MS Works problem

[Johnbee]

I am not getting any good answers to this question so thought I would try
here.

I like MS Works 8, and my wife has started using it. However she as a
standard user only has about 8 page size options, with no A5 option. I get
a huge number of options. The only ways she can use A5 size is to use it as
a custom size, run Works as an administrator which requires a password, nut
very good, or logging in as me.

I wonder if anyone knows why standard users are not allowed A5 paper by
Works? I suspect it might not be the admin point that is the problem, but
that there might be some Windows default paper sizes that I need to change,
but don't know how to do that.

I realise this is a bit off topic but I thought it an interesting enough
question.

 

[Gordon]

I am not getting any good answers to this question so thought I would try
here.

I like MS Works 8, and my wife has started using it. However she as a
standard user only has about 8 page size options, with no A5 option. I get
a huge number of options. The only ways she can use A5 size is to use it as
a custom size, run Works as an administrator which requires a password, nut
very good, or logging in as me.

I wonder if anyone knows why standard users are not allowed A5 paper by
Works? I suspect it might not be the admin point that is the problem, but
that there might be some Windows default paper sizes that I need to change,
but don't know how to do that.

I realise this is a bit off topic but I thought it an interesting enough
question.

Why bother with Works?
Libre Office is so much better........

 

[Quilljar]

Seriously, I did not know that anyone still used MS Works. If you want a
free word processor with all the options etc then download Open Office...
or the later one KingSoft

http://www.kingsoftstore.com/kingsoft-office-freeware.html

 

[Johnbee]

< Why bother with Works?
Libre Office is so much better........

--
Microsoft Community Contributor (MCC) 2011/12
https://www.microsoftcommunitycontributor.com/overview.aspx >

I have not heard of Libre Office. My wife was a long term user of Lotus
word processor, but that kind of had to go when Win7 came in, it being not
much cop at older things.

I have since heard that it might be possible to get lotus Word pro running,
but my wife rather became accustomed to MS Word and got on OK with it.
However she disliked the new MS Word that came with this PC and I tried out
loads of different Word processors and Works won the battle.

 

[J. P. Gilliver (John)]

< Why bother with Works?
Libre Office is so much better........

--
Microsoft Community Contributor (MCC) 2011/12
https://www.microsoftcommunitycontributor.com/overview.aspx >

I have not heard of Libre Office. My wife was a long term user of Lotus word processor, but that kind of had to go when Win7 came in, it being
not much cop at older things.

I have since heard that it might be possible to get lotus Word pro running, but my wife rather became accustomed to MS Word and got on OK with
it. However she disliked the new MS Word that came with this PC and I tried out loads of different Word processors and Works won the battle.

(By the way, it's not a good idea to put important text below your "-- "
line; it's considered a signature marker, and everything below it is
considered to be the signature, and may get snipped in followups.)

You say your wife "became accustomed to MS Word and got on OK with it."
Which version of Word was that? It might well be possible to find it,
for not very much; and I'd be surprised if it couldn't be persuaded to
run under 7, possibly needing some compatibility mode. I assume you're
using 7 as you posted here.

(Any of the regulars know if any of the older Words won't work on 7? I
know the Word from Office 2003 works OK on 7. I suspect '97 and probably
'95 will, though their installers might need nursing; not sure about
earlier Words though.)
--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/<1985 MB++G.5AL-IS-P--Ch++(p)Ar@T0H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

"When a distinguished but elderly scientist states that something is possible,
he is almost certainly right. When he states that something is impossible, he
is
very probably wrong." - Arthur C. Clarke

 

[Richard]

I am not getting any good answers to this question so thought I would try
here.

I like MS Works 8, and my wife has started using it. However she as a
standard user only has about 8 page size options, with no A5 option. I
get a huge number of options. The only ways she can use A5 size is to use
it as a custom size, run Works as an administrator which requires a
password, nut very good, or logging in as me.

I wonder if anyone knows why standard users are not allowed A5 paper by
Works? I suspect it might not be the admin point that is the problem, but
that there might be some Windows default paper sizes that I need to
change, but don't know how to do that.

I realise this is a bit off topic but I thought it an interesting enough
question.

Johnbee,

You don't indicate the brand of computer or the Operating System version but
....

Assuming Windows 7, have you tried "repair". I don't remember the sequence
for Windows XP, but it is probably similar.

Control Panel | Programs & Features

Find the listing for Microsoft Works 8.0, "right" click and choose "repair".

