urgent help required!

[wb]

a friend of mine has to hand in an essay at 1.30.

she wrote it on her laptop (she does not know what version of windows she has, or anything about the laptop) which is at home.

she saved the essay to a disk key, but when she tried to open it in college, the file opened up with all boxes and triangles and was basically incomprehensible. we tried to open it in word and wordpad, but it is still the same. she does not know what type of file she saved it in.

when you put the key in, the unopened file just has a little windows thingy on it??

any help would be really really really appreciated.

thanks

[Fadetoblack]

You will get better help along the way but I think the only way to fis it is to save it as a file that can be read on the other computer...(or get the software for it on the other computer)

[wb]

You will get better help along the way but I think the only way to fis it is to save it as a file that can be read on the other computer...(or get the software for it on the other computer)

its just that the laptop (which has the original file) is at home.

she only has it with her on the disk key - and we are not allowed to download stuff for the college pc's.

[Fadetoblack]

I think she's in trouble so...you see she would have saved it at home...say on a different type of word software to what they have in the college...the only way to have fixed it was to "save as"....then the software used in the college....I'm sure the lecturers won't mind..it's a common problem

[wb]

crap. bloody files

[vegyjones]

I hate it when that happens! ;fire

Hmm, operhaps I can help...

If it is an essay on the need for self stimulation
among adolescent men using pictures
odf naked women aged eighty and above

I can e-mail it to her!!!

[wb]

:laugh :laugh

I think she is screwed (regarding the essay vegy :) )


we are using windows 98, and i think her laptop has xp :(

[sparkyminer]

Just a thought. Try changing the font.

[vegyjones]

Of all the rediculous suggestions! :rolleyes:

[sparkyminer]

Of all the rediculous suggestions! :rolleyes:
Watch it presto. :D

[vegyjones]

I'm not 12! :yikes:

[wb]

No joy.

Basically, i dont think there is a way of opening an xp word processing file on windows 98 :(

[mathare]

No joy.

Basically, i dont think there is a way of opening an xp word processing file on windows 98 :(It's the Office version that matters, not the operating system.

If she saved the file on a more recent version of Office than is running on the Win 98 PC that could explain things. She needs to find a machine running a later version of Office and try re-saving as a backwards compatible version by the sound of it.

[sparkyminer]

No joy.

Basically, i dont think there is a way of opening an xp word processing file on windows 98 :(
If it's works or word it should open methinks and be legible. That's just my gut feeling, no proof either way.:)

[sparkyminer]

It's the Office version that matters, not the operating system.

If she saved the file on a more recent version of Office than is running on the Win 98 PC that could explain things. She needs to find a machine running a later version of Office and try re-saving as a backwards compatible version by the sound of it.
I think that's what I was trying to say. :doh :D

[wb]

it was definitley not word. she is trying to find someone with a laptop and perhaps copy and paste it to a compatible file, but she only has 24 mins left :yikes:

[Win2Win]

Have you IMPORTING it into word? Try different file formats.

[mathare]

when you put the key in, the unopened file just has a little windows thingy on it??Can you give any more details here Wayne?

Do you mean the file icon just appears as the Windows icon? If so, the operating system doesn't know what application to open the file with which would indicate that it is a non-compatible file type.

You could try renaming the file as a .txt file and seeing if that helps any. I doubt it will but you can try...

Start Menu - Run - cmd (or is it command on '98?)
In the window that pops up navigate to external device by typing X: where X is letter of disk key drive
ren <file>.doc <file>.txt

Then try opening in Notepad or similar.

Basically you need to ensure the file isn't corrupt which means you need a more modern version of Office than you have access to at present. Any other PCs about? Can she submit the essay on the disk key?

[vegyjones]

22 minutes and counting...

