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WPDOS for 64-bit Windows: the DOSBoxWP Method - 2018/19 version

How to install it | How to use it | Keyboard and macro features | Exchange files and data | Further details on printing | Open document in vDosWP | Advanced techniques | PostScript-based printing method | Send print output directly to your printer | Set up Shell | Appendix: Command-line parameters | Troubleshooting full-screen mode | Abbreviation expander setup | Home page

The DOSBoxWP system runs WordPerfect for DOS 5.1, 6.1, or 6.2 under any recent version of Windows, including XP, Vista, Windows 7, 8, and 10. If you recently bought a new Windows computer, it almost certainly uses either 64-bit Windows 7, 8, or 10, and requires a system like this one (or the alternative vDosWP system) to run WordPerfect for DOS.

Note: The DOSBoxWP system is one of two separate systems provided by this site that lets you run WPDOS under 64-bit Windows. The other is the vDosWP system described on another page. The vDosWP page includes a list of the relative advantages and disadvantages of DOSBoxWP and vDosWP.

Important: This page describes an older (July 2018) version of this system, DOSBoxWP (updated and slightly improved, January 2019). The current version may be found here.

Versions posted on and after 27 May 2018  use a custom build the DOSBox-X variant of DOSBox (by Jonathan Campbell) in place of the original DOSBox. Also, unlike the 2015 and earlier versions, all versions posted since 2016 let you use the same drive letters that you use in Windows to access your files (except for the drive letters B: and Z: which are reserved for the system). This software is code-signed with a digital signature, which may help reduce spurious warnings from antivirus software.

You should almost certainly use either this system or the vDosWP system if you have any 64-bit version of Windows. You should use the DOSBoxWP system (and not the vDosWP system) if you need to use the graphic features of WPDOS, which are far better supported in the DOSBoxWP system than in the vDosWP system. You should also use the DOSBoxWP system if you work with the WPDOS 512-character font option under any version of Vista or Windows 7, 8, or 10 (32-bit or 64-bit).

If you find this system useful, please visit this page.

Make sure you understand this basic concept: This system uses the DOSBox "emulator" software. When you run DOSBox, as it is set up in this system, you will find that it seems to exist on a drive B: that contains folders with WPDOS, utilities, and other software. You will not find that drive B: in your Windows system; instead, it is the same as the DOSBoxWP folder inside your own user folder. So, if your Windows user name is "Roscoe" you will find a folder named something like C:\Users\roscoe\DOSBoxWP which contains the same files that you will see in DOSBox as drive B:. If this seems incomprehensible, download the system and experiment. 

If you are a medical transcriptionist or court reporter who uses abbreviation-expander or dictionary software, use the feedback page to tell me which program you use, and I will add instructions for using it with this system.

Separate versions of this system are available for Arabic or Hebrew WPDOS 5.1, as described on a separate page. The source code for the DOSBox component of this system may be downloaded from another page on this site.

This system is frequently updated without notice. You should always feel free to download a new version and install it over your existing one.

Note: This site provides a similar system for the Macintosh that runs under macOS 10.12 or later.

How to install the DOSBoxWP method

WordPerfect for DOS can run under 64-bit Windows through the use of the DOSBox (or DOSBox-X) emulator, in a system created by this site. This system makes it possible to use WPDOS 5.1, 6.1, or 6.2, with an option to use Shell 3.1 or 4.0c to launch multiple WordPerfect Corp. programs and many other DOS applications. You will need to provide some WordPerfect program files from your existing system before you can use this new one.

Before you start: Make sure you understand this crucial point: You must do exactly what I tell you to do! No more, no less! Do not think you can do something else instead! Do not think you can leave out this or that step! Do not think you can make changes that I do not explicitly tell you to make! Study this page as carefully as if you were reading the instructions for disarming a ticking bomb! You can't simply try steps that seem right to you, or that you're certain I meant to explain even though I never mention them. It doesn't matter how special you are as a person, or how clever you are, or how unfoolable and skeptical you are! If I don't explicitly tell you to do something, don't do it!

Versions of this system have been downloaded and installed correctly by hundreds of people during the past six years. If it doesn't work on your system, that is almost certainly because you didn't follow the instructions. Don't waste your extremely valuable time by writing to me to complain that it doesn't work and asking me to think up some special suggestions for fixing the problem. There is only one suggestion for fixing the problem: Start over from the beginning, and follow the instructions exactly.

Before you install: You will need a copy of your WPDOS program files from your old computer! If you have WPDOS 5.1, copy the entire WP51 folder from your old computer to a USB drive or some other disk, or copy the whole folder to your new computer. If you have WPDOS 6.2, copy your entire COREL folder (or your entire WP62 and WPC62DOS folders) to a USB drive or some other disk, or copy the folder(s) to your new computer. (Follow a similar procedure if you have WPDOS 6.1.) If you copied to a USB drive, plug the USB drive into your new computer, and make sure you can find it in Windows Explorer!

Then, download and run the DOSBoxWP-Setup.exe installer. (If you use Webroot or Avira Antivir as your antivirus software, you may be warned that the file is infected. It is not infected, but if you don't trust my software, then don't use my software. Please do not send me an e-mail asking for advice; use a different word-processor instead!) The installer will ask whether you want to install support for WPDOS 5.1, and either 6.1 or 6.2. (You can choose 5.1 and either 6.1 or 6.2 but not both 6.1 and 6.2.) It will prompt you for the location of your old WP files. (Remember that you followed the instructions in the previous paragraph and made copies of them.) It will then create desktop shortcuts that you can use for launching this system. By default, the system is in a folder named DOSBoxWP inside your Windows user folder. (If your Windows user name is Roscoe, you will find the DOSBoxWP folder inside your Roscoe folder.)

Double-click on the desktop shortcut that the installer crated, and start using WordPerfect. Print as you always printed from WPDOS, by pressing Shift-F7. Do not change the printer settings! I mean it! Don't do it! I know you're tempted to choose Select after pressing Shift-F7, but no matter how tempted you are, don't do it! Really!