If that doesn't solve the problem, you may have to uninstall and reinstall.

Please post back with the results or issues.

Hope this helps!

 

[Tim Slattery]

< Why bother with Works?
Libre Office is so much better........

In the beginning (OK, not that long ago), there was Open Office
(www.openoffice.org), a full-fledged, open-source, free office suite.
It was developed by Sun Microsystems, who were dedicated to the open
source community. Then Sun was acquired by Oracle, which is *not*
dedicated to anything but its own proprietary systems. Many OO
developers didn't trust Oracle, so the project was forked. The result
is Libre Office (www.libreoffice.org), also a full-fledged,
open-source, free office suite. So far, both are still free, Oracle
has not done anything terrible to OO. Who knows what will happen to
either suite?

Either would be much better than MS Works.

 

[Gordon]

Seriously, I did not know that anyone still used MS Works. If you want a
free word processor with all the options etc then download Open Office...
or the later one KingSoft

http://www.kingsoftstore.com/kingsoft-office-freeware.html

I disagree.
Libre Office is the one to use. Open Office has a very uncertain
future.....

 

[Ken Springer]

I have not heard of Libre Office. My wife was a long term user of Lotus
word processor, but that kind of had to go when Win7 came in, it being not
much cop at older things.

I have since heard that it might be possible to get lotus Word pro running,
but my wife rather became accustomed to MS Word and got on OK with it.
However she disliked the new MS Word that came with this PC and I tried out
loads of different Word processors and Works won the battle.

The current version of the Lotus office suite, Symphony, is also based
on the Open Office code. I've not tried it, and if you note my sig
file, I use LibreOffice also. It's not perfect, but it's free.

If all your wife wants/needs is just the work processor, check out
Abiword, another open source project. http://www.abisource.com

Crystal Office is also a suite, but you can purchase just the modules
you want. There are trial versions.
http://www.crystaloffice.com/index.html

Ashampoo Office... Has a free trial version.
http://www.ashampoo.com/en/usd/pin/0538/Office_Software/Ashampoo-Office-2012


I don't know if you've tried any of these, but it something to look at
if your wife is still not happy.



--
Ken

Mac OS X 10.6.8
Firefox 10.0.2
Thunderbird 10.0.2
LibreOffice 3.4.5

 

[Ken Blake]

In the beginning (OK, not that long ago), there was Open Office
(www.openoffice.org), a full-fledged, open-source, free office suite.
It was developed by Sun Microsystems, who were dedicated to the open
source community. Then Sun was acquired by Oracle, which is *not*
dedicated to anything but its own proprietary systems. Many OO
developers didn't trust Oracle, so the project was forked. The result
is Libre Office (www.libreoffice.org), also a full-fledged,
open-source, free office suite. So far, both are still free, Oracle
has not done anything terrible to OO. Who knows what will happen to
either suite?

Either would be much better than MS Works.

I'm not a big fan of either OpenOffice or LibreOffice, and I'll add my
voice to what you say: "either would be much better than MS Works."

 

[Jeff Layman]

I am not getting any good answers to this question so thought I would try
here.

I like MS Works 8, and my wife has started using it. However she as a
standard user only has about 8 page size options, with no A5 option. I get
a huge number of options. The only ways she can use A5 size is to use it as
a custom size, run Works as an administrator which requires a password, nut
very good, or logging in as me.

I wonder if anyone knows why standard users are not allowed A5 paper by
Works? I suspect it might not be the admin point that is the problem, but
that there might be some Windows default paper sizes that I need to change,
but don't know how to do that.

I realise this is a bit off topic but I thought it an interesting enough
question.

I just checked the Works 9 which came with my Win7 laptop, There are 17
options available (including A4, A5, A6 and several envelope sizes). I
run as an administrator, and have no idea why running as just a User
limits the options.

If your wife liked the earlier editions of Word (without the Ribbon
interface) then have a look at Kingsoft Office suite
(http://www.kingsoftstore.com/kingsoft-office-freeware.html). If you
only need a word processor, the the Writer from that suite is available
stand-alone (http://www.kingsoftstore.com/writer-free.html). It does
90% of what Word does. As you can see from the links they are free
downloads.

 

[Paul]

I am not getting any good answers to this question so thought I would
try here.

I like MS Works 8, and my wife has started using it. However she as a
standard user only has about 8 page size options, with no A5 option. I
get a huge number of options. The only ways she can use A5 size is to
use it as a custom size, run Works as an administrator which requires a
password, nut very good, or logging in as me.

