Corel Announces Paradox Support on Windows Vista – Service Pack 1 Released

Good News for Paradox Users?

While Paradox hasn’t retained the popularity that it once had, it’s still the database choice for a number of loyal programmers. However, there’s been a lot of frustration in that field since the release of Windows Vista. Although Paradox will run in Vista, there are numerous bugs that crop up in that environment. In the past, Corel has stated that it would not support Paradox in Vista, so diehard fans have had to find ways to work around those issues themselves.

However, it looks like Corel has had a change of heart and things may finally be changing. The good news is that the recent service pack released by Corel for WordPerfect Office X4 now includes support for Paradox on Windows Vista. The bad news is that the portion of the service pack available for download on the site doesn’t include the Paradox update. For that, you’ll have to contact Customer Support and request a CD to be mailed to your home.

Even though the information found on Corel’s web site implies that the CD is ready now, it seems like it will still be a few days before it’s ready to ship. I contacted Corel by phone on January 15, and after speaking to representatives from both Customer and Technical Support, I was told that the CDs wouldn’t be available for another two weeks. So, I’m keeping my fingers crossed and plan to call back at the end of the month.

The release from Corel is supposed to update Paradox from version 11.0.0.411 to 11.0.0.663. If you want to check what your current version is, the easiest way is to open the About window from the Help menu, assuming that you’ve already installed the software.

Installing Paradox

While you can view information about the version for other products in the WordPerfect Office X4 bundle directly from the installation CD, the notes on Paradox aren’t included here. In fact, even though Paradox is considered to be part of the Professional version of this suite, it requires a separate install than the rest of the items in the bundle. One quirky thing is that the option to install Paradox isn’t even given on the original setup screen shown below. (Click any image for a larger view.)

To install Paradox, you’ll have to find the separate setup file on the CD manually by following these steps.

Step 1: If you’re at the screen shown above, click on Explore the CD. If not, place the installation CD in your CD/DVD drive, and click on the option to Open folder to view files when the AutoPlay window appears.

Step 2: Next, open the folder labeled PDX.

Step 3: Double-click the file labeled setup. After this, an installer will walk you through the remaining steps of setting up the software.

Will the Service Pack Fix all Vista Issues?

Since the CDs haven’t shipped yet and there is no further information on the Corel web site, it remains unknown how many of the Paradox issues will be corrected with the installation of the service pack. However, the fact that the matter is being addressed at all by Corel gives hope to programmers who were starting to fear that Paradox might be abandoned altogether. So, here’s to hoping that this really is a positive sign and that we’ll see additional Paradox developments in the future.