WPDOS under Windows Me | Install under Windows Me | Troubleshooting | Enable expanded memory (EMS) | Set environment variables | Home page
Note: This page includes specific information about setting up WPDOS under Windows Me (Millennium Edition). For most Windows-related issues, see this site's main WPDOS under Windows page, which contains troubleshooting, configuration, setup, and other information on WPDOS under Windows. Absolute beginners may want to read this site's step-by-step instructions for installing WPDOS under Windows. But if you are installing WPDOS in a Windows Me system, you must also read the installation instructions on this page.
Important: Download the latest Windows Me drivers for your graphics card! For the best compatibility between Windows Me and the WPDOS print preview and other graphics modes (especially when you use the VESA graphics driver), be sure to download and install the latest version of the drivers for your graphics card. Users of graphics card based on the Nvidia chip should immediately download and install the latest version of the Windows 9x/Me Detonator drivers from Nvidia's web site. These recent versions prevent WPDOS from becoming unreadable when you switch in and out of WP's graphics or print preview mode.
I do not recommend using WPDOS under Windows Me. If you insist on using Windows Me because it has better support for USB peripherals than Windows 98 SE, then install Windows 98 SE and follow the instructions on this page to install unofficially updated USB drivers.
I strongly recommend using Windows 98 Second Edition (Windows 98 SE) or Windows XP instead of Windows Me, but if you have no choice except to use Windows Me, you can still use WPDOS. If you are installing WPDOS 5.1 or 5.1+ from a floppy disk or CD-ROM from the first time (instead of copying over a complete WP installation from another hard disk) you must follow the instructions elsewhere on this page, or the installation will not work. See also the troubleshooting section on this page.
Important: If you are using WPDOS 5.1+ (5.1 Plus), 6.0, 6.1, or 6.2 you must make a two slight changes in the shortcut that runs WPDOS if you want it to run at all (follow the link to find details of the changes); these change are not needed with the non-Plus version of WPDOS 5.1. (Help! What's a shortcut?)
Note that like all DOS applications under Windows Me, WPDOS runs only in a DOS window or full-screen DOS box; Windows Me does not allow you to restart in MS-DOS mode or to boot to the command prompt (except when booting from a diskette).
WPDOS 5.1 will not run well under Windows Me unless you enable expanded memory (EMS) in its shortcut. If expanded memory (EMS) is not available on your Windows Me system, see the advice elsewhere on this page on enabling EMS under Windows Me.
If you are unable to install WPDOS under Windows Me because you see an error message saying "insufficient file handles" (or something similar), use this solution from Microsoft's knowledge base before installing WPDOS.
Windows Me will not load any drivers, TSR programs, or other programs that you list in CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT, so if you want such programs to run while or before you use WordPerfect, you must do one of the following: (1) create a batch file that runs the specific programs you want to use with WordPerfect, and specify this batch file in the Program tab of your WordPerfect shortcut icon, where you will find a blank field labeled Batch file (to do this, right-click on the shortcut, select Properties, and go to the Program tab); or (2) create a batch file that runs the specific programs you want to use with WordPerfect and also runs WordPerfect, and create a desktop shortcut that launches the complete batch file (enter the name of the batch file in the "Cmd line" field of the Program tab, not in the "Batch file" field). In either case, you can modify the shortcut icon to provide expanded memory and make the required modification in the WPDOS shortcut that allows WPDOS to run under Windows Me.
Note: If you have any memory-resident or other programs that you want to run every time you open a DOS window in Windows Me, edit the CMDINIT.BAT file normally found in the C:\Windows\Command directory. This file contains commands that run whenever you open a DOS window; the file is not used when you launch a DOS program (like WPDOS) from its own special shortcut, but you can enter CMDINIT.BAT in the "Batch file" field of your WPDOS shortcut (see paragraph immediately above), and the commands in the file will run before WPDOS is launched.
If, like me, you now use the DOS SUBST command to apply drive letters to directories on your disk, you will not be able load SUBST in AUTOEXEC.BAT, as you can with Windows 9.x. However, SUBST can be run from a batch file that launches WPDOS or precedes the launching of WPDOS (see above), or you can replace SUBST with a more efficient Windows-based freeware utility by Thomas Bigler, VSUBST.EXE, which is available from the author's web site.
