I’ve recently started experiencing these “copy and paste” problems with Works. I haven’t changed anything on my computer so I assumed that it occurred from the automatic updates that Microsoft periodically downloads. The “paste special” option helps sometimes but that option doesn’t always appear as a selection in the “Edit” section. One example, for many years, I always liked to type up my eBay item descriptions in Works first and then paste them into the description box on eBay when I was ready to list the item. I no longer can do this so I have to retype the descriptions (which can be long sometimes because they are in HTML code) with every listing. I really hope they come up with an actual fix, this is not good.
Enable Copy and Paste in Internet Explorer
In this case, you are trying to copy from Microsoft Works to eBay’s description field, correct? If so, it may be that your Internet browser is restricting copy and paste. If so, try changing the copy and paste setting in Internet Explorer’s Options menu. Do this by going to Tools > Internet Options > Security. Select the globe icon and then click Custom Level. Scroll down until you find Misc > “Drag and drop or copy and paste files.” Change this from Disable to either Enable or Prompt.
Ebay’s HTML Tab
Since you mentioned eBay and HTML in the same breath, let’s also take a look at how to enter HTML in the eBay description form. It sounds like you have a Works document containing the HTML code for your commonly listed item. If you copy and paste this HTML into the standard description form, all of your HMTL codes will show up as codes rather than carrying out the specific commands. For example, <table border=”0″> and other HTML commands will appear as text complete with the codes rather than carrying out the command such as creating a table for coloring a font.
Fortunately, the description form for eBay also has an HTML component. However, the HTML tab isn’t viewable if you are using eBay’s simple form. If you are creating a listing in the simple form, you’ll need to go to the top of this form and find the link that says, “Switch to Form with More Choices.” Now, when you go to the Description form, you will see a Standard tab as well as an HTML tab. Click the tab labeled HTML and paste your HTML into that form instead. Now, click the Standard tab and you should see your description nicely formatted with all of your HTML instructions properly carried out.
Using Notepad
Finally, if copying the text from Works into the HTML tab still gives you problems, try copying the text into Notepad first and then copying from Notepad to the HTML tab of eBay’s description form.
Celeste Stewart | June 15th, 2009
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