New WPDOS iconsAesthetic note: For your desktop shortcut, you may want to use one of the two WP icons included in this archive file; the two images are based on the original Windows icons for WPDOS 6.x and 5.x. Download the archive file to your Windows desktop; double-click on the archive to open it; and copy one or both icons to your DOSBoxWP directory. (You may need to disable User Access Control temporarily in order to do so.) Right-click on one or both of the desktop shortcuts created by the installer (Wait! What exactly does “right-click” mean?); choose Properties, then, in the Program tab, use the “Change Icon” button, and select one of the two icons. In this paragraph, the WPDOS 6.x icon is on the left, the WPDOS 5.x icon on the right.

Windows 8 or 10 alert: When you first launch the desktop shortcut under Windows 8 or 10, you may see a notice saying “Windows has protected your PC” by blocking this program from running. Click on “More info”; then click on “Run anyway”; the message will not appear again when you launch this shortcut.

Convenient ways to access files and folders:

Troubleshooting:

Frequently-asked questions:

Q. I'm a lot smarter than most people who visit your site, and I have a lot of experience with computers, so I was able to figure out that your instructions imply that I should perform certain steps that you never explicitly mention, and they imply that I should make changes to the instructions that you never explicitly call for. Anyway, I cleverly performed those steps and made the changes that you clearly implied but never explicitly stated, and now my DOSBoxWP setup doesn't work at all. Why did you do this to me? Why did you imply that I should do those things that caused so many problems? How dare you imply such dangerous things?
    A. You, and you alone, caused the problems, because you insisted on performing steps and making changes that I never told you to perform. My instructions don't imply anything. They tell you exactly what you need to do - no more, no less. Next time, please follow the instructions exactly.

Q. Your instructions are all wrong! Your software is incompatible with my system! You're careless and incompetent! You've wasted hours of my time! Please sort out all the problems I am having with your system, and do it now! This is all your fault! - [An hour later.] Uh, wait: I just realized that I mistyped a command. But please tell me how to solve the problems I am still having, because those problems are clearly your fault entirely. - [Another hour later.] Um, wait again: I seem to have misread one of your instructions. But please tell me how to solve the problem I still have, because it is clearly your fault and your mistake. - [Yet another hour later.] Er, yes, wait again: I skipped over something that you said was essential. Everything is working perfectly now. Never mind!
    A. Thank you for your input.

Q. I can't use your system! My old copy of WordPerfect 5.1 had a menu bar at the top of the window, with File, Edit, Search, etc. Your system doesn't have that menu bar! It's worthless! And you have ruined my life!
    A. First take a deep breath. Then, in WordPerfect, use Shift-F1, 2 - Display, 4 - Menu Options, 8 - Menu Remains Visible, type Yes, then F7. Now, wasn't that easy?

How to use this system

When you launch the DOSBoxWPxx desktop icon, WordPerfect opens in a window on your desktop. You may use Alt-Enter to toggle between windowed and full-screen mode. You can use Alt-Tab to toggle between full-screen WPDOS and other applications, but WPDOS returns to a window when you do. When you exit WPDOS, if a DOS screen remains open in the same window, then enter the command exit to close it. (See a separate section of this page for instructions on controlling whether or not DOSBox remains open after you close WPDOS.)

Note: As supplied, when you switch to full-screen mode, this system uses the same size font that it uses when you run it in a window. To experiment with a “scaled” version that expands to fill some or all of the screen in full-screen mode, see the troubleshooting full-screen mode section below.

When WordPerfect opens, its default directory when you press F5 will be the WordPerfect folder on drive B:\  (which is actually a folder named DOSBoxWP\WPfor64bit\VirtualHD\WP51 or WP62 inside your user folder; see the paragraph on essential concepts above). You may set any folder on your actual hard disk as the default folder by using Shift-F1, Location of Files, Documents in WPDOS.

While WPDOS is running in this system, a program runs in the background that handles printing, clipboard exchange, and a few other features. You will see a WP icon in your taskbar tray while the system is running.

For the best possible display: This system starts up in a special 43-line mode that uses the same text font that WPDOS traditionally used in its original 25-line mode. If you prefer a different screen in text mode, then I recommend that you might try the following. In WPDOS 5.1, use Shift-F1, 2-Display, 3-Text screen type, and select “Paradise VGA Plus,” then “132x43 16 Color.” Or, in WPDOS 6.x, use Shift-F1, 2-Display, 2-Text Mode Screen Type/Colors, 1-Screen Type, and select “Paradise VGA Plus,” then “Paradise 132x43 16 Color”. After selecting this text mode, press F7 until you return to the editing screen. You should see a large, legible display of 43 lines of text. Advanced users should also study the section below on changing the default screen size for DOSBox. In graphic mode, I suggest choosing the VESA graphics driver, then the largest possible size that will fit on your monitor, perhaps 1280x1024, or 1024x768. (This system, as distributed, uses VESA 1024x768 because that will fit most laptop screens; but if you have a larger monitor, change it to VESA 1280x1024.)

Do not waste your valuable time trying to use Tame to change the way this system looks on screen; Tame has absolutely no effect on DOSBox or any program that runs inside it - it won't hurt except to the extent that you waste time that you could have put to better use, but it also won't help, because Tame does absolutely nothing that has anything to do with DOSBox. Also, do not waste your valuable time fussing with the “Compatibility” settings in any Windows shortcut; those settings will have absolutely no effect on this system. In fact, if I don't explicitly tell you do something to modify this system, you almost certainly will waste your time trying to do it, and will probably make the system stop working.

Important and serious warning: If you choose a VESA screen size in WPDOS that is larger than the pixel size of your actual physical monitor, then DOSBox may crash without warning if you switch to full-screen mode. Experiment with screen sizes before you start working on important files!

If you work in full-screen mode and the display is stretched horizontally, or imprecise in appearance, see a separate section on troubleshooting full-screen mode.

To use a non-US-English keyboard: Open the DOSBoxWP folder (by default, it is in your user folder), and then open the WPfor64bit folder inside it, and navigate to the folder named dosbox, and use Windows Notepad or some other text editor to edit the file sharedsettings.conf. Near the foot of the file, find the line that reads keyboardlayout=auto and change auto to the two-letter abbreviation of your local keyboard layout (for example, uk or de or fr).

To run your own WPDOS commands when WPDOS starts up: This system uses special startup macros that you should not try to change. However, the startup macro also launches a second macro named OPTIONS, which (by default) contains no commands. If you want to perform specific WPDOS commands when WPDOS starts up, edit the OPTIONS macro and add whatever commands you prefer.