Warning: The two absolutely necessary steps in creating or modifying a WPDOS 5.1+ or 6.x shortcut under Windows Me involves a slight change in the shortcut that runs the program. You may need to create a new shortcut (or modify your existing one) in order to run WPDOS under Windows Me instead of using a shortcut created under other Windows versions. (To create a new shortcut, right-click on the desktop, choose New..., then Shortcut, and follow the prompts.) When the shortcut has been created (or when modifying an existing shortcut), right-click on the shortcut and choose Properties (or press Alt-Enter when the shortcut is highlighted); then (1) go to the Program tab, and check the box next to "Prevent MS-DOS-based programs from detecting Windows", and then (2) go to the Memory tab. Change the Initial environment setting from "Auto" to any number (256 should work; if it does not, try a higher number). This applies to WPDOS 5.1+ and 6.x; you may not need to take this step with earlier versions. Alternatively, you may be able to make WPDOS start, without making this second change, simply by adding the /DL (disable launcher) switch to the command line that starts the program.
Important: You must read this section before attempting to install WPDOS 5.1 or 5.1+ into Windows Me.
The easiest way to install WPDOS into Windows Me is to copy an existing setup from another computer to the Windows Me machine; if this is impossible, do the following.
If you are installing from diskettes, the easiest and safest method is to create a directory on your hard disk with a name like C:\WPSETUP. Copy the contents of all the installation diskettes into this directory. Do not create separate folders or subdirectories inside the C:\WPSETUP directory; simply copy all the files from all the installation diskettes to that directory. Open a DOS prompt (Help! How do I open a DOS prompt?); navigate to the C:\WPSETUP directory, and run INSTALL.EXE; follow the prompts and simply press Enter whenever you are prompted to insert a new diskette.
Before you install WPDOS, do the following: Find the WPDOS Install (or Install.exe) program in Windows Explorer. Right-click on its icon. Choose Properties. Go to the Program tab, add a checkmark next to "Prevent MS-DOS programs from detecting Windows."Click OK, and only then run the Install program. (This step will allow WP to set up printers.)
Very strongly recommended as a way to avoid possible problems: Perform the following steps, preferably before you install WordPerfect (if WordPerfect is already installed, perform these steps as soon as possible). From the Start menu, click Run, type system.ini in the Run box and press Enter. Your System.ini file will open in Windows Notepad. Find the section of the file headed [386Enh]. Immediately below that heading, add a new line that reads: PerVMFiles=60 (a larger number is not needed and may reduce available memory). Press Ctrl- S (or File/Save) to save the file; then close Notepad and restart your computer.
If you are installing WPDOS 6.x, the installation should proceed without trouble. See the instructions above for modifying the WPDOS shortcut so that WPDOS will run smoothly under Windows Me.
If you are installing WPDOS 5.1 or 5.1+, the installer may prompt you to create a CONFIG.SYS file; answer either Yes or No, because Windows Me ignores the CONFIG.SYS file and your answer will have no effect on WPDOS. If the WPDOS 5.x installer warns you that there are not enough File Handles to run WPDOS and that you must restart your computer, you need not restart your computer at this time, but you should perform the steps described a few lines above that begin "Very strongly recommended."
If, before installing WPDOS 5.1 or 5.1+, you decided to ignore my easy-to-follow instructions that begin "Before you install WPDOS" a few lines above, then these events will occur at the end of the installation process: After you select and install a printer, the installer may lock up with a message that begins "LC: Windows 3.x enhanced mode". This is not harmful or dangerous. If you are running the installer program in full-screen mode, first press Alt-Enter to reduce it to a window; when the installer is running in a window (or if it is already running in a window), press Alt-Space to bring up the System menu, and choose Close; ignore the warning message displayed by Windows, and choose OK to close the program. WPDOS is now installed, but you will need to select a printer inside WPDOS, because the installer did not install a printer for you.
In order to run WPDOS, create a new shortcut for it on your desktop (Help! What's a shortcut?) and see the instructions above for the most important details about modifying the shortcut. After launching WP from this shortcut, select your printer inside WP (use Shift-F7, Select Printer, Additional Printers).
If you use complex macros, you should make at least one additional modification in your WPDOS shortcut in addition those described in the customization section on this site's main Windows page: on the Misc tab, move the Idle Sensitivity slider all the way to the left, in order to prevent your macros from "stalling."
