compatibility with earlier versions of word for mac

[Can_tfindwhati_mlookingfor]

Version: 2008
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard)
Processor: Intel

I have a question about the version of Microsoft Word that comes with Office 2008 for Mac, and I haven't been able to find an answer on-line. On my previous Mac I had the "Word:Mac 2004" application. Using that application I was able to open all my Word documents that had been created with even earlier versions of Microsoft Word for Mac that I had owned, going back to about 1994. However, using the version of Word that comes with Office 2008 for Mac, the only earlier documents I am able to open (they open in "Compatability Mode") are the ones created with the "Word: Mac 2004" application. My earlier documents, which are of two types: "Microsoft Word 1.x-5.x document" and "Microsoft Word 97-2004 document" will not open in compatiblity mode, nor have I been able to figure out any other way to open these documents in Office 2008 for Mac. I tried changing the file names for these documents to add ".doc" and/or ".docx" but it did not help. Is there any way at all to open these earlier documents in the current version of Word, or am I limited in "Office 2008 for Mac" to only being able to open .docx and .doc documents?

 

[John McGhie]

Word 2008 has a protection in it that prevents it opening old file formats
from he Finder.

Make sure you have applied the latest updates: one of them relaxed the
protection so older documents will open.

Try File>Open and navigate to the file from within Word. This enables Word
to open everything it can open.

Now for the bad there are several versions of the .doc format, and
Word 2008 will open "most" of them, but not the very old ones.

You will not be able to open the very old Microsoft Word 1.x-5.x documents
in Word 2008, because it does not contain the old "Word 2" format converter.

Open such files in Word 2004 and save them as " Microsoft Word 97-2004
document" or as RTF and Word 2008 will open them straight up.

If you no longer have Word 2004, then use File>Open and change the Type to
"Recover Text from Any File". You will then get the text out, without the
formatting.

Hope this helps

Version: 2008
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard)
Processor: Intel

I have a question about the version of Microsoft Word that comes with Office
2008 for Mac, and I haven't been able to find an answer on-line. On my
previous Mac I had the "Word:Mac 2004" application. Using that application I
was able to open all my Word documents that had been created with even earlier
versions of Microsoft Word for Mac that I had owned, going back to about 1994.
However, using the version of Word that comes with Office 2008 for Mac, the
only earlier documents I am able to open (they open in "Compatability Mode")
are the ones created with the "Word: Mac 2004" application. My earlier
documents, which are of two types: "Microsoft Word 1.x-5.x document" and
"Microsoft Word 97-2004 document" will not open in compatiblity mode, nor have
I been able to figure out any other way to open these documents in Office 2008
for Mac. I tried changing the file names for these documents to add ".doc"
and/or ".docx" but it did not help. Is there any way at all to open these
earlier documents in the current version of Word, or am I limited in "Office
2008 for Mac" to only being able to open .docx and .doc documents?

--
Don't wait for your answer, click here: http://www.word.mvps.org/

Please reply in the group. Please do NOT email me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie, Microsoft MVP, Word and Word:Mac
Sydney, Australia. mailto:[email protected]

 

[Clive Huggan]

John, re:

Open such [Word 1.x-5.x] files in Word 2004 and save them as " Microsoft Word
97-2004 document" or as RTF and Word 2008 will open them straight up.

I think saving as "Word document" (i.e., the default) is all that's needed
in Word 2004, since "97-2004" isn't shown as one of the options. And unless
I'm mistaken, making a small change such as hitting the space bar then the
Delete key, then keying Command-s to save (i.e., not needing to Save As)
should be enough.

Please, tell me I'm not wrong. :-\ I have lots of this to do before I
move from Word 2004 -- punishment for sticking to Word 5.1a <nostalgic sigh>
for so long...

Cheers,
Clive
======

 

[John McGhie]

Hi Clive:

The only "Must Do" that I am aware of is that you MUST use "Save As".

If you simply dirty the file and save, Word will save back in the original
format, which Word 2008 can't open.

Cheers

John, re:

Open such [Word 1.x-5.x] files in Word 2004 and save them as " Microsoft Word
97-2004 document" or as RTF and Word 2008 will open them straight up.

