Windows 7 more strange file saving

[benmcmnz]

very similar to compilers posts

os win7 + works 4.5 opens a .wps file. eg : simple.wps
edit the document and "save as" simple1.wps saved in same directory
check file in explorer : files simple.wps and simple1.wps.doc now exist.
attempting to open file simple1.wps.doc from within explorer results in Word opening and gobbledy gook . useless
attempting to open simple1.wps.doc from within Works, does not open. unsupported file type? useless
If i rename the file by removing .doc, file opens in Works as it should.
why will it no longer save a file as .wps as it should?

any new ideas

 

[Fixer1234]

The problem is probably the .doc extension that is being added when you save. The file is saving in .wps format but the wrong filetype name is being appended. Word sees the .doc and opens it as a .doc file, which it isn't, so the results are gibberish trying to make sense of the wrong format. Works doesn't open .doc files so it doesn't even try when it sees the .doc extension.

It sounds like you might be specifying the .doc extension when you save. The file extension is the "code" for what kind of file it is so Windows and applications know how to handle it. In most cases, the application software (like Works), will automatically add the correct extension. If it has the ability to save in more than one format, there will be a pull-down list below where you specify the filename, which enables you to select the format that you want. The filetype extension may or may not appear as part of the filename in the box where you type the name. You can't use the filetype extension as part of your own file naming convention because it serves a critical function. If you want to save a file in a different format, the software must actually save the file in that format; the filename extension just identifies what was done.

 

[benmcmnz]

thanks for your reply.
When in Works if I just " save" the file the .doc has become the default file extension. It used to be .wps
It does not matter if I choose to " save as " file type [ pick any option ] the .doc extension is always added
the question is: how do I return the default file type back to .wps and make it stay?

 

[Fixer1234]

I don't use Works but if the settings are accessed similar to Word, it would be through a menu that opens when you click on a button in the upper left corner of the window. There is a button on that bottom of that menu called Options. If Works doesn't have such a button, this kind of thing would typically be on a Tools tab of a menu bar, under something like options, preferences, or customization.

That said, Works is not behaving properly. It should not be possible, through normal use, to associate the .doc extension with the .wps format (Works is actually saving as .wps but then attaching the wrong extension). Sounds like something became corrupted and the fix for that is probably not something you can do by selecting a default format--the default format is already correct. It sounds like Works thinks that .doc is the correct extension for the .wps format.

Microsoft likely has a utility to clean up corruption of this type. In the Uninstall a Program window of the Control Panel, Works may have an option for repairing it or reinstalling it. I did a quick search for a separate utility and found ones to fix corruption in each document, but didn't spot one to fix Works, itself. You could go on the Microsoft support web site and do some looking around. Someone else on this forum may know how to surgically fix this name association.