To print from WPDOS, you absolutely, positively must already have installed a printer in Windows! Before you begin, try to print from a Windows application, such as this web browser. If you cannot print from a Windows application, you will not be able to print from WPDOS! After you have set up a printer under Windows, and only after you have set up a printer under Windows, then start up WPDOS, and simply print as you normally do from WordPerfect. You must restart WPDOS after installing a printer! In WPDOS itself, do not change the default printer selection (“PCL Driver for WPDOSBox (wpdos.org)”). Do not look for the name of the printer that you actually use! Leave the WPDOS printer driver exactly as it is! A few seconds after you give the Print command in WPDOS, Windows will display a Windows-style printer selection dialog, with your actual Windows default printer selected; in this Windows-style menu, you may select another printer or accept the default.

Remember: Do not change the WPDOS default printer in this system and do not change the printer port setting in WPDOS! Do not try to select your actual printer in WPDOS! Just leave the system exactly as you found it! I really mean it! Make sure you understand this! Look into your heart! If you find an uncontrollable impulse to change the name of the printer or use a different printer driver, then stop now, and do not try to use this system!

Reminder: Do not - I mean really, really do not - try to select a printer after you press Shift-F7! Don't do it! Do not try to select a printer! I really, really mean it! Print to the printer driver that is already installed there! Don't change it to anything else! Really!! No matter how many times you ask me whether you should select a different printer, the answer will always be no! Even if you are a very special person who, by rights, should be able to use a different printer selection, the answer will still be no.

Don't be clueless! Don't be like Clueless Visitors No. 71, 83, 104, and 115, who wasted endless time and effort recovering from the mess they made when they insisted on selecting a different printer driver than the one supplied with the system. (One of a series of Don't be clueless! warnings presented by this site as a public service.)

You can customize this system as explained below so that it will always print to your default printer, without prompting you to choose a printer.

By default, the system uses the software package called GhostPCL to print to any Windows printer, but if your default printer is a PCL or PostScript printer - and you really and truly know that it is a PCL or PostScript printer - you can get faster printing and more flexible options by customizing this system to print directly to your PCL or PostScript printer. To accomplish this, read and study the section on advanced techniques below.

An optional feature lets you use a software package called Ghostscript (instead of GhostPCL) to print to any Windows printer. It is mostly inferior to the default GhostPCL method because it provides access to a smaller number of built-in fonts (35 for Ghostscript, instead of 80 for GhostPCL), and makes it difficult to print envelopes and other non-standard page sizes. However, if you normally use a Postscript printer in WPDOS, or you require Postscript-compatible output, then you should choose the Ghostscript method. See a separate section below that explains how to set up this system to use Ghostscript instead of GhostPCL. Remember that if you have a PCL printer, you will get the best results by printing directly to your PCL printer, and not using Ghostscript or GhostPCL at all!

To create a PDF file from WPDOS, use the PDFMAKER macro. This creates a PDF file in the same folder with the original file, with the file's original name and the extension .PDF. If the document has no name, then an arbitrary name will be used and the PDF will be written to your Windows desktop. By default, the PDF file will open in your default Windows PDF reader; to prevent this from happening, open the macro in WPDOS (with Ctrl-F10, PDFMAKER, Edit), and change the PDFopen variable near the top from 1 to 0 (zero).

Note: Under WPDOS 5.1, if you use the default PCL printer driver, you may want to use an alternate PCLTOPDF macro that chooses fonts for the PDF output that may be closer to those used in your printer output. This alternate macro is not needed under WPDOS 6.x, because the WPDOS 6.x PDFMAKER macro automatically chooses the correct PDF-writing driver. (PCLTOPDF is not available in Arabic or Hebrew versions of this system.)

Under WPDOS 6.x, the mouse is disabled by default (to improve performance), but you can turn it on easily. Use Shift-F1, Mouse, and change Type from "Microsoft Mouse (serial)" to "Mouse driver (MOUSE.COM)". Other settings may also work.

If the mouse doesn't appear after you enable the mouse, or if you want to restrict the mouse pointer to the WPDOS window, press Ctrl-Alt-F10 while the mouse is in the WPDOS window. Press Ctrl-Alt-F10 again to release the mouse from the WPDOS window. (See further keyboard features below.)

To install soft fonts into WPDOS 6.x: Install soft fonts into WPDOS 6.x exactly as you do in any WPDOS 6.x system, with this exception: to avoid clutter, I have moved the default soft font directories from the root directory of the virtual hard disk to directories beneath the WP62 directory. So, before installing fonts from inside WPDOS, copy your TrueType soft font files to DOSBoxWP\WPfor64bit\VirtualHD\WP62\TTF (you may need to create the TTF folder) and your PostScript Type 1 soft font files to DOSBoxWP\WPfor64bit\VirtualHD\WP62\PSFONTS. You may of course use any other directories you like, but you must create those directories on the virtual hard disk and specify their location correctly in Shift-F1/Location of Files. (Remember, that the actual folder DOSBoxWP\WPfor64bit\VirtualHD\WP62 must be listed in the Location of Files menu in WPDOS simply as B:\WP62.)

512-character mode: WordPerfect's 512-character mode is supported by this system, but only if the screen is set to 25 lines. See instructions elsewhere on this page for setting the screen to 25 lines.

To restore non-working function keys, read the advice on the relevant page for your Windows version, for example for Windows 7 or Windows 8 or Windows 10.

Special keyboard and macro features of DOSBoxWP

When DOSBoxWP is running, a few additional keyboard-based functions are available:

And some special-purpose macros are available:

Exchange files and data between Windows and WPDOS

Copy and Paste macros. You can exchange text between Windows and WordPerfect. Use the COPY macro to copy the selected block in WPDOS to the Windows clipboard. Use the PASTE macro to copy the contents of the Windows clipboard to WPDOS. Alternatively, for pasting from the Windows clipboard only, try Ctrl-Alt-F4, or choose Paste from Windows clipboard... on the system menu (the Z: icon at the upper left of the DOSBox window). (Under WPDOS 6.x, the Ctrl-Alt-F4 keystroke is disabled because it tends to produce bad results; you can, however, try Paste from Windows clipboard... from the system menu.)

Run a Windows command from WPDOS. Use either of the three methods described below:

(1) Experiment with Ctrl-F1, Go to DOS, and enter START followed by the Windows command; you may need to use the full path of the program. After experimenting with Ctrl-F1, Go to DOS, you can use Ctrl-F1, DOS Command instead, or record the command in a macro.

