Replacing "N&I" Paint with Old MS Paint (yet again!)

Background:

Some buffoon at Microsoft decided a while ago that rather than have the 'TAB' key work as expected in a TEXT BOX that folks would find it better/more use (shrugs) to have the TAB key skip to the adjustment handles around the outside of the text box instead of adding spaces between text as expected! I have called this version of Paint 'N&I Paint' standing for 'New & Improved' somewhat sarcastically!

I've visited this twice before (last thread was this) and thought I'd documented the procedure carefully enough to replicate it on other machines should the need arise.

I thought I'd already done this on my wife's netbook but turns out I hadn't! So, I dug out the procedure and followed it - only it hasn't worked and I get an error.

This is what I've done.

My wife's netbook is running Windows 10 ver. 21H2 / 8Gb RAM / Core i5-8265U @ 1.6GHz

My wife's netbook has two m.2 NVMe SSD drives (called C: and D:)

C: is the system disk containing the Windows folder, Program Files and Program Files (x86), etc.

D: is the data disk containing Documents, Photos, Downloads, Music, etc.



I copied an old version of MS Paint (version 10.0.19041.1) from another pc to a folder called OLD MSPAINT on a USB stick.

This folder contains the file MSOldPaintx64.exe and the folder en-GB. The en-GB folder contains the file MSOldPaintx64.exe.mui.

I have copied the OLD MSPAINT folder from the USB stick into C:\Program Files so that this folder in C: drive contains the MSOldPaintx64.exe file and the en-GB folder.

The OLD MSPAINT folder has also been copied to D:\Computing Stuff\Windows 10.

I have created a shortcut pointing to D:\Computing Stuff\Windows 10\MSOldPaintx64.exe (which is what my instructions say).

When I click on the shortcut, I get the message 'Unable to create new document'.

I thought that I must have made a mistake and made another shortcut pointing to C:\Program Files\OLD MSPAINT\MSOldPaintx64.exe.

I get the same error message: 'Unable to create new document'.

I have (successfully) done the above procedure on my desktop machine which is similarly configured (except the drives are C: [system disk] and W: [data disk]).

I don't understand why the procedure isn't working on the netbook.

Any help (in really step-by-step, easy to understand, treat me as an idiot instructions) gratefully received.

Art

Nobody able to help??

Art

Art,

The answer has not changed since the last time.
- You should find it if you look back through your threads
- I think it's this one
my ditty - rescue components, file assns, substitutions [post #8] - TenForums

I still think all that messing about replacing things is pointless. You will be no better off than if you had simply
- re-used that older Paint version, and
- created your own shortcuts to it, and
- changed you png, jpg, bmp, … file associations to point to your older Paint version.

Merry Christmas,
Denis

This is how tab has always worked in these types of programs. Paint is not a Word processing program.

Art,

But I do agree that the change in behaviour, that you reported, has happened.

In both these examples, I created a text box then typed
testTABandTABtrace

MSPaint - WinXP {my most readily-to-hand old version}


MSPaint - Win10 {v21H2}



Denis

bro67 said:

This is how tab has always worked in these types of programs. Paint is not a Word processing program.

Sorry, no, I disagree.

This 'feature' was discussed in this thread: New Microsoft Paint Accessibility Features in Windows 10 version 1903

In the days before `Windows 10' or, more specifically before Windows 10 ver.1903 when this 'feature' was introduced, a TEXT box in paint responded to the TAB key as you would expect - it would insert a variable number of spaces up to a tab stop. You could also continue to enter text after pressing the TAB key.

From Win 10 ver. 1903 onwards, pressing the TAB key switches the focus to the text box 'handles' around the outside and further text entry is blocked. There is no way to revert back (as far as I know) to text entry in the text box. WHY?? Did the muppet that "designed" this feature never use a TAB key before (and think it was an "unused or neglected key") or consider that some would prefer the previous action of the TAB key and offer it as a switchable choice rather than foisting this change on everyone? What is even more puzzling to me (apart from this muppet) is the person (or persons) that signed it off agreeing it was a good idea.

I agree with you that Paint is not a Word Processing program but it does have a text box and you can enter and edit text (albeit in a very limited way).

@Try3

Thanks Denis.

I'll have a look back at those posts and try again.

Hope you had a lovely Christmas.

Best wishes for the New Year!

Art

Happy New Year Folks!

After creating a shortcut to the .exe file (or even simply clicking on the .exe file) I get the error message "Unable to create new document".

The built-in version of Paint works without this error.

Any ideas??

Art

ArthurDent said:

After creating a shortcut to the .exe file (or even simply clicking on the .exe file) I get the error message "Unable to create new document".

Art,
That particular error is caused by forgetting to copy across the language-specific subfolder.


The Ed Tittel guide to rescuing old Windows components is at
https://searchenterprisedesktop.tech...-from-Oblivion

Happy New Year,
Best of luck,
Denis