Frequently Asked Questions

Question
Answer
After I upgraded to version 2.6, my serial numbers don't work.
If you have serial numbers that start with WR250-, change that portion to WR260-.
When installing version 2.60.7 for Windows and choosing the “standalone” option, no files get installed.
This is a known problem with this version of the installer. Reinstall choosing the "standalone without login" option. After the program is installed, you can change to the "standalone with login" option by selecting "Administrator Preferences" from the File menu. The default administrator password is "goodwriter".
In Windows 98 only, Writer's Companion and Companion Network Server will not run if Novell client is running on the computer.
This is a known conflict between Novell client and Writer's Companion / Companion Network Server on Windows 98. We are investigating the situation. For now, the workaround is to prevent Novell client from starting when the computer starts up, or uninstall Novell client from the computer.
After selecting "Check for Updates" from the Help menu, I am told an update was downloaded, but the version doesn't change after I restart the program.
The automatic updates are for version 2.6 and above. To get version 2.6, call the publisher, Visions Technology, at 800-877-0858. Downloadable updates for versions 2.5 and 2.6 should be available soon from the download page.
How do I set up Writer's Companion so that the students' files are on the network?
Is Writer's Companion available for Windows NT?
Since version 2.0, Writer's Companion is not compatible with Windows NT. If you want to use the program on Windows NT, you'll need the earlier 1.10 version. Send us email for more information.
I am asked for the serial number every time I open Writer's Companion.

This only happens on Windows machines that have been set up to limit the normal user's ability to save and open. In this case, you need to be in Administrator mode when you install Writer's Companion and when you run it for the first time and type in the serial numbers.

Specifically, you need read/write access to the Windows folder and the Window\System32 folder when you type in the serial number or it won't be saved.

You find that your students are losing some of their writing when they save.
We have recently identified a bug. As of 3/17/04, we are still working on it and will have a fix in the next two weeks. Until then, have your students go back to Brainstorm before they save every time and this will entirely avoid the bug.
In Windows, Writer's Companion either fails to start or gives me an error message such as "ordinal 56 could not be located in the dll ibmeci.dll".

We have traced this problem to a conflict with text to speech programs such as ViaVoice, Co:Writer and Write:Out Loud. We are working on a permanent solution but have some workarounds for now.

1) Update to the latest versions of these programs and try Writer's Companion again. If this doesn't solve the problem, try one of the other two options below.

2 ) Uninstall these programs from your system and then reinstall Writer's Companion.

3) Disable text to speech in Writer's Companion by first updating to version 2.05, and then applying an additional patch file. The patch file is a zip archive which contains a file called writer.dxr that you should place in the directory c:\Program Files\Visions Technology\Writer's Companion, replacing the writer.dxr file that is already there. The "c:" may be "d:", "e:", etc. on your system depending on the location of your default Program Files directory.

What is the history of revisions for Writer's Companion? Read the release notes.

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