Wayne's friend = :thechop

[mathare]

it was definitley not word. she is trying to find someone with a laptop and perhaps copy and paste it to a compatible file, but she only has 24 mins left :yikes:What does she use to write the essay? If she doesn't even know that she ought to be banned from using a PC :wink

[vegyjones]

What does she use to write the essay?
The Keyboard! :doh

[sparkyminer]

What happens if it's not in at 1.30? Tell her to go home and fetch the laptop if it's that important. Nowt's going to happen to the essays before the end of the day .

[vegyjones]

She will be FAILED!!!

I know, I'm the examiner! :D

[sparkyminer]

I wouldn't go to a college that wasn't on XP anyway. :laugh :laugh :laugh

[mathare]

I think before we help the lass anymore we should see a photo of her :D

[vegyjones]

You're about 50 years too old to go to college! :doh

[mathare]

You're about 50 years too old to go to college! :dohYou're never too old to perv at college girls though

[wb]

thanks everyone. she is going to try contact the department. mathare, when the we go to open the file, it asks us in what format do we want. the best out of the lot was wordpad (semi -readable) im kind of banging my head against the wall, cos she has not got a clue about her laptop!

sparkyminer, Ill have you know that i go to one of the top universitys in Ireland :)

(although they dont have xp :( - so mabey they are not all that good after all :) )

[wb]

You're about 50 years too old to go to college! :doh

im 25!!!

anyway, she is a slim pretty blonde 18 year old girl who needs help............ of course im going to try help her :D

[sparkyminer]

You're never too old to perv at college girls though
You'll do for me Mat.:D

[vegyjones]

Top University in Ireland?? :doh

That's like saying, I live near the best beach resort in East London

[wb]

Top University in Ireland?? :doh

That's like saying, I live near the best beach resort in East London


From ucd.ie:

UCD Computing Services provide IT services and infrastructure for academic staff and students in University College Dublin. UCD Computing Services is committed to supporting the University's core missions of education, research and service by assisting staff and students to reach their goals through the delivery of customer focused, quality IT products, support and services.We dont give a f**k about wbailey and the pretty 18 year old in his class though, and we did not bother to splash out on xp :)

[plater]

Tell her to give the disk to the examiner and tell him "if he can open it she will give him an A for his IT knowledge" :doh , failing that take it to the IT dept smartish :D

[plater]

Ha, can she email the file to see if any of us can open it and save it for her :wiggle:

[mathare]

anyway, she is a slim pretty blonde 18 year old girl who needs help............ of course im going to try help her :DPhoto!

[mathare]

You'll do for me Mat.:D:yikes: :wink

[wb]

Photo!

ok

[Fadetoblack]

Top University in Ireland?? :doh

That's like saying, I live near the best beach resort in East London

:laugh

[sparkyminer]

You'll do for me Mat.:D
Not in the biblical sense, obviously. :rolleyes: :)

[Win2Win]

You sure that'a a girl!!

[Fadetoblack]

It's something anyway..

[MarcusMel]

Who has been playing with a photo editor?

[Fadetoblack]

Dear God...hopefully someone.....

[Racer]

One other thing............She didnt by any chance encypt the file? If thats the case the only way to de-crypt it is to use the software to do that, i.e. use it at the PC where you're trying to run it on (in college).

Hopefully though thats not the case.

[Win2Win]

Methinks Wyane should have got to Specsavers :D

[TheOldhamWhisper]

This might be a bit late but I'm pretty sure it's the same problem I come across day-in, day-out. Many laptops arrive with a nice free copy of Microsoft WORKS - which of course, being a Microsoft product in not compatible with either the Wordpad or any other Office program!!! There might be an option in Works to save it in a different format that can be read by a program that most of the modern world actually uses!

[Win2Win]

You've noticed that as well Oldham :laugh

I LUV MICROSOFT* :D






*Like **** I do!!

[wb]

:laugh :laugh :laugh

just type in 'ugly blonde' into google images. and there ya go.

she went to the department in the end and got a 1 day extension..........


:( Im not her knight in shining armour :(