How to view old Wordpad documents?

I've always used Wordpad for some things like adding pictures and different
texts etc because I had confidence they would always be viewable in computers
that run Windows. Years ago I would have thought the idea of creating newer
versions of Windows that won't open all Wordpad files was so stupid they
wouldn't even consider the idea, much less create the program and put it on the
market. LOL...wow, was I wrong! So now I have a lot of old Wordpad documents I
can't open any more because the Windows people did what I had considered too
stupid for them to do. Maybe I'm the only person who got screwed by that? If
not, maybe there's a small free program or two that will open them? Does anyone
know if there are any?

Thanks for any help!
Beth

"mur" wrote in message ...
I've always used Wordpad for some things like adding pictures and
different
texts etc because I had confidence they would always be viewable in
computers
that run Windows. Years ago I would have thought the idea of creating
newer
versions of Windows that won't open all Wordpad files was so stupid they
wouldn't even consider the idea, much less create the program and put it
on the
market. LOL...wow, was I wrong! So now I have a lot of old Wordpad
documents I
can't open any more because the Windows people did what I had considered
too
stupid for them to do. Maybe I'm the only person who got screwed by that?
If
not, maybe there's a small free program or two that will open them? Does
anyone
know if there are any?

Thanks for any help!
Beth

What version of Windows are you using? Wordpad is still available in Win7
and Win8/8.1.
If you have MS Word installed, that will open Wordpad documents. Along that
line, I would think that LibreOffice http://www.libreoffice.org/ or
OpenOffice https://www.openoffice.org/ might open them. They are both free
to download and use, so that may be worth a try.
--
SC Tom

"SC Tom" wrote in message ...


"mur" wrote in message ...
I've always used Wordpad for some things like adding pictures and
different
texts etc because I had confidence they would always be viewable in
computers
that run Windows. Years ago I would have thought the idea of creating
newer
versions of Windows that won't open all Wordpad files was so stupid they
wouldn't even consider the idea, much less create the program and put it
on the
market. LOL...wow, was I wrong! So now I have a lot of old Wordpad
documents I
can't open any more because the Windows people did what I had considered
too
stupid for them to do. Maybe I'm the only person who got screwed by that?
If
not, maybe there's a small free program or two that will open them? Does
anyone
know if there are any?

Thanks for any help!
Beth

What version of Windows are you using? Wordpad is still available in Win7
and Win8/8.1.
If you have MS Word installed, that will open Wordpad documents. Along
that line, I would think that LibreOffice http://www.libreoffice.org/ or
OpenOffice https://www.openoffice.org/ might open them. They are both
free to download and use, so that may be worth a try.
--
SC Tom




Tom is right, but I think the name of the former WordPad program is changed
in Win7 and Win8. The point is that these operating systems have a rich text
editor built in, even if it is named differently.

WordPad makes rich text (RTF) files that might have a DOC-extension. You
should be able to open them, and make more, with any of several open source
applications. Open Office comes to mind. Windows comes with a rich text
editor that has a name like WritePad or something like that. Instead of
double-clicking the file to open it, try opening the editor and navigating
through the FileOpen menu option to select the target file. If this works,
then use the file options to change the association to the program that is
your text editor. You will find the options for file associations in the
Folder Options menu of your Windows Explorer.

Microsoft Office Viewer should be able to at least open the files, although
editting them is not possible. You might find joy in emailing the files to
yourself, then using your email client or browser to view the files. Office
viewer is free, kinda like Acrobat Reader. You can open files for viewing,
but you cannot make edits.

mur wrote:
I've always used Wordpad for some things like adding pictures and different
texts etc because I had confidence they would always be viewable in computers
that run Windows. Years ago I would have thought the idea of creating newer
versions of Windows that won't open all Wordpad files was so stupid they
wouldn't even consider the idea, much less create the program and put it on the
market. LOL...wow, was I wrong! So now I have a lot of old Wordpad documents I
can't open any more because the Windows people did what I had considered too
stupid for them to do. Maybe I'm the only person who got screwed by that? If
not, maybe there's a small free program or two that will open them? Does anyone
know if there are any?