(2) In WPDOS (6.x or 5.1), running in the DOSBoxWP system, run the macro HOSTCMD. You will be prompted for a command to run in the host Windows system. For example, you might run “C:\Program Files (x86)\Mozilla Firefox\Firefox.exe” (no quotation marks ). If text is blocked (selected) in the current WPDOS document when you run the macro, the blocked text will be used as a command-line parameter sent to the host system with the command that you entered when prompted.

(3) A second macro, HOSTRUN, does NOT prompt you to enter a command, but instead runs a command that has been written into the macro as a variable. As supplied, the macro uses Windows Notepad, but of course you can edit the macros to run any other application. Again, if text is blocked (selected) in WPDOS, that text will be used as a command-line parameter added to the command already in the variable.

More about the PCL-based printing system

By default, this system uses a printing system in which the standard fonts are the same as those in HP LaserJet printers. This system allows you to use PCL “printer commands” embedded in your documents, but it does not let you use any custom fonts or printer “macros” stored in the printer itself. (However, it does let you use downloadable LaserJet soft fonts, but you will need to figure out for yourself how to install them.)

A note on Dark Courier: This system, like current LaserJet models, includes two varieties of the Courier typeface, one called Courier, the other called CourierPS. This system uses a custom build of GhostPCL that replaces the normal Courier font with the equivalent of HP's “Dark Courier.” If you want to use the darker Courier, use the Courier font; this is the equivalent of using the “Dark Courier” option in recent LaserJets. If you want the normal Courier used on modern LaserJets, use the CourierPS font.

If you use TrueType for WordPerfect: You may install TrueType for WordPerfect on this system, but you absolutely must use be using one of this method's PCL options. After installing TrueType for WordPerfect, start WPDOS, use Shift-F7, Select the printer that you selected in the TTWP setup program, then Edit, and set the printer port to LPT1. You must make further change before you can print. Go from WP to DOS, and use EDIT.COM to edit the TTWP.CFG file in your WP51 folder; change the line that reads:

Port1=LPT1

so that it reads:

Port1=LPT1,B:\PRINTOUT\OUTPUT.PCL

Save the file.

If you use FaceLift for WordPerfect: I have not tested this, but presumably you should follow the same advice given immediately above for TrueType for WordPerfect. After installing FaceLift for WordPerfect, follow the instructions given above for TrueType for WordPerfect, making the same change described above, but in the file named FLWP.CFG.

Use a Postscript-based printing method instead of the default PCL-based method

If you normally use a printer that supports the PostScript printer language, and your files are formatted to use PostScript fonts, you may prefer to use this system's optional feature that uses a WordPerfect PostScript printer driver, but prints to any Windows printer. This optional feature uses the Ghostscript software system, which is closely related to the GhostPCL system used by default in this system.

To use this option, open your DOSBoxWP folder and use Windows Notepad or some other text editor to edit the batch file named DOSBoxWP51.cmd or DOSBoxWP62.cmd  (choose the one that you actually use). Find the line that ends “select %1”; between  “select” and  “%1” add the word “gscript” (without the quotation marks) so that it is separated by a space on both sides from  “select” and  “%1”, and the line ends like this:  “select gscript %1”. Save the file.

To print from WPDOS, press Shift-F7 as print as your normally do. Absolutely do not change the default printer selection! Do not try to install a printer with any other name! Do not change anything in the Print menu! I really mean what I just said! Don't change anything in the Print menu, no matter how tempted you are to do so! If you ignore this advice, you will regret it! After a few seconds, a printer selection menu will appear; select your printer and click OK. You may use any Windows printer; it need not be a PostScript printer.

Send print output directly to your WP-compatible printer

Advanced options of this system let you redirect the printer output from WordPerfect to your Windows printer, but bypassing this system's advanced printer features These options are similar to the options that let you print directly to a PCL or PostScript printer, but they also work with any printer supported by a WordPerfect printer. You must have a WordPerfect driver for your printer, but your printer can be connected to your computer by any method (USB, network,  etc.).

With these options you can use any printer driver you want, and give the driver any name you like, but it must be a driver that is compatible with your printer, and it must be set in the Edit Printer screen to print to LPT1.

You may set up these options to send printer output to your default Windows printer, or you may select a printer each time you print. In either case, you must print to a printer that is compatible with your WordPerfect printer driver.

To use this option with your default Windows printer, open your DOSBoxWP folder and use Windows Notepad or some other text editor to edit the batch file named WP51 for 64bit.cmd or WP62 for 64bit.cmd  (choose the one that you actually use). Find the line that ends “select %1”; replace  “select” with  “default redirect”  (without the quotation marks) so the line ends like this:  “default redirect %1”. Save the file. Next, start the DOSBoxWP system, select or install the printer driver for your printer, and set it to print to LPT1. This last step is crucial; you must remember to set the WordPerfect printer driver to print to LPT1, even if you don't have an LPT1 on your computer!

To use this option, but with the option to select a Windows printer each time you print, open your DOSBoxWP folder and use Windows Notepad or some other text editor to edit the batch file named WP51 for 64bit.cmd or WP62 for 64bit.cmd  (choose the one that you actually use). Find the line that ends “select %1”; between  “select” and  “%1” add the word “redirect” (without the quotation marks) so that it is separated by a space on both sides from  “select” and  “%1”, and the line ends like this:  “select redirect %1”. Save the file. Next, start the DOSBoxWP system, select or install the printer driver for your printer, and set it to print to LPT1. This last step is crucial; you must remember to set the WordPerfect printer driver to print to LPT1, even if you don't have an LPT1 on your computer!

If (and only if) your printer is connected to your computer through a real, physical parallel port: You may use a very fast method that lets you print directly from the DOSBoxWP system, through the parallel port, to your WP-compatible printer. This method is by far the fastest available through this system. The printer connected to your parallel port need not be your default Windows printer, though of course it may be.

To use this option, open your DOSBoxWP folder and use Windows Notepad or some other text editor to edit the batch file named WP51 for 64bit.cmd or WP62 for 64bit.cmd  (choose the one that you actually use). Find the line that ends “select %1”; replace  “select” with  “parport”  (without the quotation marks) so the line ends like this:  “parport %1”. Save the file. Next, start the DOSBoxWP system, select or install the printer driver for your printer, and set it to print to LPT1. With this option, you may use any printer driver that is compatible with your printer, but you must set it up to print to LPT1, and your actual printer port must in fact be named LPT1.

