A patch for WPDOS 6.2 only | The patch and what it does | Warning: bug alert | Home page
The patch program on this page works only with the shipping version of WPDOS 6.2. Corel's web site makes available a separate WPDOS 6.1 patch program that corrects some errors in the original US version of WPDOS 6.1. The Corel 6.1 patch will not upgrade WPDOS 6.1 to 6.2; and the patch on this page also will not upgrade WPDOS 6.1 to 6.2. You must already have a copy of WPDOS 6.2 to use the patch on this page.
The last public release of WordPerfect for DOS 6.2 was dated 1 January 1997, but some further development of the program continued until Corel decided to stop work on it altogether. A few copies of a 1 December 1997 version of WPDOS 6.2 are known to exist, but this version was never released by Corel.
The only change that I can detect between the two versions is an enhancement to the Block feature. A block can now be highlighted by holding down the shift key and using the arrow or other keys to move the cursor, exactly as in Windows. Presumably the December 1997 version also includes minor bug-fixes, but I do not have any details. (And see the bug alert below!)
This patch program (1.3 MB) will update a copy of the United States English (or Canadian English) 1 January 1997 release by converting it into the 1 December 1997 version. The patch program (which I prepared using a shareware Windows-based patch-maker) runs only under Windows 95 or NT 4.0 or later, and has only been tested with copies of the released United States English and Canadian English versions of WordPerfect for DOS 6.2. The patch program may work with other versions if those versions include the WP_WP_US.TRS file, but I have not tested this. The patch program will not give you a copy of WordPerfect if you do not already have one.
The patch program modifies three files: WP.EXE, WP.FIL, and WP_WP_US.TRS. When you run the patch program, choose the option to backup these files, and be doubly safe by backing them up before you run the patch. If you do not have 32-bit Windows on your system, copy the three files to a 32-bit Windows system, apply the patch, and copy the patched files back to your own system.
To confirm that you have the patched version, press Alt-plus or whatever keystroke you use to access the top-line menu; go to Help, WP Info... If the "Date" is December 1, 1997, you have the patched version. Any earlier date is the original version.
The updated program is not supported by Corel or by me or by anyone else. Use it at your own risk, and keep a backup of the original version available, in case you decide to go back to it.
Reminder: Please don't waste your time sending messages asking why "they" made the patch program in any particular way (e.g. as a Windows program, not a DOS program). "They" didn't make the patch program; I did, and I used the only free patch-making program I could find at the time. That's why. (Of course the updated program version itself is Corel's work, not mine.)
Note: The version of Screen Extender included on the WPDOS 6.2 CD will not work with the patched version of WPDOS.
Note: The Canadian and UK environment (.TRS) files distributed with the original version of WPDOS 6.2 will not work with the patched version. The patched version will always use the updated WP_WP_US.TRS file, even if you specify a Canadian English or UK environment in Shift-F1, Environment. This has absolutely no practical effect, except that UK users will see "Color" on some menus, not "Colour".
Warning: The new version has two known bugs, one of which causes the program to lock up.
The lockup-causing bug occurs when you search-and-replace specific point sizes of a font (the program does not lock up when you merely search for a specific point size but do not replace it). If you expect to search-and-replace specific point sizes, do not use this version.
The other bug occurs only when running the patched version under Shell 3.x (the problem does not occur under Shell 4.0). If you use Ctrl-F1, Save to Clipboard, the selected text will be saved to the Shell 3.x clipboard, but a warning message (saying that a file is not in the correct format) will appear when you use Ctrl-F1, Retrieve; you will need to select ASCII Text from the displayed list of formats before retrieving. Other anomalies may also occur with the Shell 3.x clipboard features. You probably should not use the patched version if you run WPDOS 6.2 under Shell 3.x unless you are certain that you will not use the Shell's clipboard.
Note: A visitor to this site reported that the patched version of 6.2 locks up when opening password-protected files. I have not been able to reproduce this problem. If you have password-protected files, you may want to test them with the patched version.
Remember: The updated program is not supported by Corel or by me or by anyone else. Use it at your own risk, and keep a backup of the original version available, in case you decide to go back to it.