Problem:

User can’t find files when created in WordPerfect 11 when using Windows Vista

Specifics:

Windows Vista, WordPerfect 11

Description: 

Client keeps Word Perfect Files in c:\Program Files\WordPerfect\WPDOCS.  After creating a new file, it can’t be found by other applications like AOL mail because Vista actually stores the files in a "Virtual Store" location which is not the same as what you thought.  When trying to attach the newly created compatibility file, the browse button can’t find the files in the folder you expect because it’s not there – it’s actually been placed elsewhere.   To make things even more confusing, the original program, in this case WordPerfect does actually find the compatibility file in the c:\Program Files\WordPerfect\WPDOCS when you open the file for editing – oh so very confusing.  Nice job Microsoft !

Root Cause:

Windows Vista does not allow files to be saved in C:\Program Files or C:\Windows any longer.  The program will fool you into thinking the files are saved in the C:\Program Files location, but they are actually stored in  C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\VirtualStore\Program Files\appname\.  As compatibility files are created, Exporer will give you a new button called "Compatibility Files" when you look in the c:\Program Files\appname\ folder.  By clicking on this button in Explorer it will present you with the files that it has actually stored in the aforementioned location. Keep in mind, though, that the files won't show up in Open and Save dialogs.

Solution: 

Rather than fight Windows Vista, the best course of action is to move all data files into the standard user files location - C:\Users\username\. In this particular case, I moved all the original files and the compatibility files into the standard location as mentioned, and then changed the “default save location” in Word Perfect to the same.  From this point on, all is well.

Last Updated: 7/20/08