I think saving as "Word document" (i.e., the default) is all that's needed
in Word 2004, since "97-2004" isn't shown as one of the options. And unless
I'm mistaken, making a small change such as hitting the space bar then the
Delete key, then keying Command-s to save (i.e., not needing to Save As)
should be enough.

Please, tell me I'm not wrong. :-\ I have lots of this to do before I
move from Word 2004 -- punishment for sticking to Word 5.1a <nostalgic sigh>
for so long...

Cheers,
Clive
======

Word 2008 has a protection in it that prevents it opening old file formats
from he Finder.

Make sure you have applied the latest updates: one of them relaxed the
protection so older documents will open.

Try File>Open and navigate to the file from within Word. This enables Word
to open everything it can open.

Now for the bad there are several versions of the .doc format, and
Word 2008 will open "most" of them, but not the very old ones.

You will not be able to open the very old Microsoft Word 1.x-5.x documents
in Word 2008, because it does not contain the old "Word 2" format converter.

Open such files in Word 2004 and save them as " Microsoft Word 97-2004
document" or as RTF and Word 2008 will open them straight up.

If you no longer have Word 2004, then use File>Open and change the Type to
"Recover Text from Any File". You will then get the text out, without the
formatting.

Hope this helps

--
Don't wait for your answer, click here: http://www.word.mvps.org/

Please reply in the group. Please do NOT email me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie, Microsoft MVP, Word and Word:Mac
Sydney, Australia. mailto:[email protected]

 

[Clive Huggan]

May goodness be heaped upon your altruistic head, my son... ;-)

CH
==

Hi Clive:

The only "Must Do" that I am aware of is that you MUST use "Save As".

If you simply dirty the file and save, Word will save back in the original
format, which Word 2008 can't open.

Cheers

John, re:

Open such [Word 1.x-5.x] files in Word 2004 and save them as " Microsoft
Word
97-2004 document" or as RTF and Word 2008 will open them straight up.

I think saving as "Word document" (i.e., the default) is all that's needed
in Word 2004, since "97-2004" isn't shown as one of the options. And unless
I'm mistaken, making a small change such as hitting the space bar then the
Delete key, then keying Command-s to save (i.e., not needing to Save As)
should be enough.

Please, tell me I'm not wrong. :-\ I have lots of this to do before I
move from Word 2004 -- punishment for sticking to Word 5.1a <nostalgic sigh>
for so long...

Cheers,
Clive
======

Word 2008 has a protection in it that prevents it opening old file formats
from he Finder.

Make sure you have applied the latest updates: one of them relaxed the
protection so older documents will open.

Try File>Open and navigate to the file from within Word. This enables Word
to open everything it can open.

Now for the bad there are several versions of the .doc format, and
Word 2008 will open "most" of them, but not the very old ones.

You will not be able to open the very old Microsoft Word 1.x-5.x documents
in Word 2008, because it does not contain the old "Word 2" format converter.

Open such files in Word 2004 and save them as " Microsoft Word 97-2004
document" or as RTF and Word 2008 will open them straight up.

If you no longer have Word 2004, then use File>Open and change the Type to
"Recover Text from Any File". You will then get the text out, without the
formatting.

Hope this helps

On 14/11/08 10:01 AM, in article (e-mail address removed)9absDaxw,
"(e-mail address removed)"

Version: 2008
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard)
Processor: Intel

I have a question about the version of Microsoft Word that comes with
Office
2008 for Mac, and I haven't been able to find an answer on-line. On my
previous Mac I had the "Word:Mac 2004" application. Using that application
I
was able to open all my Word documents that had been created with even
earlier
versions of Microsoft Word for Mac that I had owned, going back to about
1994.
However, using the version of Word that comes with Office 2008 for Mac, the
only earlier documents I am able to open (they open in "Compatability
Mode")
are the ones created with the "Word: Mac 2004" application. My earlier
documents, which are of two types: "Microsoft Word 1.x-5.x document" and
"Microsoft Word 97-2004 document" will not open in compatiblity mode, nor
have
I been able to figure out any other way to open these documents in Office
2008
for Mac. I tried changing the file names for these documents to add ".doc"
and/or ".docx" but it did not help. Is there any way at all to open these
earlier documents in the current version of Word, or am I limited in
"Office
2008 for Mac" to only being able to open .docx and .doc documents?