Opening an encrypted file.

[Andy819]

I have used AppleWorks 5.0 for many years on my G4 and recently I had to upgrade to AppleWorks 6.0 because my computer hard drive crashed. When I rebuilt it I upgraded my system software to 10.3.9. Once I did that I found the new operating system didn't come with AppleWorks so I downloaded AppleWorks 6.0 from the Apple Store. Now I have found that I can't open my encrypted files. I have files with my business accounting information encrypted and AppleWorks 6.0 doesn't seem to give me the ability to open them or at least I don't know how. Does anyone have any suggestions or will I have to buy AppleWorks 5.0 and reload that software on my computer?

[Barry]

I have used AppleWorks 5.0 for many years on my G4 and recently I had to upgrade to AppleWorks 6.0 because my computer hard drive crashed. When I rebuilt it I upgraded my system software to 10.3.9. Once I did that I found the new operating system didn't come with AppleWorks so I downloaded AppleWorks 6.0 from the Apple Store. Now I have found that I can't open my encrypted files. I have files with my business accounting information encrypted and AppleWorks 6.0 doesn't seem to give me the ability to open them or at least I don't know how. Does anyone have any suggestions or will I have to buy AppleWorks 5.0 and reload that software on my computer?

Hi Andy,

Since your question concerns AppleWorks opening encrypted AppleWorks files and makes no mention whatever of iWork, I'm mystified as to why you've posted it in the iWork Help forum.

To your question:

To the best of my knowledge, AppleWorks 5 does not offer the option of encrypting files (nor does AppleWorks 6), or of opening files that have been ecrypted. AppleWorks does allow you to set a password for a file, but the only effect of the password is to require that password to be supplied in order to open the file using AppleWorks. Any other application capable of opening that type of Appleworks file will ignore the password requirements.

That makes it pretty easy to recover the text of word processor documents (open them in Text Edit, then remove the 'garbage'), but doesn't help a lot with other types, unless you have an application (other than AppleWorks) that will open them. For spreadsheets, you might try ICExcel, which I believe also opens AW spreadsheets.

Since you had AppleWorks 5 installed previously, you should also have the installer, either as part of the Bundled software included with the Mac OS 9 (or earlier) installation disks that came with the G4 (if it was one of the consumer models) or as the separate installation disk(s) that came with the retail AppleWorks 5 package (if your G4 was one of the professional models). Provided your Panther install included Mac OS 9 (which it did if you can run applications in the Classic environment) you'll be able to install AW 5 from those disks. If you don't have Classic/Mac OS 9 installed, you'll be unable to run either the AppleWorks 5 installer or AppleWorks 5 itself.

AppleWorks isn't part of any version of the Mac operating system. It was included in the software package bundled with consumer machines for a number of years.

You might also try reposting your question in the AppleWorks forum at Apple Discussions. There's at least one person there (who does not monitor this forum) who has offered assistance with similar problems before. The Discussions are here:
http://discussions.apple.com/index.jspa?ft=y

AppleWorks is listed with the Applications in the right hand column.

Regards.
Barry