On Tue, 22 Dec 2009 17:20:02 -0500, "- Bobb -"
wrote:

the message:
". . .jpg is not a valid Win32 application "

That's true - jpg is NOT an application .

Tells me that YOU have associated filetype of .jpg with a PROGRAM called "
jpg "
THAT is WRONG , the Filename should be ... 'MSpaint.exe ', 'Windows Picture
viewer ', some PROGRAM.
SO:

#1 Go to another PC that works normally and check filetype
.jpg
and
.doc
and compare the 2 pc's - that's your problem.

.jpg files OK now ?

On this computer in File Types it says they should open with
LView, but they don't have an LView icon. Instead they have a
Netscape icon of some sort.

I can open LView and then open .jpgs and .jpegs from there, but I
can't select Open With and then select LView and get them to open
that way. Trying it that way just brings up the ". . .jpg is not
a valid Win32 application " message.

Yes = continue
No = go to step #1

I've tried opening them on later model computers and got a
message like: can not open word for windows ... documents, or
something like that. They are and always have been wordpad
documents.

The later PC has an association between .doc and WORD aka 'Microsoft word
for windows' ( the default for .doc files for years)

I still do not know: so tell me - yes or no - ALL of these .doc files that
don't work now - are they all PICTURES ?

Not all of them have pictures, but most do. Now I've learned that
I can open one of the screwed up docs, paste a .jpg into it and
save it, and when I re-open it there's the screwed up mess AND
the new .jpg I pasted in.

If in fact the version of wordpad that you used was specific to Windows 98

So does each version of Windows have a different version of
wordpad that doesn't work well with different versions of
Windows? If they did that why wouldn't they at least make it so
newer versions can read things made with older versions, even
though they couldn't go back in time to make older versions able
to read things made with newer versions?

( for example) , AND you deleted it from the PC, can you put on a floppy and
try one on a Win98 pc ?

That's enough for now.
Try it and let us know.