that some were never described in the printed manuals or help files. They are only known through experimentation or because they were described only in the files distributed with some versions of the program that listed enhancements made in interim versions. Some of the most notable of these changes will be listed on this site's underdocumented features page, together with the original lists of enhancements.


Year 2000 compatibility

WordPerfect 5.1 and 6.x for DOS are generally free of Y2K problems, and accept four-digit years in almost all dialogs where you can enter dates. Details, and links to Corel's Y2K pages, may be found on this site's year 2000 page.


Arabic and Hebrew WordPerfect

A page on this site includes notes on using the special Hebrew and Arabic versions of WordPerfect 5.1 for DOS. Please send feedback if you have further information for this page.


WordPerfect-related programs by WordPerfect Corporation and Corel

WordPerfect-related utilities by WordPerfect and Corel are available either directly from this site or through links to other sites. These utilities include a conversion program that converts recent Microsoft Word files into WP 5.1 and 6.x format, and (on a separate page) the WordPerfect Shell, Editor, and other WordPerfect Office for DOS programs. Another page includes links and compatibility information on DataPerfect, DrawPerfect, PlanPerfect, WP Presentations, and WP Works. For nostalgic visitors, a chronology of WordPerfect software is available for browsing.

This site does not provide support WordPerfect for Windows, but, for the convenience of users, some notes about compatibility with current Windows versions have been provided for older versions of WordPerfect for Windows.


Third-party tools and other software

Many third-party freeware and shareware tools have been developed for use with WPDOS. Among those that can be obtained from this site are TrueType for WordPerfect, by LaserTools, the font-installation modules of PrimeType for WordPerfect, also by LaserTools, utilities for repairing and viewing WordPerfect files, and utilities for removing password-protection from WordPerfect 5.0 and 5.1 files (together with links to commercial software that removes password-protection from WP 6.x files).


Discussion forums, FTP sites, and other links

This site includes a miscellaneous list of links to Corel and other WPDOS sites, including Corel's files and patches for WPDOS, bulletin board sites where WPDOS can be discussed, and other sites of interest.


How to obtain WordPerfect for DOS

A note on this site's tools and links page provides a link to any current eBay auctions for all versions of WPDOS.


WordPerfect 6.2 patch program

Some development work continued on WordPerfect for DOS after the final public release of WPDOS 6.2. A patch program available on this site will update the final public version to the final internal version, which was never released, but includes some minor changes that make it worthwhile (and at least two bugs that you may want to avoid).


WordPerfect under Linux

Instructions for running WPDOS under Linux may be found on this site's Linux page. You may also be interested in character-based WordPerfect for Unix under Linux and Windows, which runs under Linux or in Windows systems with the Windows Subsystem for Linux installed.


What Corel should have done

Corel abandoned a small but potentially significant source of income when it stopped development of WordPerfect for DOS, and it strained the good will of many of its most loyal customers. What Corel should have done (but never will do) was work toward making a slightly updated version of WPDOS available for downloading at a reasonable price; no retail boxes would be involved. One or two of the original programmers should have been rehired to add the following enhancements for WPDOS running under Windows:

These enhancements would have encouraged many law firms, government offices, and others to continue buying WPDOS instead of switching to Microsoft Word. Corel could easily have earned back the small investment required.


Feedback about this site

I am always happy to receive feedback and questions. Please see the feedback page for notes on the information that I will need about your system before I can provide any help. If you want to make a contribution to the maintenance of this site, please see the contributions page.

Computer and technical support personnel in educational institutions, corporations, or anywhere else should feel free to archive or copy all or part of this site for internal use, and any individual visitor should feel free to download all or part of this site for personal use. Please do not repost anything from this site in public without specific permission.


Acknowledgments

Many visitors to this site have helped to improve it by generously offering corrections, suggestions, files, links, and other material, and by testing printer drivers and other files created for the site. Niek Campagne, John Gay, Bob Headrick, Robert Holmgren, Mark Lomax, Timothy J. McGowan, Michal Necasek, John Ogden, Lutz Reuter, Don Rolfson, Randy Spurrier, Haye van den Oever, Malcolm Wheatley, and Richard Wood deserve special thanks for their generosity and ingenuity.

I also want to express my gratitude to Gianfranco Accardo, Tom Aiuppa, Sherrie Baumann, Keith Bernstein, the late Henk Bok, Jesse Bouma, Chris Butcher, Juan Miguel Campanario, Chris Condon, Janet Cyford, Douglas D'Angelo, Peter Das, Geert De Baets, Michael DeBusk, Tony Duff, Hans Olav Fekjær, Barbara Fields, Mark Fountain, David Garde, John Garziglia, Ian Gay, John Greenwood, Philip Griffin-Allwood, Marcy Grupp, Dr. Martin R. Hadam, Brian Hancock, H. F. G. F. Huijnen, Gregor J. Jones, Becky Jones, James Jones, Don Keeler, David Lasher, Timothy McGowan, Martin Malina, Paul Merrill, Tom Miller, Chris Moore, Elden Nelson, Matthias Paul, Ed Plowman, M. W. Poirier, Mitzi Ponce, Candace Primeaux, Eiji Primrose, John Rethorst, Carol Reese, Vicky Richardson, Ed Rippetoe, Brad Robertson, Edwin Russell, Frank Schaedlich, Stephen D. Schery, S. C. Schmidt, Chris Scott, George D. Selim, Jeannette R. Shearer, Ruth Sinclair, Charles Smith, Ron Smith, David Stanley, David Testardi, Udo Tjalsma, James Richard Tyrer, Gerard van Loenhout, Jack Waananen, Garry Wanlin, Martin Webb, Joe Weber, Betty Whiting, Paul Whiting, and Jerome Zimmerman. Some pages on this site have additional acknowledgments. My apologies to anyone whose name I have inadvertently omitted.

This site has no prejudices for or against any software vendor. I am happy to acknowledge my debt to Microsoft FrontPage, the program that made it easy for me to create these pages, and to Microsoft Expression Web, the program that has made it easy for me to maintain them. (However, the code on this page that displays this site's current RSS feed is from Adobe Dreamweaver because the corresponding code in Expression Web does not work with the Safari web browser.)

Accessibility statement: This site conforms to most current accessibility standards. Images include descriptive text in image tags, and color is only used to convey information when the same information is conveyed as text. Two points should be noted: at the top of each page is a paragraph containing sequential links leading to other sections on the same page; and all links to pages outside this site will open in a separate browser window. If these or any other aspects of the site cause accessibility problems, please contact me.


Edward Mendelson At Columbia Site Map