Re: [WinMac] cross-platform and MS Word

Tim Scoff(casper[at]nb.net)
Sun, 19 Sep 1999 17:23:12 -0500

WinMac Digest #415 - Sunday, September 19, 1999

  Re: cross-platform and MS Word
          by "Daniel L. Schwartz" <expresso@snip.net>
  Re: cross-platform and MS Word
          by <dhaslehurst@home.com>
  Re: [WinMac] cross-platform and MS Word
          by "Leonard Rosenthol" <leonardr@lazerware.com>
  sharing a SCSI Mac printer
          by "Alex Dearden" <pata@tampabay.rr.com>
  Re: emailer
          by "Alex Dearden" <pata@tampabay.rr.com>
  Re: booting from CDs
          by "Alex Dearden" <pata@tampabay.rr.com>
  Re: appletalk on an HP
          by "Alex Dearden" <pata@tampabay.rr.com>
  Re: PostScript/non-PostScript
          by "Alex Dearden" <pata@tampabay.rr.com>
  Re: appletalk zones
          by "Alex Dearden" <pata@tampabay.rr.com>
  Re: [WinMac] sharing a SCSI Mac printer
          by "Daniel L. Schwartz" <expresso@snip.net>
  Re: PostScript/non-PostScript
          by "Daniel L. Schwartz" <expresso@snip.net>
  cross-platform and MS Word
          by "Lee" <ldh@loop.com>
  plea from the moderator
          by "Marc Bizer" <mlbizer@mail.utexas.edu>
  Re: [WinMac] cross-platform and MS Word
          by "Tim Scoff" <casper@nb.net>

Subject: Re: cross-platform and MS Word
From: "Daniel L. Schwartz" <expresso@snip.net>
Date: Sat, 18 Sep 1999 22:12:59 -0500
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" ; format="flowed"

        Dear Kit,

        Are the floppies FAT12 or FAT16? This is an issue that is
addressed in a
fix-up for PC Exchange (File Exchange).

        Also, I would try a PC antivirus scanner on a PC, such as Sophos SWEEP.
When the problem crops up all of a sudden in the PC world, it could very
well be a virus. And campus LAN's pass virii around just like the clap! :)

        Cheers!
        Dan

At 02:44 PM 9/18/99 -0500, you wrote:
>----------------------
>From: Kittrell Rushing, UT Chattanooga <krushing@cecasun.utc.edu>
>----------------------
>
[snip]
>
>However, this week four of my students -- one in one section and
>three in another section of the course, each student working at a
>different computer have experienced the same problem -- after saving
>their word document to a pc disk - the document refused to open --
>when we attempt to open the document in Microsoft Word 5.1, we either
>get an error message that says "not enough memory"... or Word 5.1
>just grinds way until we have to force quit. If we try to open the
>document in Word98, the error message "this is not a word document"
>appears...
>
>I have put the document through MacLink Plus in an attempt to
>translate whatever may have happened into either Mord 5.1 or
>Word98.... and in one or two cases I've been able to recover the
>text (but no formatting or graphics)... in one (and only one) other
>case, I was able to translate a document into Word 5.1 with all the
>formatting (styles, tables, and graphics) still embedded in the
>document....
>
[snip]

Subject: Re: cross-platform and MS Word
From: dhaslehurst@home.com
Date: Sat, 18 Sep 1999 22:13:20 -0500
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" ; format="flowed"

I taught Microsoft Word 98 in Mac and WinNT labs last year. For what
its worth, here are some of my observations.

I would not risk using Word 5.1 on the Macs if the files were going
to be opened using Word 97 with Windows. I have had very good
success with students saving Word98 files for use with Word97 and
vise versa, the trick was to make sure the Word98 file ends with
".doc" (without the quotes).

I found that some very strange problems occurred in cross platform
situations. The department that hired me to teach the course had
several virus infected Macs available for the students to use (not in
the lab I was teaching in). It was a problem, a big problem. I
found that if a file was infected by a virus on a Mac and then opened
on a PC strange things happened and sometimes irreversible file
damage occurred. I spent many hours at home using Norton on both
platforms to rescue files (unpaid hours I might add!!!). I was only
teaching a few hours a week on a short contract, so I did not get an
opportunity to follow through with the department, the guy who set
the Macs up for the students knew there was a virus but had decided
that it didn't really matter (hey, it was only my unpaid time he was
wasting).
In addition, problems arose when students used damaged PC disks to
save files on the Mac.
I suspect that some of the PC disks were infected by PC viruses
before the students tried to save files from the Mac.
Some weeks were pretty wild!

Hope something here is of use.
Donna

>However, this week four of my students -- one in one section and
>three in another section of the course, each student working at a
>different computer have experienced the same problem -- after saving
>their word document to a pc disk - the document refused to open --
>when we attempt to open the document in Microsoft Word 5.1, we
>either get an error message that says "not enough memory"... or
>Word 5.1 just grinds way until we have to force quit. If we try to
>open the document in Word98, the error message "this is not a word
>document" appears...
>
>I have put the document through MacLink Plus in an attempt to
>translate whatever may have happened into either Mord 5.1 or
>Word98.... and in one or two cases I've been able to recover the
>text (but no formatting or graphics)... in one (and only one) other
>case, I was able to translate a document into Word 5.1 with all the
>formatting (styles, tables, and graphics) still embedded in the
>document....

