Corel made new WordPerfect 12 fully compatible with 98 but left out Me, any workarounds?

[c627627]

Corel just released WordPerfect 12 which is fully compatible with Windows 98 but shuts down the installation if you're under Windows Me.

If you're inside Windows Me, is there any way of making the installation think it's installing the program under Windows 98 so that it can continue?

 

[Abzstrak]

hmm, did winme include mkcompat? might work..... maybe

 

[c627627]

Windows Me \WINDOWS\SYSTEM\MKCOMPAT.EXE

It didn't help.

Maybe because Setup.exe extracts other files that are used to check Windows version?

What do they look for to check Windows version?


Also, under Advanced mkcompat.exe options I get IDS_BASE32 + 21 checked, and many other lines like that (IDS_BASE32 + xx) are there unchecked...

 

[c627627]

This is not like installing an XP only program onto 9x/Me,

Windows Millennium is (at its core) the same as Windows 98, it's just a question of fooling the installation program into continuing as if it detected Windows 98.

 

[corkyg]

Interesting! I just installed WP12 on three computers - but all were running XP Pro. No probs l, of course. What you say seems to be correct. On page 11 of the manual, it says what systems it can be installed in, and ME is not one of them. I would query Corel tech support. It sounds like it is deliberate - but ME is basically 98SE with System Restore added.

 

[c627627]

It's obviously deliberate, there should be no technical reason to do this. Calling tech support about modifying WP12 setup would be futile.

The answer is as simple as figuring out what the setup uses to determine the OS environment then temporarily changing that to make it think you're in 98 or to edit the setup itself, which is what I'm trying to do here:
http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.cfm?catid=34&threadid=1311045

 

[BigToque]

Maybe this will help you:

Use the Orca Database Editor to Edit Windows Installer Files

 

[c627627]

I just came back to this thread to post the following and yes that's exatly what I came up with but I wish there was some other way since Orca is a 300 MB download.

If anyone has an easier way to install Orca.msi or any other program used for editing .msi files, let me know.


DISCLAIMER: Due to its content, the following should not be tried by anyone, bla ...

In order to install WordPerfect 12 (a program that is fully compatible with Windows 98) under Windows Millennium, you need to remove the instruction to terminate the installation if the operating system is Windows Me.

That instruction is inside SetupWP.msi file which is inside the WPO12 folder. The only way I know to edit .msi files is with Microsoft Orca. The problem is that it's a 300 MB download.

Anyway, here?s how it goes:

EDIT: Thanks to Re Silent, the 300 MB download from step 1. has been reduced to a 6 MB download:
http://makeashorterlink.com/?F27D24558

http://www.wpuniverse.com/vb/showthread.php?s=&postid=86484



1. Go to http://www.microsoft.com/msdownload/platformsdk/sdkupdate/
and download Windows SDK (it?s a 300 MB download).
It installs itself automatically after the download finishes.
2. You then go to Program Files\Microsoft SDK\Bin\Orca.Msi and
double click on Orca.msi to install Orca

3. Now copy your WordPerfect 12 CD to your hard drive.

4. Go to the Start Menu and click on Orca to start it.
5. Inside Orca go to File > Open > Browse to WPO12\SetupWP.msi and open it
6. Edit > Find? > millennium (watch the spelling, that?s double ?l? and double ?n?)
7. Right click on the word ?Millennium? > Drop Row > OK
8. File > Save

The edited SetupWP.msi file will no longer terminate WordPerfect 12 installation once it detects version 490 also known as version 4.90.3000 a.k.a. Windows Millennium Edition.

Big *#@! % to whoever made the decision to make WP 12 incompatible with Me and for wasting my whole evening to figure all this out. I have a dual boot XP/Me system and use the resource hog XP for programs that require a stable environment like Photoshop but I use Me for internet browsing and word processing because it?s faster than XP, no matter how much you tweak XP. (It?s true that Windows Me is notoriously problematic but a 2 minute drive image reinstall takes care of Me problems quickly).

P.S. Some guy suggested an alternative solution using something called ?prism deploy?:

Originally posted by nipster
try to find a program called prism deploy, use it to make an install picture of this app on a 98 machine, then run the picture on a ME machine...

 

[corkyg]

The best solution is get rid of ME and install XP.

 

[c627627]

This is about there not being any technical reasons why WP12 can run under Windows 98SE and not under Windows Me.

It's also about compassion for the poor student or a person earning minimum wage being forced to upgrade a whole OS when there is no technical reason to do so in this case.