If WPDOS 6.x does not run under Windows Me, see the section on sound card conflicts on this site's main Windows page.
If WordPerfect or any other program fails to run under Windows Me and displays a message indicating "insufficient file handles" (or something similar), do the following. From the Start menu, click Run, type system.ini in the Run box and press Enter. Your System.ini file will open in Windows Notepad. Find the section of the file headed [386Enh]. Immediately below that heading, add a new line that reads: PerVMFiles=60 (a larger number is not needed and may reduce available memory). Press Ctrl- S (or File/Save) to save the file; then close Notepad and restart your computer. (This solution is based on this page in Microsoft's knowledge base.)
If WPDOS causes an "illegal instruction" error message, you may be able to fix it by adjusting expanded memory settings.
Many experienced WPDOS users have created environment variables in their Autoexec.Bat files (under DOS and Windows 9x) in order to fine-tune the behavior of WPDOS. These variables can be used in Windows Me if you follow the procedure specified in Method 2 on a support page in Microsoft's knowledge base, and discussed in detail elsewhere on this page.
Special note about WPDOS 6.x: You may be able to improve WPDOS's performance, and avoid obscure problems, by adding the command-line switch /NS (no sound) to your WPDOS 6.x shortcut, or, if you launch WP from a batch file, by adding the switch to the line that runs WP. (Help! What's a shortcut?) You may also improve stability with WPDOS 6.1 or 6.2 by also adding the similar switch /DU (don't use upper memory blocks). For details, see the general note on customizing the WPDOS window on this site's main Windows page. With WPDOS 5.x, these two switches are not needed and should not be used.
If WPDOS 6.x crashes or won't start: Some web sites recommend that you increase DOS memory under Windows by opening your SYSTEM.INI file and adding, under the [386enh] heading, the line LocalLoadHigh=1. On some systems, this line prevents WPDOS 6.x from starting; the program does not fail with an error message but simply does not run at all. On other systems, it causes WPDOS 6.x to crash with an error message. If you are having trouble launching WPDOS 6.x under Windows, check your SYSTEM.INI file, and remove the line LocalLoadHigh=1 if you find it.
Some Windows Me systems cannot provide expanded memory (EMS). If expanded memory (EMS) is not available on the Memory tab in the Properties of your WPDOS shortcut, first try the solutions listed on a page in the Microsoft knowledge base. (Help! What's a shortcut?) If these solutions do not help, you may prefer to run Windows 98 Second Edition instead of Windows Me.
Alternatively, you may try two different procedures for enabling EMS under Windows Me. With many machines, you may prefer to try method (a) before attempting method (b). However, if you have a new Dell Dimension or Compaq Presario PC, method (a) will almost certainly fail, and you should jump directly to method (b).
(a) Download this self extracting archive, Manifest.exe (68 KB); and save it to a temporary directory. Open a DOS prompt (Help! How do I open a DOS prompt?), and run the Manifest.exe program in order to unpack the three files that are contained in the archive: MFT.EXE, MFT.HLP, and MFT.PIF. Create a directory named something like C:\Mft, and copy these three files into this new directory. This ancient version of MFT.EXE was made freely available by its author, Quarterdeck Systems, as an advertisement for a memory-management utility called QEMM.
Still in a DOS window, run MFT.EXE. When the program loads, use the down arrow key to highlight "Expanded" in the left column. If you see "None" in the right panel, then go directly to method (b). If, however, you see numbers and letters in the right panel, then use the right arrow key to highlight "Pages" in the top line.
Look at the diagram that appears under the word "Overview" in the top line. Study the lines at the foot of the diagram that begin Cn00, Dn00, and En00 (ignore the lines that begin with numbers). Try to find a row of four blue squares with black plus-signs inside (the legend will indicate that these blue squares mean "Mappable"). If you cannot find a single row of four blue squares, try to find a series of four blue squares that begins on one line and continues on the next line (reading from left to right). What you are looking for is a series of four contiguous blue squares with black plus-signs inside. (If you cannot find four contiguous squares, proceed to method (b).)
