Re: Off-Topic -- Apparently intractable problem with MSWord

[Leslie Bialler lb136@xxxxxxxx]

BrennerNY@xxxxxxxx wrote:

>   I apologize for taking the list's time with a non-Xywrite question. But
> there's a chance that one of you can shed some light on this problem:
>   Several weeks ago, my computer froze when I attempted to open a Word
> document on a Zip disk sent to me by a researcher with whom I am working.
>   The messages on the screen: "Error 1035 - Templates is not a short file
> name."

A guess: The files on the zip disk probably had a Word template attached to the
files. This template seems to have corrupted the files and/or your system. And
then there is this issue: the sulfnbk virus hoax. Has your dear friend Norman
Nitwit sent you this hoax warning and, worse, have you in fact panicked upon the
receipt of Norman's hysterical e-mail and deleted this file? You will not fail to
notice that the poor little file actually seems to perform some useful functions
that have to do with long file names.

"This warning is a hoax. It was originally issued in Portuguese but some nice
person translated it into English. The real sulfnbk.exe
program is a Windows program that is used to restore long file names. You will
find it in the \Windows\Command folder. Keep in
mind that sulfnbk.exe, like any executable program, could be infected with a
virus. You should regularly scan all the files on your
system using a current antivirus scanner to insure that none of them contains a
virus."

http://hoaxbusters.ciac.org/HBMalCode.shtml#sulfnbk


>
>   And "The system is dangerous low in resources. WinWord is not responding."

Does it really say "dangerous low" and not "dangerously low"? This would seem to
indicate a virus of some sort if so, as the evil-doing cybernarcissists who
persist in infecting the computers of good folks with their garbage are not
exactly known for their grammar and spelling skills.


>
>   I rebooted and tried again several times with the same result.

Word is corrupted alright.


>
>   The files I was opening had originally be MAC files,

There's a clue.


> which the researcher
> had translated for p/c so I could read them.

How? Have you asked?


> I had opened several without
> difficulty before disaster hit.
>   Since then, I can do anything on my computer except open any Word
> document.

Forsooth! A virus.


>
>   I write for a living and am computer-illiterate, but my computer guru has
> worked for hours to no avail trying to figure out what went wrong. He has
> taken the machine into his shop, run virus checks (finding nothing), deleted
> and reinstalled MS Word, and actually got it to function briefly, went to bed
> thinking it was fixed, and woke up the next day to find it broken again. He
> says this makes him think it's a virus of some kind -- but he's never
> encountered one like it, nor have the people he has consulted.

Did you check the MsWord website? Have you consulted with any member of Gates's
Army? You say this guy's a "guru." Does that mean he's a professional computer
tech, or is he the cyberworld's equivalent of your Uncle Max, who told Cousin
Amanda there was no reason for her family to hire a professional photographer for
her wedding, and that he could do it for free. And you know how _those_ pix turned
out.


>
>   Everything else seems fine, including Xywrite -- which thank God is what
> I work in. And I am using only a fraction of the hard drive capacity. But
> everyone with whom I communicate professionally sends me copy in Word. I
> can't function very long without it.

You think you are. Quite possibly your system is full of .TMP files. Some viruses
create such things. Run cleandisk. It will ask you if you want to delete .tmp
files and temporary internet files. You _certainly_ do. Let 'er rip.


>
>   The only remaining recourse I'm aware of is to remove and reinstall the
> operating system, which is Windows 98. I haven't yet tried that and naturally
> I'd rather avoid it if possible.

That might be the best thing.


>
>   Has any of you heard of anything like this before?
>

I went to the doctor and told him I felt sick. He said, "you ever have this
before?" I said "yeah." He said, "well, you got it again."
--Henny Youngman


--
Leslie Bialler, Columbia University Press
lb136@xxxxxxxx
61 W. 62 St, NYC 10023
212-459-0600 X7109 (phone) 212-459-3677 (fax)
> http://www.columbia.edu/cu/cup