Thanks for any help!
Beth

Download Wordviewer.

http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/downl...ails.aspx?id=4

Note the date on that is 2007.

Download and install "Compatibility Pack". This adds .docx
to the Word Viewer.

http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/downl...ails.aspx?id=3

*******

Note that if you add LibreOffice after adding these two
packages, LibreOffice can break the linkage between the
compatibility pack and wordview.

These are *not* replacements for Wordpad, neither
will they entirely fix any broken functionality.
They are intended to allow you to view things
that you cannot currently view. (Give it a try)

LibreOffice is an Office replacement product, that
just doesn't quite make it. The problem is the
document quality, and the compatibility level.
Some Chinese software writers have come closer than
LibreOffice designers, at this task. LibreOffice succeeds
at making a huge framework that "looks" like Office, but
many fit and finish details are lacking. Because it
uses things like the Cairo print engine for printing,
and positions each letter individually in an output
PDF, it's hardly fit for actual usage. You can tell
the quality difference between LibreOffice output and
other tools. Is LibreOffice functional ? Yes, it gives
the impression great things are possible. But if you
look carefully at some of the things it has done,
there is a lot of room for improvement. And I don't
think the developers are all that interested in that
sort of improvement. For example, would they replace
their print engine, and change output composition
just to suit me ? I don't think so.

Paul

"Jeff Strickland" wrote in message
...

"SC Tom" wrote in message ...


"mur" wrote in message ...
I've always used Wordpad for some things like adding pictures and
different
texts etc because I had confidence they would always be viewable in
computers
that run Windows. Years ago I would have thought the idea of creating
newer
versions of Windows that won't open all Wordpad files was so stupid they
wouldn't even consider the idea, much less create the program and put it
on the
market. LOL...wow, was I wrong! So now I have a lot of old Wordpad
documents I
can't open any more because the Windows people did what I had considered
too
stupid for them to do. Maybe I'm the only person who got screwed by
that? If
not, maybe there's a small free program or two that will open them? Does
anyone
know if there are any?

Thanks for any help!
Beth

What version of Windows are you using? Wordpad is still available in Win7
and Win8/8.1.
If you have MS Word installed, that will open Wordpad documents. Along
that line, I would think that LibreOffice http://www.libreoffice.org/
or OpenOffice https://www.openoffice.org/ might open them. They are
both free to download and use, so that may be worth a try.
--
SC Tom




Tom is right, but I think the name of the former WordPad program is
changed in Win7 and Win8. The point is that these operating systems have a
rich text editor built in, even if it is named differently.

On my Win7 machine, under Accessories, is WordPad. If I type "write" in the
search box and press Enter, WordPad opens. Same on Win8.1 and Win10TP,
except it's Windows Accessories. Write was the old program in early Windows
until it became WordPad in Win95
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Write.



WordPad makes rich text (RTF) files that might have a DOC-extension. You
should be able to open them, and make more, with any of several open
source applications. Open Office comes to mind. Windows comes with a rich
text editor that has a name like WritePad or something like that. Instead
of double-clicking the file to open it, try opening the editor and
navigating through the FileOpen menu option to select the target file. If
this works, then use the file options to change the association to the
program that is your text editor. You will find the options for file
associations in the Folder Options menu of your Windows Explorer.

Microsoft Office Viewer should be able to at least open the files,
although editting them is not possible. You might find joy in emailing the
files to yourself, then using your email client or browser to view the
files. Office viewer is free, kinda like Acrobat Reader. You can open
files for viewing, but you cannot make edits.

--
SC Tom

"SC Tom" wrote in message ...


"Jeff Strickland" wrote in message
...

"SC Tom" wrote in message ...


