I wasn't in a hurry to get the next version (the changes usually have a minimal impact on my usage of the program), but since there seems to be so MUCH concern about CNET, I did get the file from CNET and did the install. After answering the standard questions about where and how to install, I was offered an install of Google Chrome. Since I did not want it, I had to UNCHECK the box. The install then continued with no problem. If you already have Google Chrome, you may or may not see this step...I don't know. If you already have Google Chrome and fail to UNCHECK the box, it could potentially wipe out your current install leaving you with no bookmarks and all the settings returned to the defaults. Again...I don't know and I'm not going to find out. Anyone still having a cow about using CNET can use the link on the Irfanview page to OTHER DOWNLOAD SITES. I would expect the experience at these other sites would be exactly the same but I could be wrong so if you use them, you're on your own. I won't be using them and will have no comment on them. If you decide to install the additional plugins, you MUST close Irfanview first. The install will stop until you close Irfanview. Additionally, I went to the CNET site using Firefox with NoScript. This cuts down on the funny business that a lot of malicious sites throw at users with vulnerable browsers, particularly Internet Explorer. So if you go there with IE, I don't know what your experience will be. I can only tell you what my experience was. That was it...no strain no pain. This post was edited by azinoh on Thu, Jun 26, 14 at 6:28

Now even I had to look up an acronym - SIL. ;-) Ok, so you have MS Works XLR & WPS files. The problems you are having - or going to have - is that Works is old, and the Office XP Pro your SIL gave you is also old, being actually Office 2002, version 10 of Office. If you don't have too many files, I think your best bet is to try an online file converter. Zamzar claims to be able to open and convert Works files. http://www.zamzar.com/ Save : XLR (spreadsheet) files to xlsx WPS (word) files to docx If you don't want to buy a new version of MS Office, try installing LibreOffice - the newer version of OpenOffice - and it will open xlsx and docx files [ If you want to stick with your SIL's MS Office XP Pro, then convert those files to xls & doc files, respectively. That version of Office is very old though. ] There are other ways of handling this, but probably if you you're going to try anything else, your best bet would be buy MS Works off Ebay or Amazon for $10 or so, open and convert all the files. Btw, you can't even open a .doc file in Office XP Pro ?? That's not a good sign - probably a sign of corruption. Btw #2 - When you say you can't open files, I take it they are on your current hard drive, and not within some compressed backup folder. That is, not within a zip file or the like. Re your backup cds : Can you load one of them, then rummage around in their files and tell us what you find ? (as in, names of files and extensions ?) Most likely they are proprietary formats, but if we know what they are, we could perhaps tell you how to retrieve them. Last, anyway you can get the hard drive back from the repair service ? Probably not, but it would be a second source of backup files. Let us know how it all works out.

I have 4.25 but it has a problem and I do not know how to fix it. When I click on the icon the page pops up with a black screen. I can go ahead and use it like I have in the past and the black screen goes away. If anyone knows how to fix this black screen I would love to know how. Other than this it works great. I couldn't be without it. I use it almost everyday.

Is this a new graphic? What happens with ones you know have worked in the past? Does it work right in Irfanview or another viewer? I'm using Opera and it's not looking as I'd guess it was intended to look. Also tried Chrome, IE and Nightly. In IE it's not animated but the graphic looks fine. Maybe the graphic itself is corrupted.