Note: If the parallel port on your computer is named LPT2 or LPT3, or if you wish to print to two or more parallel ports from WordPerfect, then you may use an advanced option. In the instructions above, instead of typing “parport %1”  type  (for example)  “parport2 %1”  if you want to use LPT2 or  “parport3 %1” if you want to use LPT3, or, if you want to use more than one port, add any combinations of two or three numbers from 1 to 3, as in, for example “parport23 %1” or  “parport123 %1”. In each case, you must set up your WordPerfect printer driver to print to the corresponding LPT port, so that if you specify  “parport3” in the command file, you must print to LPT3 in WordPerfect. Remember,  “parport” without a number sets up LPT1; you must use numbers for each port if you want to set up more than one port (whether or not they include LPT1) or any port other than LPT1.

Open the current document in vDosWP for high-resolution graphics

The DOSBoxWP system is less reliable and less well integrated into Windows than the vDosWP system, but DOSBoxWP has the advantage that it can display high-resolution VESA graphics (up to 1280x1024), while vDosWP is limited to VGA-resolution graphics (640x480). If you are editing a document in DOSBoxWP, and you want the speed and convenience of vDosWP, run the VDOSOPEN macro. The current document will close, and, if you have vDosWP installed, the document will open in vDosWP. You can then, in vDosWP, run a DBOXOPEN macro to open the macro again in DOSBoxWP. (Of course, both systems must be installed correctly for this to happen.)

Advanced techniques for expert users

Some serious warnings: You can make many adjustments to the default DOSBoxWP system, but you need to know what you are doing, or you are likely to waste a large amount of paper when you try to print. You need to know how edit text files and how to follow instructions exactly. For further details, see the summary of command-line parameters elsewhere on this page.

In the DOSBoxWP folder, find the batch files named DOSBoxWP51.cmd and DOSBoxWP62.cmd. Choose the one that corresponds to your WordPerfect version and open it in a text editor, such as Windows Notepad. Find the line that reads like this (this is one single line in the file, no matter what it may look like on screen or on a printout):

Start GSWP\RunWP-DB-VDM.exe 64bit wp51 select %1

Absolutely do not change anything from “Start” through and including “wp51” or “wp62” (depending on which file you selected). And absolutely do not remove “%1” from the end of the line! However, you may change or remove the word “select” and you can add some further options, but you must study and understand the following paragraphs if you want to know what these changes will do.

If you always want to print to your default printer, instead of being asked to select a printer every time you print, remove the word “select” from the line shown above (or replace it with “default”), and save the file. (If you are using the Ghostscript-based feature of this method, replace “select gscript” with “default gscript” but do not include the quotation marks!) And absolutely do not remove “%1” from the end of the line!

Print directly to a PCL5 printer: If you really and truly know that your default printer is a PCL5 printer, you can print more quickly than you can with the built-in GhostPCL system, and you can send to the printer any special PCL codes that are embedded in a file and that will only work correctly on real printer hardware. If you absolutely know that your default printer is a PCL5 printer, then change the line shown above so that it reads like this (replace wp51 with wp62 if you are using WPDOS 6.x). This is one single line in the file, no matter what it may look like on screen or on a printout:

Start GSWP\RunWP-DB-VDM.exe 64bit wp51 default pcl %1

Remember, if your default printer is not a PCL5 printer, you will waste a great deal of paper when you print.

Note: If you really know what you are doing, you can install a different PCL printer driver, but you must set the printer port as the filename B:\PRINTOUT\OUTPUT.PCL. Don't even try this if you don't really and truly know what you're doing. You should also either (a) edit the (initially empty) OPTIONS.WPM macro so that it selects your own PCL driver as the default driver, or (b) edit the existing PCLPTR.WPM macro so that it selects your driver instead of the driver supplied with this system. Attempt this only if you already know how to edit WPDOS macros! Don't expect me to undo your mistakes!

Print directly to a PostScript printer: If you really and truly know that your default printer is a PostScript printer, you can print more quickly than you can with the built-in Ghostscript system, and you can print envelopes and other non-standard page sizes that you cannot print (with this system) through the Ghostscript system. If you absolutely know that your default printer is a PostScript printer, then change the line shown above so that it reads like this (replace wp51 with wp62 if you are using WPDOS 6.x). This is one single line in the file, no matter what it may look like on screen or on a printout:

Start GSWP\RunWP-DB-VDM.exe 64bit wp51 default ps %1

Remember, if your default printer is not a PostScript printer, you will waste a great deal of paper when you print.

Note: If you really know what you are doing, you can install a different PostScript printer driver, but you must set the printer port as the filename B:\PRINTOUT\WP64.PS  - but don't even try this if you don't really and truly know what you're doing. You should also either (a) edit the (initially empty) OPTIONS.WPM macro so that it selects your own PostScript driver as the default driver, or (b) edit the existing PSPTR.WPM macro so that it selects your driver instead of the driver supplied with this system. You will need to figure out for yourself which part of the macro to edit, because this should only be attempted by someone expert enough to understand what to do.  Attempt this only if you already know how to edit WPDOS macros! Don't expect me to undo your mistakes!

Further note for really advanced users: If you really, and I mean really and truly, know what you are doing, you can also install a different PostScript driver for use with the PDFMAKER macro. Use Shift-F7, Select, Copy, to create another copy of the custom PostScript driver that you installed by following the instructions in the note immediately above. (Note that the Copy command creates a new PRS file.) Give the new copy a distinctive name that includes “PDF” so you will recognize it later. Set the printer port in the new copy as the filename B:\PRINTOUT\WP64PDF.PS (type that very carefully). Finally, edit the existing PDFMAKER.WPM macro so that it selects the new printer driver instead of the one supplied with this system. You will need to figure out for yourself which part of the macro to edit, because this should only be attempted by someone expert enough to understand what to do. Attempt this only if you already know how to edit WPDOS macros! Don't expect me to undo your mistakes!

Further note for spectacularly advanced users: You may install PostScript soft fonts into a WPDOS printer driver, using the exact same methods that you used on your old system. Or you may copy your existing .PRS file (and the .ALL file into which you installed the font information) into this system, but you must also copy the PostScript fonts into a directory on the virtual hard disk, and make certain that the WPDOS printer driver points correctly to that directory. You must also study the note two paragraphs above this about installing a different PostScript printer driver. If you use the PDFMAKER.WPM macro, then you must also install the fonts into the printer driver named in the macro, or use your intelligence to figure out how to copy your existing driver to a driver that you can use for the macro, following the advice immediately above this. Attempt this only if you know what you are doing, and are prepared to undo your mistakes!

Use NoBlink Accelerator for a non-blinking block cursor: This system supports NoBlink Accelerator; the required files are in the B:\UTIL directory in the DOSBox virtual disk. NoBlink will work only in 25-line VGA and MODE MONO modes.

How to launch the WordPerfect Office Shell: If you want to start up the system from WordPerfect Office Shell 3.1, then modify the line shown above so that it looks like one of the examples below. For example, if you want to print to any Windows printer, using the built-in Ghostscript method, use a line like this (this is one single line in the file, no matter what it may look like on screen or on a printout):

Start GSWP\RunWP-DB-VDM.exe 64bit wp51 select gscript shell

(You may remove the “%1” from the end of the line if you use this option to launch the Shell, because it has no effect when this system launches the Shell.) Or, if you want to print to your default printer instead of selecting a printer each time, use this line instead (this is one single line in the file, no matter what it may look like on screen or on a printout):

Start GSWP\RunWP-DB-VDM.exe 64bit wp51 default gscript shell

If you use any of the advanced printing option, then you may replace  gscript with ghostpcl or ps or pcl , depending on which option you use, but be absolutely certain that you know what you are doing. Don't pick out one of these strings at random and hope it will work! It almost certainly will not work unless you really and truly know what you are doing and why you are doing it!

If you prefer to use Shell 4.0c (not Shell 3.1), use shell40 instead of shell in the line shown above. See the separate section below for advice on setting up the WordPerfect Office Shell.

DOSBox keyboard shortcuts: This system uses different keyboard shortcuts from the DOSBox default shortcuts in order to avoid conflicts with WPDOS keyboard features. The keyboard features these (the list is available by clicking the “system menu” at the upper left corner of the DOSBox window and choosing Keyboard help):

Add Windows folders to your DOSBox setup: You can access any folder on your Windows system as a drive letter in DOSBox. Here are two methods of adding drive letters visible to WPDOS that correspond to folders on your Windows system.

(a) With the DOSBoxWP system closed and not running, navigate to the DOSBoxWP\WPfor64bit\dosbox folder, and use Windows Notepad or some other text editor to edit one of the .prof files For example, if you use WPDOS 5.1, open WPDOS51PCL.prof; if you use the option that works with a PostScript driver, open WPDOS51PS.prof. Replace an existing "mount" line with a line that will associate a drive letter in DOSBox with a folder on your Windows system. Use quotation marks if you identify a folder with a space in its name. For example:

mount G C:\Temp\
mount H “C:\Documents and Settings\Roscoe\Desktop\”

(The final backslash in each line is optional, provided that another backslash also exists in the path, but I strongly recommend that you include the final backslash.) This method can be used with networked drives that have a drive letter in your Windows system. After you finish editing, close and save the file and start WP from your desktop shortcut.

Or (b) while WPDOS is running, press Ctrl-F1, Go to DOS, and enter the command: ed b:\setdrive.bat

Notice the lines that read:

REM mount e “%docsdir%”
REM mount f c:\temp\

If you remove the REM from the first of these lines, then drive E: in DOSBox will be the same as your Documents or My Documents folder in Windows. If you remove the REM from the second line, drive F: in DOSBox will be the same as the Windows folder named in the line (for example C:\Temp). If you want to assign a drive letter to a folder in DOSBox's C: drive (which is the same as the DOSBoxWP\WPfor64bit\VirtualHD folder in Windows, then add a line like the example below:

mount w ..\VirtualHD\WP51\

When you have finished editing, press F7 to save the file, type Exit to return to WordPerfect; exit WordPerfect and the DOSBox system; and start the application again.

After making changes to either of these files, and while WPDOS is running, press Ctrl-F1, Go to DOS, and enter the command mount to see your drive-letter assignments. If they are not what you wanted, edit the file that contains the assignments and try again.

Change the default screen size for DOSBox: By default, this system opens in a special 43-line text mode. You can force the system to open in traditional 25-line mode, or in a 50-line, 60-line, or 66-line mode, or, if you prefer, a mode with 132 columns  and 43 lines or one with 132 columns and 60 lines.

To do this, exit WPDOS and shutdown the DOSBoxWP system;  navigate to the DOSBoxWP\WPfor64bit\dosbox folder, and use Windows Notepad or some other text editor to edit the .prof file that you use for your version of WordPerfect. For example, if you use WPDOS 5.1, open WPDOS51PCL.prof; if you use the option that works with a PostScript driver, open WPDOS51PS.prof. The filenames are self-explanatory. Find the lines that read:

## default screen is 43 lines; change by uncommenting one line below
# 25lines
# 50lines
# 60lines
# 66lines
# 132x43
# 132x60

Remove the comment mark and space (# ) at the start of the line that shows the number of lines you want to use. Save the file and restart the DOSBoxWP system. To return to the 43-line default, edit the file again, and restore the comment mark and space. (Your text font in WordPerfect must be set to Auto-Select; if you specify a 25-line or some other specific font in WPDOS, or if you use monochrome mode, then these lines in the .prof file will have no effect in WPDOS itself.)

Note: Even if the 132-column modes are not listed in the .prof file for your version, you may use them with any recent version of this system.

Exit from DOSBox when you exit WordPerfect: If a DOS screen remains open when you exit WordPerfect for DOS, you can enter the command exit to close it. If you want DOSBox to close automatically when you exit WPDOS, then shutdown the DOSBoxWP system, navigate to the DOSBoxWP\WPfor64bit\dosbox folder, and use Windows Notepad or some other text editor to edit the .prof file that you use for your version of WordPerfect. For example, if you use WPDOS 5.1, open WPDOS51PCL.prof; if you use the option that works with a PostScript driver, open WPDOS51PS.prof. The filenames are self-explanatory. Find the lines that read:

#### REM OUT next line to keep DOSBox open when closing
rem exit

and remove the word rem from the second line so that it reads only  exit . Save the file.