The best solution is to "get rid of Me"? Maybe, but note that it is that very "let them eat cake" attitude that makes Microsoft so 'popular' with the masses.

 

[Perplx]

If you dont want to upgrade to Xp, then upgrage to 98se seriously its better then WinMe. You could also use Corel versions 8-11 there hasnt anything really significant added as far as I know.

Originally posted by: c627627
The best solution is to "get rid of Me"? Maybe, but note that it is that very "let them eat cake" attitude that makes Microsoft so 'popular' with the masses.

You took a pice of the cake when you got WinMe.

 

[Hellfyre]

Another thing you could do is go get a copy of Windows 2000. It's more stable than ME and 98, and you get the functionality and security of XP without the cost and the hassle. Another thing, i don't know why you'd want to keep ME in the first place, but you might be one of the lucky few who do NOT have problems with it. Though, if you can, pick up a copy of windows 98se, as perplx said, you'd be way better off with it

 

[Hellfyre]

Originally posted by: Hellfyre
Another thing you could do is go get a copy of Windows 2000. It's more stable than ME and 98, and you get the functionality and security of XP without the cost and the hassle. Another thing, i don't know why you'd want to keep ME in the first place, but you might be one of the lucky few who do NOT have problems with it. Though, if you can, pick up a copy of windows 98se, as perplx said, you'd be way better off with it

Also, if you want. I work for a company called Axacor. we can get you a copy of windows 2000 or XP OEM and ship it out if you'd like. It's slightly cheaper than going out to the store and buying it.

Drop me a line.
HellfyreDrgn@NOSPAMcomcast.net

remove the NOSPAM

 

[c627627]

Thank you for your kind offer, however since 2001, I've been using a dual boot Windows XP / Me system.

I use both operating systems and I installed a dual boot just so I can use certain programs that at the time did not work with the new Windows XP operating system.

It?s been three years and although I reboot into XP when I?d like to use complicated programs requiring stability, I still use Me for word processing, web browsing and other simple stuff. This is because programs open instantaneously in Windows Me where they take a measurable few moments in Windows XP.

This is true even on 3GHz+ or equivalent machines. I have also tried every Windows XP tweak I came across, but Windows XP -- being a resource hog that it is -- is still noticeably slower than Windows Me, not much, but it?s noticeable.


Of course, using Windows Me would be out of the question were it not for Drive Image (or Norton Ghost), the single most important pieces of software ever made. I do a two minute reimage every time Windows Me starts giving me trouble. Don?t get me wrong, I use XP quite frequently, it is more stable no doubt, but it is slower and ironically, a bigger security threat -- all these recent worms do not effect 98/Millennium, only 2000-XP machines.

Me boots faster than 98 and has a few enhancements so that?s why I use Me instead of 98 on the dual boot. More on this setup:
http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=214369

 

[MrChad]

I won't deny that Windows XP takes up more resources than 98 and ME, but I can't imagine why you would notice any slowdown in XP on modern hardware. If you believe that XP is a bigger security threat than ME, you are misinformed. Windows 9x and FAT32 have virtually no file security whatsoever. Although the 2000/XP platform has taken a lot of heat lately for security vulnerabilities, a properly patched XP box using NTFS will be far more secure than any Windows 9x machine.

 

[c627627]

Step 1 has now been edited to make the solution to the original problem only a 6MB download instead of 300 MB.

Big thanks to Re Silent from WordPerfect Universe for the link:
http://makeashorterlink.com/?F27D24558

http://www.wpuniverse.com/vb/showthread.php?s=&postid=86484


P.S. MrChad, I agree with everything you said.
slowdown, slow, fast are not exactly the words that best described what was talked about. It's more like "instantaneous" Me vs. not as instantaneous XP, hardly a big deal to most people.

Also the wording was wrong on the security issue as you are of course correct that NTFS is more secure, I was just talking about the most recent notorious worms only affecting 2000-XP and not 98/Me while of course there's a plethora of other weaknesses in the old operating systems that make them insecure...

 

[Kelemvor]

Man, I'd jsut get some other OS. Me is a load of crap anyway. I'd have removed it the second I foudn it on one of my computers. I'd rather go back to Win98 than Me...

 

[Macro2]

Is Corel still making WP for Linux?

 

[c627627]

WordPerfect 12 will be available for Linux.

Proof:
http://www.corel.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=Corel2/Products/Home&pid=1047023021963