I wonder if anyone knows why standard users are not allowed A5 paper by
Works? I suspect it might not be the admin point that is the problem,
but that there might be some Windows default paper sizes that I need to
change, but don't know how to do that.

I realise this is a bit off topic but I thought it an interesting enough
question.

I was surprised today, to find I had a copy of MS Works on my laptop.
Earlier, I'd seen a "trial" version of Microsoft Office on there, and
assumed that was all that was bundled. But in there, I did find Works.

I could find the "Template" feature, with 36 templates offered for Word.
If you look in Program Files (x86), down in Works is a folder "1033" that
seems to have images used for the templates. (If the locale is different
than my locale, perhaps that folder will have a different number. I used
ProcMon, to watch the two processes that were running at the time, to
find it "consulting" that folder.)

The "normal.wpt" template, is stored in the user's directory, in "roaming".
That seemed to get copied there, when I started using Works word processor.
If you prepared your own custom template, I presume it might get
dumped in there too. The roaming thing is used, when a program
is denied the ability to write to Program Files (x86) folder.

Based on not finding anything interesting there, I have to assume the
only page size control is via "Page Setup" in the File menu, and that
should be a function of the selected printer's capabilities. I used
to use a PostScript printer driver years ago, with a monstrous collection
of paper sizes (up to poster size and 36" wide), and if I wanted to
have absurd paper sizes in documents, that's how I'd get it. I used to print
to PostScript, and then use Acrobat Distiller if I needed to actually
give a visual copy of my work to someone.

So do your two setups, have the same printer options ? Perhaps one
user is selecting a different printer than the other, and the
Page Setup options are entirely different ?

Paul

 

[Johnbee]

Thanks for the replies. I hardly do anything with word processors, and
never have - I wonder why you all think Works is so terrible when it seems
to me more or less like the others. Except Word of course which has changed
from being a word processor to being a sort of flashy leaflet preparation
tool. Of course Works has an excellent help system.

Obviously one of the ones I tried was the Open office WP. I might try it
again when it's finished. Only joking. But I gave Pat four to try out and
Open Office was not one of them. She is familiar with word processing, from
the old days of running word processing on a mainframe. She says that the
Dos Wordperfect, and Lotus Wordpro were the best she has used.

There is a thing which Works doesn't do, and that is that I think one can
not use pictures as effectively as in some software, that is I don't think
you can have text flowing around a picture. Something like that anyway.

Anyway, my problem was caused by the printer security. I changed the
settings (using devices and Printers) on both my machines so that each user
can have most of the needed permissions and voila, Works then gives standard
users the full list of options.

The difficulty of solving that query and the likelihood that another person
would not bother, heave a sigh and simply revert to logging in as an
administrator is a security weakness. I have mentioned before that MS have
not solved the problem of most users needing to be administrators and this
is just another little example.

A Johnbee rule of system design is that you have to make the best and
preferable way to run things also the simplest and easiest for the user. I
have many other rules of course, but that one is cast iron. It is also
rather difficult to do and takes a lot of hard thinking to manage.

 

[Quilljar]

Hi John,
I appreciate your viewpoint and if Works is suiting you go for it. However,
if you are more of a power user, then it is almost too basic. On another
tack, I started my wife off (when she began with a computer instead of a
typewriter) with a superb piece of software called Textease. This was
originally developed for Primary Schools and it works as a basic WP but
accepts pictures music films and you can draw with it, and link pages for
websites. etc. It almost makes tea. She now swears by it. Personally I would
never be without it for any kind of design job, leaflets cards etc. It is
the quickest and easiest of all.
It is NOTHING like any conventional WP but acts like a piece of blank paper
upon which you can place anything.
You can download a free trial from

http://www.textease.com/resources/

The individual version starts at £49 GBP . don't be put off by the site
licence price!

 

[Ann Watson]

Thanks for the replies. I hardly do anything with word
processors, and never have - I wonder why you all think Works is
so terrible when it seems to me more or less like the others.
Except Word of course which has changed from being a word
processor to being a sort of flashy leaflet preparation tool. Of
course Works has an excellent help system.

Obviously one of the ones I tried was the Open office WP. I might
try it again when it's finished. Only joking. But I gave Pat four
to try out and Open Office was not one of them. She is familiar
with word processing, from the old days of running word
processing on a mainframe. She says that the Dos Wordperfect, and
Lotus Wordpro were the best she has used.