If you want DOSBox to remain open after you exit WPDOS, then add or restore the word  rem  at the start of the second line.

Switching between text and graphic modes in WPDOS 6.x. When you switch between text and graphic modes in WPDOS 6.x, DOSBox may repeat the last keystroke that you typed before switching modes. So, if you use Ctrl-F3, G, to switch to graphic mode, the letter “g” may be typed repeatedly in the editing screen. If this occurs (and it should not occur in the current version), use one of the supplied macros to switch modes. Use GRAFMODE to switch to graphics mode, TEXTMODE to switch to text mode, and PAGEMODE to switch to page mode.

Add startup switches (command-line parameters) to WPDOS: Warning: this is for experts only! You may change, remove, or add the startup switches used by default in this system. Exit WPDOS and shutdown the DOSBoxWP system;  navigate to the DOSBoxWP\WPfor64bit\dosbox folder, and use Windows Notepad or some other text editor to edit the .prof file that you use for your version of WordPerfect. For example, if you use WPDOS 5.1, open WPDOS51PCL.prof; if you use the option that works with a PostScript driver, open WPDOS51PS.prof. The filenames are self-explanatory. Find the line that already includes startup switches (I assume that you know what you're doing, and that you can find it yourself), and modify the line. Some switches may cause DOSBox to lock up or cause other problems, so be prepared to undo whatever you do. Also, do not change the name of the macro already specified on the line! If you are foolish enough to change it, do not ask me for help in undoing the damage! I really mean this! Don't do it!

Run WPDOS in monochrome mode: You may prefer to run WPDOS in monochrome mode, as on an ancient IBM PC. If so, with the DOSBoxWP system closed and not running, navigate to the DOSBoxWP\WPfor64bit\dosbox folder, and use Windows Notepad or some other text editor to edit one of the .prof files For example, if you use WPDOS 5.1, open WPDOS51PCL.prof; if you use the option that works with a PostScript driver, open WPDOS51PS.prof. The filenames are self-explanatory. Notice the line that reads

# mode mono

Remove the “#” mark from the start of the line and save the file. Note that monochrome mode, in real DOS, forces the screen size to 25 lines, but this system uses a special 43-line monochrome mode.

"Capture" the mouse in the WPDOS window: If you use a mouse in WPDOS, you may get better results if you allow DOSBox to "capture" the mouse so that it will not move outside the DOSBox window (unless you Alt-Tab to another program or the desktop). You can use the keystroke Ctrl-Alt-F10 to capture or release the mouse. The keystroke is a "toggle"; if the mouse is not captured, the keystroke will capture it; if the mouse is already captured, the keystroke will release it.

Alternatively, you can use the built-in CAPMOUSE command either from the command line or in a batch file or the autoexec section of your configuration file. Capture the mouse with the command:

CAPMOUSE /C

and release it with the command:

CAPMOUSE /R

Use ScreenExtender for WPDOS 5.1+ or 6.x: Later versions of WPDOS shipped with an add-on program named ScreenExtender, which provided italic, strikethrough, and other font effects in text mode. If this program shipped with your version of WordPerfect, then you can use it in this system. Copy the ScreenExtender installation files to a folder in the DOSBoxWP\WPfor64bit\VirtualHD folder (perhaps the existing Temp folder); start the DOSBox system; exit WPDOS; navigate to the directory into which you copied the installation files and run INSTALL.EXE; follow the prompts; when asked to choose video hardware, choose SVGA; when asked to choose a type of SVGA video card, choose the last item on the list offered (“VESA Standard Extended - use for newer cards not listed”).

Use the "start" command to run a Windows program. The custom build of DOSBox used in this system includes a START command, to be run from the DOSBox command prompt or from WPDOS using Ctrl-F1, DOS Command. For example, to start Windows WordPad from WPDOS, use Ctrl-F1, DOS Command, and enter start WordPad (of course, this or a similar command may be recorded in a macro).

Use the supplied MuPDF PDF viewer. You can run your default Windows PDF viewer from this system by experimenting with the "start" command described immediately above, or you can use the supplied open-source MuPDF program found in the DOSBox B:\UTIL folder.

Use your monitor in portrait orientation. This system should work well on monitors that have been rotated to display in “portrait” orientation. However, you will probably need to experiment with at least one setting in order to display full-screen mode without distortion. Navigate to the DOSBoxWP\WPfor64bit\dosbox folder, and open the file sharedsettings.conf in Notepad or some other text editor. In the section headed [sdl] find the line that reads ####fullresolutionutput=1280x1024 and remove the four #### characters in order to “uncomment” the line. Now run the DOSBoxWP system and test whether the DOS window is distorted in full-screen mode. If it is, change 1280x1024 to some other numbers in the same proportion, perhaps 1024x768 (you may want to experiment). Save the file and restart the DOSBoxWP system.

Technical notes: This system uses a “custom build” of DOSBox that has better-looking screen fonts than the standard “build”; it can also display WordPerfect's 512-character fonts correctly (in normal intensity, not in bold as in the standard build), and can display underlined text when the emulated DOS is in DOSBox switched to monochrome mode. This custom build was made possible by the generous help of the community at the DOSBox support forums, with essential contributions from TeaRex, ripsaw8080, Dominus, h-a-l-9000, wd, HunterZ, and ykhwong. I thank all of them for their time, patience, and knowledge.

How to set up the WordPerfect Office Shell

If you want to use the utility programs supplied with WordPerfect Office for DOS (Calculator, Calendar, NoteBook, etc.), you will need to add them to this system by yourself and perform additional setup by yourself. Start by creating a folder in DOSBoxWP\WPfor64bit\VirtualHD with a name such as WPOffice (eight characters maximum!). Inside the DOSBox system, this folder will be accessible as B:\WPOFFICE. Copy the WordPerfect Office programs that you want to use, and any related files, into this folder. Start the Shell program; choose Setup from the menu; then edit the Shell menu in the same way you edited it when you set up the Shell on earlier systems. Remember that when editing the Shell menu, the folder that you created will have a name like B:\WPOFFICE, and not DOSBoxWP\WPfor64Bit\VirtualHD\WPOffice.

