EMERGENCY - opening .docx files in Word 2004

[paepstein]

Version: 2004
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger)
Processor: Power PC

I'm sorry if this question has already been asked but I am having a serious emergency and don't have time to search (did a quick one, didn't see anything).

I use MS Office 2008 at home, which automatically saves Word documents as .docx files. However, I am currently using another computer which has Office 2004 and it will not open the .docx files!!!!

According to the "Info," the file is a .zip archive, but of course it is not, and trying to open the archive naturally doesn't work. When I try to open through Word 2004 it asks how to convert the file but just opens a page of numbers and random letters and symbols.

I need these documents by 1pm today, have no way of going back to my computer, and am about to have a major panic attack. PLEASE HELP!!!

 

[Corentin Cras-Méneur]

I use MS Office 2008 at home, which automatically saves Word documents
as .docx files. However, I am currently using another computer which has
Office 2004 and it will not open the .docx files!!!!

1) update Office 2004 all the way to 11.5.1 (11.5 is a combo updater,
you only need 11.5 and 11.5.1)

2) download and install from the Mactopia site the XML converter for
Office 2004.

3) there is no 3 ;-) From there on you should be able to open these
files.


Corentin

 

[CyberTaz]

At the very least you need the Converters which you'll find here:

<http://www.microsoft.com/mac/downloads.mspx?pid=Mactopia_AddTools&fid=6B923
8E1-CF69-48C4-BF2D-C4A8ACEEE520#viewer>

Additionally ‹ depending on the update status of Office on that system ‹ you
may also need the updated version of AutoUpdate and it would be best for
Office to be at 11.5.1, so I'd suggest you use Help> Check for Updates. If
Office *isn't* at 11.5.0 or later you'll have to drag files to the Converter
before you'll be able to open them, whereas 11.5.0 assimilates the Converter
so you can open the OXML directly from within Word.

HTH |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

 

[paepstein]

THANK YOU - this worked. Wow, feeling a lot less panic right now.

=)

 

[CyberTaz]

Glad to hear it - hope all went well!

Regards |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac