diff --git a/PROMS/VEPROMS.CSLA.Library/Extension/DisplayText.cs b/PROMS/VEPROMS.CSLA.Library/Extension/DisplayText.cs
index e702bf60..9c351b8b 100644
--- a/PROMS/VEPROMS.CSLA.Library/Extension/DisplayText.cs
+++ b/PROMS/VEPROMS.CSLA.Library/Extension/DisplayText.cs
@@ -58,6 +58,14 @@ namespace VEPROMS.CSLA.Library
 			FormatInfo format = itemInfo.ActiveFormat;
 			if (epMode == E_EditPrintMode.Print || vwMode == E_ViewMode.View) text = DoReplaceWords(text, format);
 
+			// as a precaution, convert any \~ to \u160?. This is for Hard spaces.. see the commentary in the
+			// save portion of this code for an explanation.
+			text = text.Replace(@"\~", @"\u160?");
+
+			// replace the dash/hyphen or whatever you want to call it, with a hard hyphen.  The 16-bit program
+			// treated the dash/hyphen as such.  Translate back on any data saves.
+			text = text.Replace(@"-", @"\u8209?");
+
 			// displayTextElement List items are created for anything that is handled differently in RTB, i.e.
 			// symbols, ros, trans, text.
 			int startIndex = 0;
@@ -272,14 +280,31 @@ namespace VEPROMS.CSLA.Library
 		}
 		private void RtfToDisplayTextElements(RichTextBox rtb)
 		{
+			// For hardspaces, the windows richtextbox does some 'quirky' things:
+			// A unicode representation of \u160? is sent INTO the rtb.  Coming out, 
+			// that \u160? was translated to a \~ (by the underlying windows rtb).
+			// Note that if the \~ is sent to the rtb, it is treated as a regular space,
+			// i.e. no longer a hardspace, and actually is converted to a regular space.
+			// SO, on the way out, convert any \~ to \u160?
+			string noExtraRtfStr = rtb.Rtf.Replace(@"\~", @"\u160?");
+
+			
 			// GetFontTable returns a non-negative number font number in the
 			// font table for the unicode font, if it is used (otherwise -1)
 			//int unicodeFont = GetFontTable(rtb.Rtf);
 			
 			// strip off all rtf commands...
-			string noExtraRtfStr = StripRtfCommands(rtb.Rtf);
+			noExtraRtfStr = StripRtfCommands(noExtraRtfStr);
 			//Console.WriteLine("StripRtf: {0}", noExtraRtfStr);
 
+			// Also, set back the hard dash to a regular dash...  Do this after the removal
+			// of other rtf commands though since the \u8209 was surrounded by font commands
+			// that, without there removal first, was also removing the dash.  Have it with 
+			// a space & without because if it is at the end, there will be no space (leave
+			// it to rtf processing to make it more complicated)
+			noExtraRtfStr = noExtraRtfStr.Replace(@"\u8209? ", @"-");
+			noExtraRtfStr = noExtraRtfStr.Replace(@"\u8209?", @"-");
+
 			DisplayTextElementList.Clear();
 			int startIndex = 0;
 			int index = -1;