"mur" wrote in message
...
I've always used Wordpad for some things like adding pictures and
different
texts etc because I had confidence they would always be viewable in
computers
that run Windows. Years ago I would have thought the idea of creating
newer
versions of Windows that won't open all Wordpad files was so stupid
they
wouldn't even consider the idea, much less create the program and put
it on the
market. LOL...wow, was I wrong! So now I have a lot of old Wordpad
documents I
can't open any more because the Windows people did what I had
considered too
stupid for them to do. Maybe I'm the only person who got screwed by
that? If
not, maybe there's a small free program or two that will open them?
Does anyone
know if there are any?

Thanks for any help!
Beth

What version of Windows are you using? Wordpad is still available in
Win7 and Win8/8.1.
If you have MS Word installed, that will open Wordpad documents. Along
that line, I would think that LibreOffice http://www.libreoffice.org/
or OpenOffice https://www.openoffice.org/ might open them. They are
both free to download and use, so that may be worth a try.
--
SC Tom




Tom is right, but I think the name of the former WordPad program is
changed in Win7 and Win8. The point is that these operating systems have
a rich text editor built in, even if it is named differently.

On my Win7 machine, under Accessories, is WordPad. If I type "write" in
the search box and press Enter, WordPad opens. Same on Win8.1 and Win10TP,
except it's Windows Accessories. Write was the old program in early
Windows until it became WordPad in Win95
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Write.



WordPad is the right file. I was thinking there was a change, but NotePad
was the older program that WordPad replaces. NotePad is a plain text only
editor, WordPad allows rich text. I had a brain fart.

The point is still valid, Win7 and Win8 have editors for rich text.

Makes me wonder if the OP is having a file association issue where she is
double-clicking a file and there is no association for the file extension.
Or the wrong association.

"Jeff Strickland" wrote in message
...

"SC Tom" wrote in message ...


"Jeff Strickland" wrote in message
...

"SC Tom" wrote in message
...


"mur" wrote in message
...
I've always used Wordpad for some things like adding pictures and
different
texts etc because I had confidence they would always be viewable in
computers
that run Windows. Years ago I would have thought the idea of creating
newer
versions of Windows that won't open all Wordpad files was so stupid
they
wouldn't even consider the idea, much less create the program and put
it on the
market. LOL...wow, was I wrong! So now I have a lot of old Wordpad
documents I
can't open any more because the Windows people did what I had
considered too
stupid for them to do. Maybe I'm the only person who got screwed by
that? If
not, maybe there's a small free program or two that will open them?
Does anyone
know if there are any?

Thanks for any help!
Beth

What version of Windows are you using? Wordpad is still available in
Win7 and Win8/8.1.
If you have MS Word installed, that will open Wordpad documents. Along
that line, I would think that LibreOffice http://www.libreoffice.org/
or OpenOffice https://www.openoffice.org/ might open them. They are
both free to download and use, so that may be worth a try.
--
SC Tom




Tom is right, but I think the name of the former WordPad program is
changed in Win7 and Win8. The point is that these operating systems have
a rich text editor built in, even if it is named differently.

On my Win7 machine, under Accessories, is WordPad. If I type "write" in
the search box and press Enter, WordPad opens. Same on Win8.1 and
Win10TP, except it's Windows Accessories. Write was the old program in
early Windows until it became WordPad in Win95
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Write.



WordPad is the right file. I was thinking there was a change, but NotePad
was the older program that WordPad replaces. NotePad is a plain text only
editor, WordPad allows rich text. I had a brain fart.

The point is still valid, Win7 and Win8 have editors for rich text.

Makes me wonder if the OP is having a file association issue where she is
double-clicking a file and there is no association for the file extension.
Or the wrong association.

Notepad's still there, too. I like Notepad++ as its replacement. I have a
number of .tab and .cho music files that are plain text, and the simple
formatting of Notepad++ makes it a better program for them. But I digress
(easier to do lately LOL).

