WD: Incorrect Characters Saving from MacWord as MS-DOS Text
Article ID: 132915
Article Last Modified on 1/19/2007
APPLIES TO
- Microsoft Word 98 for Macintosh
- Microsoft Word 97 Standard Edition
- Microsoft Word 6.0 Standard Edition
- Microsoft Word 6.0a
- Microsoft Word 6.0c
- Microsoft Word 6.0 for Macintosh
- Microsoft Word 6.01 for Macintosh
- Microsoft Word 6.01 for Macintosh
This article was previously published under Q132915
SYMPTOMS
When a Word for the Macintosh 6.x or later document containing extended
characters (characters 128 through 255) is saved as MS-DOS Text or MS-DOS
Text With Line Breaks, the extended characters may appear as the wrong
extended characters, or as square boxes.
CAUSE
The extended characters are not correctly mapped to IBM Extended Character
Set (MS-DOS Code Page 437) equivalents. Characters are straight-mapped to
the same ordinal values. For example, Macintosh character 128, the Capital
A Dieresis, is mapped to Code Page 437 character 128, the C Cedilla
Capital. It should actually be mapped to Code Page 437 character 142, the
equivalent Capital A Dieresis.
WORKAROUND
To work around this problem, use either of the following methods.
Method 1
Search and replace the extended character in your Word document with the
numeric character value that coincides with the numeric value of the Code
Page 437 character it should have been mapped to.
For example, in the above scenario, you would replace all instances of
Macintosh character 128 with Macintosh character 142 and then save as MS-
DOS Text or MS-DOS Text With Line Breaks.
NOTE: Remember not to overwrite your original Word document after making
these changes.
Method 2
Search and replace these characters with the appropriate Code Page 437
character in your MS-DOS application following conversion.
STATUS
Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Word versions 6.x and
later for the Macintosh.
Additional query words: conversion convert converted converts converting translation translated translates translating transfer transferred transfers transferring
Keywords: kbbug kbfont kbinterop kbconversion KB132915