[comp.unix.msdos] Microsoft Word & vp/ix

km@cs.pitt.edu (11/22/90)

Microsoft Word 5.0 under vp/ix consistently gives the error "Word Disk
Full" when run from the "Z" drive, unless the program is set to run with
a floppy as the default drive. Has anyone else had experience with this
problem and how to solve it? The manuals are of no help and everything
else works fine.

  Ken Mitchum
  km@cs.pitt.edu

fuhrman@hpavla.avo.hp.com (Phil Fuhrman) (12/04/90)

Turns out that  lots of people have run into the same problem, including
myself.  It seems to be a problem with using Word on networked drives in
"native" DOS as well.  I understand that Microsoft has a patch available
to fix the problem.  Check with their Tech Support department.

Phil Fuhrman

Analytical Products
Hewlett-Packard Co.

mshiels@tmsoft.uucp (Michael A. Shiels) (12/06/90)

This may be part of a problem I already fixed in a redirector I am
working on.  

ALL the microsoft windows/runtime windows programs depend upon 100 being
returned from the get current directory call. (At least that's what I can
recall.  I will have to check at work.)

There are lots of programs out there which INCORRECTLY depend upon the results
of a DOS INT 21.  Get attribute is another where Windows 3.0 FILE MANAGER wants
the attirbutes in AX and CX when AX is the only documented return.

vjs@calcite.UUCP (Vernon Schryver) (12/09/90)

In article <17550001@hpavla.avo.hp.com>, fuhrman@hpavla.avo.hp.com (Phil Fuhrman) writes:
> Turns out that  lots of people have run into the same problem, including
> myself.  It seems to be a problem with using Word on networked drives in
> "native" DOS as well.  I understand that Microsoft has a patch available
> to fix the problem.  Check with their Tech Support department.


Guess what?  Word 5.5 has the same problem over VP/ix as Word 5.0 had.
After a little long distance, indirect discussion, Microsoft is working
on the problem.

I am amazed that Microsoft listened to my wife's description of my
understanding of the problem and went from "we fixed that old problem" to
calling back a few times and finally saying "oops, we'll work on it and
send you a fix".  My wife is not very knowledgable or forceful about such
subjects, and Microsoft has not received much money from me.  Word 5.0
was a fraction of the cost of the 386 UNIX's I've purchased, and the 5.5
update was only about $60 and included new manuals.  Microsoft took 2-3
weeks to get us the patch diskette for Word 5.0, but sent it free by
FedEx.  It's boggling to compare Microsoft's response with the "support"
I've had from over the years from the 386 UNIX vendors.  (You remember the
lies:  "that's not a problem" or "we tried that and it works" or "we'll get
back to you".)  I've paid about as much for a year of "UNIX support" as the
retail dealer got for Word 5.0.

Maybe those DOS guys know something we in the UNIX trade could use.


Vernon Schryver,   vjs@calcite.uucp