Basic concepts | Buy 32-bit XP instead | Select an emulator | DOSBox | Printing | Home page
This page is written primarily for users of 64-bit Windows. If you do not already know for certain that you have a 64-bit version of Windows, then you certainly have a standard, 32-bit version, and you do not need the methods described on this page. Do not send me e-mails saying that you think or believe that you might have a 64-bit version of Windows; if you have a 64-bit version, you will certainly know it already. If you want to be absolutely certain whether you have a 32-bit or 64-bit version of Windows, use the Windows Control Panel, switch to Classic View if necessary, and open the System applet. On the General tab, look at the information listed under "System". If you see "x64", then you have a 64-bit version of Windows. If you see "x32" or if you see neither "x32" nor "x64", then you have a 32-bit version of Windows.
However, these methods also work under 32-bit Windows. The only reason to use any of these methods under 32-bit Windows is that most of them support WordPerfect's graphics mode (print preview and image editing in WPDOS 5.1 and 6.x, and graphic-mode or page-mode editing in WPDOS 6.x) and some of them support full-screen text mode and WordPerfect's 512-character mode (required for use with Arabic or Hebrew WPDOS 5.1). See the description of these methods for details. I firmly believe that you should run 32-bit Windows XP instead of any 64-bit version of Windows.
You must understand the following concepts before you begin:
In order to run WPDOS under 64-bit Windows, you will need to use "virtualization" or "emulation" software. These are two different approaches to the same solution: in both cases, the software creates a "virtual machine" or "emulated computer" inside your actual computer. A virtual machine or emulated computer is, in effect, a computer that does not exist as a physical box, only as a window in the physical computer on your desk. A virtual machine or emulated computer is made entirely from software. It runs a copy of Windows, Linux, DOS, or other operating system as if it were a physical machine, completely separate from your actual, physical computer. Your physical computer can be running Windows, and the virtual computer inside it can be running Linux; or the reverse.
The virtual or emulated computer typically has its own simulated hard disk, CPU, network card, video card, etc., but it can typically use the CD-ROM drive and diskette drive on your physical computer as if they were drives on the virtual or emulated computer. What you see in a virtual or emulated computer window (or in full-screen if you switch the virtual PC to full-screen mode) is what you would see on a physical monitor if the virtual PC were an actual, physical PC.
Your actual physical computer is called the "host computer"; the virtual or emulated computer is called the "guest computer". You must understand these terms before you proceed!
If you don't understand these concepts, download the free Microsoft Virtual PC 2007 from Microsoft's web site (use Google to find the download page) and experiment with it until you do.
I cannot help you set up folder sharing and other essential features of your virtualization or emulation software. Search for help on line; it is freely available.
If you want to make frequent use of WordPerfect for DOS, buy a computer with Windows XP (the standard 32-bit version) instead. In the US, you may want to consider a custom-built computer from JNCS.com, who can still supply computers with Windows XP installed, or with no operating system at all (so that you can install your own copy of Windows or anything else); for my own computers, I either build my own from components bought from JNCS.com or buy a minimal system from them and install my own copy of Windows. Note that you may be able to order a standard-brand computer with Vista installed and an option to "downgrade" to Windows XP; for a full commercial product, Lenovo is probably the best choice, and should be available anywhere in the world.
(September 2009) My current recommendations for a Windows-based computer for use with WPDOS are these:
You can use any of a number of emulator programs to run WordPerfect for DOS in 64-bit Windows. Here is a list of some possibilities, together with some advantages and disadvantages of each:
Microsoft Virtual PC 2007 (for Windows XP, Vista, and Windows 7). (Note that under Windows 7, Microsoft Virtual PC 2007 can be installed only if "Windows Virtual PC" is not installed.) See details of setup and use on the linked page.
Advantages:
Disadvantages:
Windows XP Mode and Windows Virtual PC (for Windows 7 Professional and Windows 7 Ultimate only; no support for any graphics mode in WPDOS). Details of this method may be posted at some time in the future. Initial setup is extremely complicated. Tame is required for adequate speed. (Windows XP Mode and Windows Virtual PC cannot be installed on a system with "Microsoft Virtual PC 2007" installed.)
Advantages:
Disadvantages:
VMware Workstation and DOSEMU under Linux. See the linked page for details of setup and use.
Advantages:
Disadvantages:
DOSBox. See the notes elsewhere on this page for details.
Advantages:
Disadvantages:
DOSBox is designed a platform for running old computer games. Its developers have made it very clear that they have no interest in modifying DOSBox for us with application software such as WordPerfect for DOS. DOSBox can be forced into running WordPerfect for DOS, but I do not recommend DOSBox for use with WordPerfect for DOS, so please do not ask me for additional advice about using it. If you insist on using DOSBox, the following summary may help you make it work reasonably well, but only if you are reasonably expert with computers and you understand the difference between the guest system and the host system. Remember: I don't think you should be doing this at all.
DOSBox is brilliantly written but not brilliantly or fully documented. You may be able to get answers to questions about it by asking (politely) in the forum at the Vogons website.
Warning: DOSBox incorporates FreeDOS, an open-source DOS-like operating system. The version of FreeDOS used in DOSBox is not completely compatible with the memory features in WordPerfect for DOS, and, unless you take precautions, WPDOS may lock up when you use some of its features. You cannot replace the FreeDOS in DOSBox with ordinary MS-DOS. See the explanation of the D-Fend Reloaded "Profile" menu below for advice on ways to avoid these potential problems.
Another warning: DOSBox, unlike all the other emulation and virtualization programs described on this page, displays a graphic image (a picture) of the text that you type into WordPerfect. You cannot use the mouse or keyboard to select text in a DOSBox window and copy it into Windows. You can only copy a picture of the WordPerfect screen and paste the picture into other applications. You may not care about this built-in limitation of DOSBox, but you should know that it exists.