If you find a row of four blue squares, or a contiguous series of four blue squares divided across two lines, use the numbers at the left and top of the diagram to determine the "address" of the first of the four squares. For example, if a set of four contiguous squares fills the row labeled En00, look at the top of the diagram, where you will see that the number above the first column is 0 (zero). Replace the "n" in En00 with that number, to get E000 (E-zero-zero-zero), which is the "address" you want. For another example, if a set of four contiguous squares consists of the two right-hand squares on the row labeled Cn00 and the two left-hand squares on the row labeled Dn00, then the "address" of the first of the four squares is C800 (C-eight-zero-zero). Write down the address. If you find more than four contiguous blue squares near the bottom of the diagram, write down the address of first of the lowest four (or the address of the lowest four that occupy a single row).
Press Esc twice to exit MFT.EXE, then close the DOS window.
From the Windows Me Start Menu, choose Run... and enter msconfig. When the System Configuration Utility opens, go to the System.ini tab. Find the folder labeled "[386Enh]" and click the plus sign to expand it. Click on the New button. In the field that opens in the program window type the following (note that the line begins Emm, not Ems):
EmmPageFrame=E000
But make certain to replace "E000" with the "address" that you wrote down earlier! Click OK. You will be prompted to restart Windows. Click Yes. When Window restarts, check your WP shortcut (or the shortcut for any other DOS program) to see if you have EMS memory available. If EMS is still not available, and if you found more than four contiguous blue squares in the Manifest diagram, return to the System Configuration Utility and try a different starting address, making sure that the address is one that begins a series of four squares in the diagram.
Note: Method (a) is based on a method devised by Douglas D'Angelo but no longer posted by him on the web.
(b) If method (a) does not work, and if you have an emergency startup disk for your Windows Me system, and you know what you are doing, you may want to try this site's brute-force method for creating expanded memory in Windows Me. Because this method could conceivably make your system (temporarily) unbootable, it is described, with suitable warnings, on a separate page.
Read this important note: If you run WPDOS from a batch file or DOS prompt, it is not enough to enable expanded memory only in your shortcut for WPDOS itself. You must also create a desktop shortcut for the DOS prompt or for your batch file, and enable expanded memory in each shortcut that you create. If you need help, read this site's instructions for creating and modifying a DOS prompt and for creating and modifying desktop shortcuts.
WordPerfect's memory and other settings can be controlled most easily with command-line "switches," which are abbreviations appended to the WPDOS command line, like this:
c:\wp62\wp.com /R /DL /W-*,*,*
This example launches WPDOS, then adds speed and saves memory by loading much of the program into expanded memory (/R), does not load the program launcher that allows WP to load its fax software and font installer (/DL), and uses as much conventional, expanded, and extended memory as possible (/W-*,*,*). A command-line switch may also be used to run a macro immediately when WPDOS starts up, using the syntax /M-macroname to launch the macro. A list of available switches may be found in an appendix to the WPDOS manual, and you may view a summary by entering WP /? at the command line.
These switches may be used on the command line, or in batch files, but if you have any switches that you want to use every time you run WPDOS, it is more convenient to add them to the "environment" so that they run automatically. The following techniques add switches to the environment under Windows Me:
To set environment variables under Windows Me, use Start/Run, and enter MSCONFIG. In the System Configuration Utility, go to the Environment tab, click New, and, in the Variable Name field, enter WP and in the Variable Value field enter your switches (for example, /R /DL /W-*,*). Use a hyphen, not an equals sign, in any switch that uses a hyphen to specify details. Click OK. The next steps are very important: add a checkmark in the box next to WP on the list of variables; then click Apply; then click OK, and reboot your computer. When Windows Me restarts, open a DOS window and enter SET to see whether your WP variable is in use. If you do not see it, go back to MSCONFIG and repeat the original steps until it works. (On some, perhaps all, Windows Me systems, a bug in MSCONFIG seems to require you to perform these steps twice before they take effect.)
Important: If you normally use the equals sign in command-line in command-line switches (as in /NT=4), you must use a hyphen instead (as in /NT-4) when specifying switches with the SET WP= command. The SET command will fail if it has any equals sign other than the one immediately after SET WP=.
From the Windows Me Start Menu, choose Run... and enter msconfig. When the System Configuration Utility opens, go to the System.ini tab. Find the folder labeled "[386Enh]" and click the plus sign to expand it. Click on the New button. In the field that opens in the program window type the following line:
PerVMFiles=225
Check your spelling. Click OK. You will be prompted to restart Windows. Click Yes.