Donna Haslehurst
dhaslehurst@home.com

Subject: Re: [WinMac] cross-platform and MS Word
From: Leonard Rosenthol <leonardr@lazerware.com>
Date: Sat, 18 Sep 1999 22:13:33 -0500
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" ; format="flowed"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

At 2:44 PM -0500 9/18/99, KR wrote:
>Many of my students have Windows computers at home or in their=20
>dorms... I've always told my young people that it really makes=20
>little difference in word processing if they have a pc or a Mac as=20
>far as document compatibility is concerned because MSWord will open=20
>documents created on either the Windows or the Mac platform -- and=20
>I've told the young people that if they have a pc rather than a Mac=20
>they can use the pc formatted disk in the Mac... and save to the pc=20
>formatted disk from either Microsoft Word 5.1 or Microsoft Word98.=20
>...and until this week, I experienced nothing that made me doubt=20
>what I've been preaching.

        You are correct, that everything you are doing is fine and=20
there is no reason to think otherwise....ASSUMING...

        that the students are also using a version of MSWord on Windows.

>However, this week four of my students -- one in one section and=20
>three in another section of the course, each student working at a=20
>different computer have experienced the same problem -- after saving=20
>their word document to a pc disk - the document refused to open --=20
>when we attempt to open the document in Microsoft Word 5.1, we=20
>either get an error message that says "not enough memory"... or=20
>Word 5.1 just grinds way until we have to force quit. If we try to=20
>open the document in Word98, the error message "this is not a word=20
>document" appears...

        What programs are the students using to create/edit the=20
documents? Is it possible they are using something other than Word?=20
Or perhaps they are using Word 2000, which may use a different=20
format? Or perhaps they put embedded PC-centric information (like=20
say an OLE-embedded graphic) into the document or...

        In other words, I think you need to get more info from your=20
students about these documents and how they were created.

Leonard

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
=20 You've got a SmartFriend=81 in Pennsylvania
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Leonard Rosenthol Internet: leonardr@lazerware.com
                                        America Online: MACgician
Web Site: <http://www.lazerware.com/>
=46TP Site: <ftp://ftp.lazerware.com/>
PGP Fingerprint: C76E 0497 C459 182D 0C6B AB6B CA10 B4DF 8067 5E65

Subject: sharing a SCSI Mac printer
From: Alex Dearden <pata@tampabay.rr.com>
Date: Sat, 18 Sep 1999 22:13:38 -0500
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" ; format="flowed"

Hello. Any one ever share a SCSI printer from a Mac?

One printer hooked up via SCSI to one Mac, want to share it on an
ehternet network...

I'm sure there's a way, just drawing a complete blank right now.

Thanks

Alex Dearden
MCSE, CNA
pata@doglover.com

Subject: Re: emailer
From: Alex Dearden <pata@tampabay.rr.com>
Date: Sat, 18 Sep 1999 22:22:40 -0500
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" ; format="flowed"

>I have a Macintosh running Claris e-mailer, recently connected to an
>NT-hosted e-mail system. Each time I check the mail, I get the same set
>of several hundred messages dating back to April. Our IT staff will not
>support Macs and will not load Mac-specific software on the NT server(s).
>Does anyone recognise the problem? Is there anything I can do at the
>client end to ameliorate it?

yes, go to the setup menu in emailer, go to accounts go to the options
tab (or button depending on version) make sure that the client is ERASING
the messages after downloading them!!! There's a checkbox to leave a copy
at the server...

Alex Dearden
MCSE, CNA
pata@doglover.com

Subject: Re: booting from CDs
From: Alex Dearden <pata@tampabay.rr.com>
Date: Sat, 18 Sep 1999 22:22:48 -0500
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" ; format="flowed"

>3) attatch cables and boot w/ restore/system CD in drive, holding 'C'
>key till boots

Note that on older OSs that trick wouldn't work, you need to hold
command-shift-option-delete to bypass the internal SCSI 0 or Master Hard
Drive.

Alex Dearden
MCSE, CNA
pata@doglover.com

Subject: Re: appletalk on an HP
From: Alex Dearden <pata@tampabay.rr.com>
Date: Sat, 18 Sep 1999 22:27:51 -0500
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" ; format="flowed"

>Is configuring the HP for AppleTalk terribly
>complicated, and/or terribly unstable?

Neither. Sounds like the typical computer PC people who know nothing of
Appletalk. NO it's not unstable but it is a little chattier than IP but
since you're running Netware (and I assume IPX) you've already got a
chatty protocol anyway (SPX) so a little appletalk printer shouldn't make
much of a difference especially if you're already running appletalk on
that network anyway.