You may be on to something about association. Guess we'll have to wait and
see if she responds to her replies.
--
SC Tom

On Fri, 23 Jan 2015 05:28:01 -0500, "SC Tom" wrote:

| WordPad is the right file. I was thinking there was a change, but NotePad
| was the older program that WordPad replaces. NotePad is a plain text only
| editor, WordPad allows rich text. I had a brain fart.
|
| The point is still valid, Win7 and Win8 have editors for rich text.
|
| Makes me wonder if the OP is having a file association issue where she is
| double-clicking a file and there is no association for the file extension.
| Or the wrong association.
|
| Notepad's still there, too. I like Notepad++ as its replacement. I have a
| number of .tab and .cho music files that are plain text, and the simple
| formatting of Notepad++ makes it a better program for them. But I digress
| (easier to do lately LOL).
|
| You may be on to something about association. Guess we'll have to wait and
| see if she responds to her replies.

The OP didn't mention the specific extension of the files she can't open. Knowing
that would be helpful as would the Windows version and how she's trying to open the
files. WordPad should handle .txt (incl. MS-DOS and Unicode .txt) and .rtf files
easily.

Larc

On 23 Jan 2015, "Jeff Strickland" wrote in
alt.comp.hardware.pc-homebuilt:

WordPad is the right file. I was thinking there was a change, but
NotePad was the older program that WordPad replaces. NotePad is a
plain text only editor, WordPad allows rich text. I had a brain
fart.

No, Notepad is the plain text editor that has been included with every
version of Windows since at least ver. 3.0.

I seem to recall that the Wordpad format changed early on in such a way
that later versions couldn't read it. I don't have time to verify that
right now.

On Thu, 22 Jan 2015 10:42:22 -0800, "Jeff Strickland"
wrote:


"SC Tom" wrote in message ...


"mur" wrote in message ...
I've always used Wordpad for some things like adding pictures and
different
texts etc because I had confidence they would always be viewable in
computers
that run Windows. Years ago I would have thought the idea of creating
newer
versions of Windows that won't open all Wordpad files was so stupid they
wouldn't even consider the idea, much less create the program and put it
on the
market. LOL...wow, was I wrong! So now I have a lot of old Wordpad
documents I
can't open any more because the Windows people did what I had considered
too
stupid for them to do. Maybe I'm the only person who got screwed by that?
If
not, maybe there's a small free program or two that will open them? Does
anyone
know if there are any?

Thanks for any help!
Beth

What version of Windows are you using? Wordpad is still available in Win7
and Win8/8.1.
If you have MS Word installed, that will open Wordpad documents. Along
that line, I would think that LibreOffice http://www.libreoffice.org/ or
OpenOffice https://www.openoffice.org/ might open them. They are both
free to download and use, so that may be worth a try.
--
SC Tom




Tom is right, but I think the name of the former WordPad program is changed
in Win7 and Win8. The point is that these operating systems have a rich text
editor built in, even if it is named differently.

WordPad makes rich text (RTF) files that might have a DOC-extension. You
should be able to open them, and make more, with any of several open source
applications. Open Office comes to mind. Windows comes with a rich text
editor that has a name like WritePad or something like that. Instead of
double-clicking the file to open it, try opening the editor and navigating
through the FileOpen menu option to select the target file. If this works,
then use the file options to change the association to the program that is
your text editor. You will find the options for file associations in the
Folder Options menu of your Windows Explorer.

Microsoft Office Viewer should be able to at least open the files, although
editting them is not possible. You might find joy in emailing the files to
yourself, then using your email client or browser to view the files. Office
viewer is free, kinda like Acrobat Reader. You can open files for viewing,
but you cannot make edits.

Eventually I'd like to get control of them if possible. I have WordPad documents
that I've made with this computer and they all work fine. The icon for the old
ones looks just like the later ones, and they all have .doc at the end of the
name. But when opening the older ones anything other than just plain text
appears as a bunch of symbols, including all pictures and any text that is
underlined or bold or anything other than plain text. I've tried opening the old
ones with the newer version by opening a new document and going through the Open
process, and I can navigate to the folders the old documents are in but when the
folders open it doesn't show any of the icons for the older documents.

Why would Windows even create this problem for their own clients in the first
place, without providing some way to work around it that everyone is made aware
of? Do they not care to such an incredible degree? Surely they didn't think none
of their clients would have old documents that have importance to them? And
there's no way I can believe that none of the people associated with the project
ever thought about it.