To set up WPDOS in DOSBox, first decide whether you plan to install a fresh copy of WordPerfect, or use a copy that already exists on your hard disk (or that you have copied to your hard disk). You will need to remember your decision as you proceed.
Next, download this nofkeys.txt keyboard mapping file and copy it into a convenient directory. You will need it in a later stage.
If you already have DOSBox installed on your system, uninstall it. Next, download and install D-Fend Reloaded, which includes a copy of DOSBox that you should use instead of a standalone copy of DOSBox.
Run D-Fend Reloaded. Choose Add to create a new "Profile" for WPDOS. Proceed as follows through the menus (ignore any settings not mentioned below):
Profile: Name the profile WordPerfect or whatever you like; enter a brief file name in the Filename field. If you plan to install WPDOS on the DOSBox virtual drive C:, then leave the Program box empty for not. If you already have WordPerfect installed in a directory on your hard disk, enter in the Program File field its full path (including the .com or .exe extension). In the Program Parameters field, enter any command-line switches that you normally use (such as /R); if you have WPDOS 5.1+ or 6.x, add the /DL switch in this field, or WP will probably lock up when you attempt to Go to Dos (Ctrl-F1). (You may need to omit the /R setting for most stable operation.
DOSBox settings: Set DOSBox Priority (Foreground) to Highest. Set DOSBox Priority (Background) to Normal (but you may want to experiment with this setting). If you already have WPDOS installed in a directory on your hard disk, and you have specified the Program File in the Profile tab, then you may want to check the box next to Close DOSBox When Program Closes.
CPU: Set Emulation Core to Dynamic. Set CPU Cycles to Max.
Memory: Ignore the Memory (in MB) field. Enable (click in the checkbox) Use XMS-Memory, Use EMS-Memory, and Use UMB-Memory.
Graphics: Set Window Resolution to Original. Set Full-Screen Resolution to Original (but feel free to experiment). You may want to enable Start in FullScreen mode, but it may be safest to wait until the system is working properly. Experiment with the Keep Correct Aspect Ratio setting; it may or may not be necessary with your monitor. Set Render to "ddraw"; set Video card to "vesa_oldvbe"; set Scale to "No Scaling (none)" (but feel free to experiment); Frameskip may be set to zero, but you may want to experiment with higher numbers if you use WPDOS graphics modes.
Keyboard: Enable "Use scan codes". If you are outside the US, you may need to experiment with the Keyboard layout and Codepage settings; I cannot help you with these settings. At the foot of the menu, specify Use this custom DOSBox key mapping file, and browse to the nofkeys.txt file that you downloaded at the start of this procedure. Warning: This keyboard mapping file may not work correctly in Windows systems outside the US; please let me know if it does.
Mouse: Remove the checkmark next to Auto Lock Mouse.
Sound: Unless you plan to use the sound feature in WPDOS 6.x, remove the checkboxes next to all "Activate" settings.
Drives: You need to know what you are doing to use this menu properly. If you plan to install WPDOS from floppy diskettes, click Add; in the Type field, choose Folder as Floppy, in the Folder for Mounting field enter the path of your floppy drive (typically A:\ which must include the colon and backslash), and choose A as the Drive letter. If you plan to install WPDOS from a CD, in the Type field choose CD-drive and try to figure out the most suitable settings for your system.
Still in the Drives menu: You will almost certainly need to add emulated drives that access existing folders on your hard disk containing documents or existing WPDOS systems. Remember that WPDOS will interact only with the drive letters and directory structure that you set up in DOSBox, and the same folder will probably have a different drive letter in DOSBox and your host system. (If you do not understand this, ask a friend for help; you absolutely must understand this if you hope to share files with your host system.) In the Type field, choose Folder as hard disk, and figure out for yourself which folders you need to access. You must remember the emulated hard drive letters in the guest system and the matching directories in the host system when working in WPDOS. After setting up printing, you will need to add a drive setting that will share the folder that you use for temporary print files (as described in the instructions on printing).
Run WPDOS under DOSBox by double-clicking the profile name. Or right-click on the profile name, choose Create Shortcut, and create a desktop shortcut for running WPDOS under DOSBox without first launching D-Fend Reloaded.
(a) If, and only if, a WordPerfect driver exists for your printer (for example, if your printer is an HP LaserJet that supports PCL5e, or if your printer a PostScript printer), you can use the "PrintFile method" of printing to your printer, as described elsewhere on this site. After setting up this method on your host computer (and only after setting up this method), use the shared-folder feature in your emulation software to share your WordPerfect print spool directory (typically C:\WPSPOOL) as drive P: (or some other letter) in your guest system; find and select the option that lets you share this folder whenever the system starts up. Now, run WordPerfect, install the driver for your printer and change the port for the printer to the filename P:\OUTPUT.PRN. This will send the printfile from WP in the guest system to the spool directory on the host that you created when setting up the PrintFile method.
(b) To print to any Windows printer from a guest computer set up this site's automated-installation method of printing to any Windows printer on your host computer, but cancel out of the installation at the point where it asks where to find WordPerfect. Use the shared folder feature in your emulation software to share the print spool directory set up by the automated installation (typically C:\TEMPWP) as drive P: (or some other letter) in your guest system; find and select the option that lets you share this folder whenever the guest system starts up. Now, in your guest system, run WPDOS, select and install the printer driver for the Apple LaserWriter IINTX (or, preferably, one of the Ghostscript drivers available elsewhere on this site), and change the port setting for the printer to the filename P:\WPDOS.PS. This will send the printfile from the copy of WP in the guest system to the spool directory created by the automated-installation method, and your file should print.