Setting up the HP to do Appletalk should be fairly easy, especially an
MP5...

Alex Dearden
MCSE, CNA
pata@doglover.com

Subject: Re: PostScript/non-PostScript
From: Alex Dearden <pata@tampabay.rr.com>
Date: Sat, 18 Sep 1999 23:09:12 -0500
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" ; format="flowed"

>How can a non-PostScript printer be upgraded to PostScript?

It depends completely on the printer!!! What printer is it? Model,
manufacturer, etc.

Some never will be able to.

Alex Dearden
MCSE, CNA
pata@doglover.com

Subject: Re: appletalk zones
From: Alex Dearden <pata@tampabay.rr.com>
Date: Sat, 18 Sep 1999 23:09:21 -0500
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" ; format="flowed"

>What are the pros/cons of setting up each school in a 5-school district as a
>unique AppleTalk zone? At the present time, there are no zones set up at
>all.

Cons:
confudion from people unable to find their printers and shared files
because they can't remember what zone they were in...

Pros: If done properly it can cut down on traffic on the network and make
more sense, hence easier to use...

Alex Dearden
MCSE, CNA
pata@doglover.com

Subject: Re: [WinMac] sharing a SCSI Mac printer
From: "Daniel L. Schwartz" <expresso@snip.net>
Date: Sat, 18 Sep 1999 23:09:41 -0500
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" ; format="flowed"

        SCSIShare should do what you want... I know it works with scanners

At 10:13 PM 9/18/99 -0500, Alex Dearden wrote:
>Hello. Any one ever share a SCSI printer from a Mac?
>
>One printer hooked up via SCSI to one Mac, want to share it on an
>ehternet network...
>

Subject: Re: PostScript/non-PostScript
From: "Daniel L. Schwartz" <expresso@snip.net>
Date: Sun, 19 Sep 1999 10:01:51 -0500
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" ; format="flowed"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

        Since the original printer in question was a LaserJet 5 series, you
upgrade it by adding a PostScript=AE SIMM in one of the memory slots. Also,
you'll need to make sure the MIO card can handle the AppleTalk stack - Some
don't.

        Otherwise, you can use GDT (now Infowave) PowerPrint and=20
their PostScript
RIP software if you have a printer that only has a parallel port input.

        Lastly, you can use Birmy PowerRIP if the printer in question=20
is supported
by them. Their PostScript RIP is better than InfoWave's

        Cheers!
        Dan

At 05:18 PM 9/15/99 -0500, Jeff Johnson wrote:
>How can a non-PostScript printer be upgraded to PostScript?
>

Subject: cross-platform and MS Word
From: Lee <ldh@loop.com>
Date: Sun, 19 Sep 1999 17:00:09 -0500
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" ; format="flowed"

Hi,

Reaching at straws here, but in the name of brainstorming ........

If I recall, Word 5.1 has a known problem with "out of memory" messages.
You might find something about this on macfixit, or one of the other Mac
probelms and error sites.

Also, if I recall, Word does a thing called "fast save" which, if i
understand correctly, simply keeps adding revision layers to the original
text file, but doesn't actually create a whole, fresh, new text document
when you save.

Again, just brainstorming, but perhaps being on a floppy exacerbates those
two problems. Did you try saving the files to Hard Drive and opening?

Also, were the floppies PC formated in the home PC or on the Macs?
Sometimes head alignments are out of whack.

Perhaps turning off "fast save," patching the "out of memory problem"
(wish I could point you to a specific site,) and double-checking the
floppies. (They're not good for infinite writing and rewriting you know)
might help.

Again, this is all in the name of brainstorming and trying to he helpful.
Even as I finish this I feel like I haven't really helped any. Hope you
find otherwise.

Lee

>
>However, this week four of my students -- one in one section and
>three in another section of the course, each student working at a
>different computer have experienced the same problem -- after saving
>their word document to a pc disk - the document refused to open --
>when we attempt to open the document in Microsoft Word 5.1, we either
>get an error message that says "not enough memory"... or Word 5.1
>just grinds way until we have to force quit. If we try to open the
>document in Word98, the error message "this is not a word document"
>appears...
>

Subject: plea from the moderator
From: Marc Bizer <mlbizer@mail.utexas.edu>
Date: Sun, 19 Sep 1999 17:22:36 -0500
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" ; format="flowed"

Hi everyone,

        Would people please try to pare down the amount of quoted
text in their postings to the list. It is not infrequent for me to
see a 3-line response followed by 20+ lines of quoted text!

        --list mom

Subject: Re: [WinMac] cross-platform and MS Word
From: Tim Scoff <casper@nb.net>
Date: Sun, 19 Sep 1999 17:23:12 -0500
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" ; format="flowed"

I have the extension to fix that memory problem. If anyone e-mails
me I will send it to them off the list. It's small, but inappropiate
to post to a list serve.

Tim Scoff, MCSE
casper@nb.net
<http://www.nb.net/~casper/>

Microsoft Windows NT 4.0. The world's only fully buzzword compliant
Operating System.

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