Appendix: Summary of command-line parameters

The batch files in the DOSBoxWP folder (DOSBoxWP51.cmd and DOSBoxWP62.cmd) may be modified as described above. Here is a full summary of parameters that may be added to the lines that begin Start GSWP\RunWP-DB-VDM.exe:

The first parameter must be 64bit and must be present if any additional parameters are used. (An obsolete 32bit option is used only by this site's system for using WP on portable USB drives, not by the system described on this page.

The second parameter may be wp51 or wp62. These are used to select whether the system launches WPDOS 5.1 or 6.2. This parameter must be present if any additional parameters are used. If the parameter is not present, WPDOS 5.1 will be launched by default.

The third parameter may be default or select. This determines whether the printing system automatically prints to the default Windows printer or displays a Windows print dialog in which you can choose a printer. This parameter must be present if any additional parameters are used. If the parameter is not present, then the system will work exactly as if default had been specified. The last parameter on the line must be %1.

The fourth parameter may be ghostpcl or gscript or pcl or ps. This determines the way in which WPDOS prints, and must be present if an additional parameter is also used. If no parameter is specified, then the system will work exactly as if ghostpcl had been chosen. If the gscript or ghostpcl option is used, then the system will print to any Windows printer through the Ghostscript or GhostPCL printing software included with the system. The options ps and pcl may be used only if the third parameter is default, not select. If ps is chosen, then WPDOS will print directly to your PostScript printer; it is your responsibility to be certain that your default Windows printer is in fact a PostScript printer! If pcl is chosen, then WPDOS will print directly to your PCL printer; it is your responsibility to be certain that your default Windows printer is in fact a PCL printer! Remember that the last parameter on the line must be %1.

The fifth parameter is normally omitted, and is available if you want the system to start by opening the WordPerfect Shell instead of WordPerfect itself. Use the parameter shell to open Shell 3.1, or use the parameter shell40 to open Shell 4.0c. The fifth parameter is also used in this site's system for running Arabic or Hebrew WordPerfect under 64-bit Windows; in that system, the parameter may be either arabic or hebrew.  If, and only if, you use shell or shell40 as the fifth parameter, you may omit the final %1 on the line, because it will have no effect.

Troubleshooting full-screen mode

Read this paragraph if DOSBox crashes when you switch from windowed to full-screen mode. If you use WPDOS in graphics mode, and DOSBox shuts down when you switch from a window to full-screen mode, then you must change the graphic screen size in WordPerfect so that that the screen size is equal to or smaller than the size of your monitor. So, if your monitor is 768 pixels high, then you must set the screen size in WordPerfect to a maximum of 1024x768. If your monitor is 600 pixels high, then you must set the graphics screen size to a height equal to or smaller than 600 pixels.

If you use WordPerfect in full-screen mode, and text or graphics appear stretched or distorted, or if you prefer a “scaled” display that expands to fill all or most of the screen, you will need to experiment to get better results. Unfortunately, DOSBox interacts differently with different kinds of video hardware, so no general guide is possible. The following guidelines should help you get the results you want.

With the DOSBoxWP system closed and not running, navigate to the DOSBoxWP\WPfor64bit\dosbox folder, and open the file sharedsettings.conf in Notepad or some other text editor.

Near the foot of the file, about a dozen lines below the heading [sdl], find the line that begins fullresolution=desktop and  experiment with this setting; you might get better results with 1024x768 or 1280x1024 or 0x0 (zero-x-zero) or “original” (but do not use the quotation marks). If you have a large-screen monitor, you might want to try 1920x1024 or 1600x1200 or some other combination that reflects real-world monitor sizes.

In the same region of the file, find the line that reads output=surface and change it to read output=opengl and test whether you prefer the results.

Further up in the file, in the section headed [render], you might experiment by changing apsect=false to aspect=true. You might also find the line that begins windowresolution= and change the setting to 0x0 (zero-x-zero). Save the file and launch the application to see the effect of your changes. I strongly recommend making only one change at a time and testing for its effect, and absolutely will not provide any help if you attempt more than one change at a time!

If you want WPDOS to start up in full-screen mode, then, in the section headed [sdl] find the line that reads fullscreen=false and change false to true. Remember that you can still toggle between full-screen and windowed mode by pressing Alt-Enter. 

These software changes may not be enough to produce the results you want. If so, you will need to use the hardware-based controls on your monitor. To adjust these controls, switch DOSBox into full-screen mode, press the button on your monitor that turns on its menu, and look for an option with a name such as Image Control, Custom Scaling, or Aspect Ratio, and experiment with the settings. You must do this while DOSBox is already in full-screen mode.

At least one visitor reports success with full-screen DOSBoxWP using these settings:

fullresolution=desktop
windowresolution=original
output=opengl

It may also be necessary to use controls in your Windows video driver, and you may need to download a driver and control software from the manufacturer of your video card or the video hardware in your computer, for example from Nvidia or ATI. For example, in the ATI control panel, you might want to disable the “GPU Scaling” option, or you may want to find similar settings in drivers from other manufacturers.

Abbreviation expander software for medical transcriptions and court reporters

If you need to use an abbreviation expander such as PRD+ or Smartype with WPDOS 5.1, first set up the DOSBoxWP system so that WPDOS 5.1 works correctly. You should have a copy of all the files in the abbreviation expander setup that you used under Windows XP or DOS, as described on this site's medical transcriptionist page, with a batch file that launches your expander software and WPDOS, again as described on that page. (Do not save these files by burning them to a CD! They will not work correctly! Use a USB drive to copy the files, or e-mail them to yourself. Do not burn them to a CD!)

In Windows, open an Explorer window on the folder DOSBoxWP\WPfor64bit\VirtualHD and create a folder with the same name as the folder that contained your abbreviation expander software on your old system (typically PPLUS2 or ST or some similar name). Copy all the files from your old expander setup into that folder.

The next step is very important. If you have a Windows Start Menu, find the vDosWP folder and launch PlainDOS; or (especially if you have Windows 8) go to the DOSBoxWP folder and start the system by double-clicking the “DOSBoxWP-PlainDOS.cmd” file; do not use any of the commands with “51” or “62” in their names. This command will open a 25-line version of DOSBox at the DOSBox B:\ prompt. At the prompt; enter CD PPLUS2 or CD ST or whatever CD command takes you into your expander directory; then enter the name of the batch file that you created that starts your expander and then starts WP (the batch file may be named something PRDWP.BAT or STWP.BAT). You should be able to use your expander as your normally do.

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