It is not the pointing out of inaccuracies that I would question - though I
have posted none in this thread - but the persistence in creating an
argument where none is required, misrepresenting what was posted, simply to
show off some largely irrelevant point that you have a bee in your bonnet
about. I am not always right, and my ego is not so fragile that I cannot
publically admit when I am wrong. I am not wrong on this occasion.
In 1994 when these documents were created, I was working in the field of
computer crime investigation. The need to open password protected documents
was something that was a regular requirement. Software has improved and PCs
have become faster since then, but the essential truth remains that it is
not easy or quick to break other than simple passwords. I never said at any
time that software would not help - but that it *could* take a seriously
long time. Better to know the limitations of password cracking software
before forking out $40 or so, than to sit waiting for the software to crack
a single password with a whole box of discs sitting on the table (or
transferred to the PC) waiting to be processed. For some life is too short
to do that.
If you are going to waste my time in arguments, at least have the courtesy
to respond to what I actually wrote. I didn't mention e-mail at all! E-mail
would be another acceptable method of data transfer and there are others too
that would work. I didn't mention those either.
There is ample anecdotal evidence that suggests when working with flash
memory and Word you *may* run into problems that will cause data loss. I did
not say that you *will* run into problems or that the problem was the flash
media itself. I merely recommended a way of using it that was safe, and in
the context of the OPs problem that was all that was required. It was you
who chose to make an issue of it for. As you say, people come here for
problem resolution. The problem posed by the user was addressed accurately
by my original answer. The user has not been back to argue the point - and
may have been deterred from doing so, by your need to polish your ego, so we
may never know his thoughts on the matter.
My 'goal' was merely to suggest an approach that would work in the context
of the OPs problems. From the information the OP provided, the answer I
provided was correct then and is still correct now. There was no need
whatsoever for a technical treatise on the merits or otherwise of flash
media. Only you have served to obfuscate the issue with your inaccurate
ramblings about password cracking and by introducing a wholly unneccessary
diatribe about flash memory - which while right as far is goes, is not
relevant to the problem in hand, and if followed *may* as opposed to *will*
result in the loss of the OPs data from the flash memory.
The subject of the post was (and still is) "breaking passwords on discs
containing Word docs". It seems that you paid scant regard to the word
'discs' and the fact that the the OP did not have a floppy drive to access
them, but had a friend with a floppy drive, so the issues raised included
that of getting the information from the friend to the PC without the floppy
drive or there would have been no point in his mentioning of it.
Your first reply which you believe answered the question was simply a link
to Google - if you had wanted to be really offensive you could have used
http://lmgtfy.com/?q=word+document+passwords which would have sent the same
unhelpful message in an altogether more pointed way.
So you expect others to educate, while you simply sneer? Is that the true
measure of your contributions to the forums?
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Graham Mayor - Word MVP
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No one is contending flash memory is more