There is a thing which Works doesn't do, and that is that I think
one can not use pictures as effectively as in some software, that
is I don't think you can have text flowing around a picture.
Something like that anyway.

Another thing to consider is that Works natively saves in a .wps
format. Since MS has discontinued Works, in the future it may
become harder to find other programs to open .wps files should
your wife suddenly be forced to make a change. Of course if
she's already saving her WP files in another less-proprietary
format she should be okay.

AW

 

[Ken Blake]

Thanks for the replies. I hardly do anything with word processors, and
never have - I wonder why you all think Works is so terrible when it seems
to me more or less like the others.

If you find Works to be "more or less like the others," it's
undoubtedly because you "hardly do anything with word processors."
Yes, if all you do with a word processor is create very simple basic
documents, it *is* more or less like the others. But if you want to do
anything more complex regarding layout, formatting, graphics, etc.,
it's clearly much weaker than almost anything else.

I'm in the minority these days, but I think WordPerfect is far and
away the best choice available.

 

[choro]

If you find Works to be "more or less like the others," it's
undoubtedly because you "hardly do anything with word processors."
Yes, if all you do with a word processor is create very simple basic
documents, it *is* more or less like the others. But if you want to do
anything more complex regarding layout, formatting, graphics, etc.,
it's clearly much weaker than almost anything else.

I'm in the minority these days, but I think WordPerfect is far and
away the best choice available.

But really what is the best word processor is a mute issue. The question
is how many people use that format and would other people be able to see
what you have done if you send them a word document in that format?

For me the best is Open or LibreOffice which can tackle (read AND save
as) in various formats including the ever so popular MS Word. But I
still use MS Word routinely, maybe purely out of habit. LibreOffice text
program takes just a few seconds more to start off. That could very well
be the reason why I stick with MS Word. However, LibreOffice is the
equivalent of and more or less fully compatible with MS Office PRO. Yes,
including the Database program.

I did use both WordPerfect in its DOS days, and I think I used it under
Windows 3.1 as well for a short while. I also used Lotus Suite and can
tell you that its WordPro was lovely to work with. In fact I might try
installing it yet again on my new machine in case I want to open some 10
to 15 year old files I have got somewhere. I have the installation CD
somewhere. But where?

But honestly, OpenOffice and its variant LibreOffice are so good that if
I hadn't already had MS Office, I wouldn't have minded using that and
saving or converting word files in or to MS Word format if I wanted to
send them to someone who does not have Open or LibreOffice installed on
their machine.

But can MS Office read or save files in OpenOffice/LibreOffice or other
formats? And it costs a lot of money. I am surprised that the use of
OpenOffice is not more widespread.
-- choro

 

[Paul]

But really what is the best word processor is a mute issue. The question
is how many people use that format and would other people be able to see
what you have done if you send them a word document in that format?

That's not true. My experience with Word in the past, is it didn't
scale well with document size. We got hooked on FrameMaker/FrameBuilder,
when doing 500-1000 page "books". So that was a choice, based on
the perception of performance at the time.

if the documents were smaller, I probably wouldn't care one
way or the other.

Paul

 

[Ken Blake]

On 25/02/2012 18:15, Ken Blake wrote:


But really what is the best word processor is a mute issue. The question
is how many people use that format and would other people be able to see
what you have done if you send them a word document in that format?

I don't think it's a mute [sic] issue at all. I use WordPerfect for my
own documents, not for what I send to others. I really don't care what
word processor someone else uses. And if I want to send a WordPerfect
document to someone else, I would normally use WordPerfect to create a
pdf file that I would send to them.

 

[Ken Blake]

I did use both WordPerfect in its DOS days, and I think I used it under
Windows 3.1 as well for a short while. I also used Lotus Suite and can
tell you that its WordPro was lovely to work with. In fact I might try
installing it yet again on my new machine in case I want to open some 10
to 15 year old files I have got somewhere. I have the installation CD
somewhere. But where?

But honestly, OpenOffice and its variant LibreOffice are so good that if
I hadn't already had MS Office, I wouldn't have minded using that and
saving or converting word files in or to MS Word format if I wanted to
send them to someone who does not have Open or LibreOffice installed on
their machine.

As I think I said earlier, I'm not trying to convince anyone that my
choice is the best choice for everyone. We all have different needs as
well as different likes and dislikes. Feel free to prefer something
different from what my choice is.