How read doc x?

[kevs1]

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

What should I do? I saw some conversion app once, but it crashed when I tried to download it. Any tips appreciated.
I'm getting .docs files emailed to me.

Is there some nutcase at Microsoft who rubs his hands together in evil fashion and says to himself, "well, why don't we make our new customers write word files in a formate that least years customers wont be able to read - he he he he..."

 

[Michel Bintener]

Hi Kevs,

let's be fair: there is a converter application freely available on the
Microsoft website (direct download link: <http://tinyurl.com/mul85n> ).
Furthermore, if your copy of Office 2004 is entirely up-to-date, you should
be able to open and save these files natively in Word, Excel, and
PowerPoint.

 

[Jim Gordon MVP]

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

What should I do? I saw some conversion app once, but it crashed when I tried to download it. Any tips appreciated.
I'm getting .docs files emailed to me.

Is there some nutcase at Microsoft who rubs his hands together in evil fashion and says to himself, "well, why don't we make our new customers write word files in a formate that least years customers wont be able to read - he he he he..."

Hi Kevs,

Thanks for the laugh of the day.

Now everything is saved in plain text in order to satisfy the demands of
the open source community, which is the source of evil based on your
comments.

-Jim

 

[kevs1]

MIchel,
thanks, I'm on Word version 11.50
I thinks thats the most current update. no?

Jim,
Did not understand what you wrote. Whatever that person sent me, I couldn't open it or read it properly.

OK, I Downloaded the update. How can I test it out? I don't have that email handly anymore.

 

[John McGhie]

No. Word should be at 11.5.5 for the Converter to work properly.

When you have the converter installed, just double-click it. It's an
application. You can either drag files to it, or select a batch to convert
multiple files.

Check the Open XML Converter Help for more details.

MIchel,
thanks, I'm on Word version 11.50
I thinks thats the most current update. no?

Jim,
Did not understand what you wrote. Whatever that person sent me, I couldn't
open it or read it properly.

OK, I Downloaded the update. How can I test it out? I don't have that email
handly anymore.

This email is my business email -- Please do not email me about forum
matters unless you intend to pay!

--

John McGhie, Microsoft MVP (Word, Mac Word), Consultant Technical Writer,
McGhie Information Engineering Pty Ltd
Sydney, Australia. | Ph: +61 (0)4 1209 1410
+61 4 1209 1410, mailto:[email protected]

 

[Jim Gordon MVP]

MIchel,
thanks, I'm on Word version 11.50
I thinks thats the most current update. no?

Jim,
Did not understand what you wrote. Whatever that person sent me, I couldn't open it or read it properly.

OK, I Downloaded the update. How can I test it out? I don't have that email handly anymore.

Hi Kevs,

I was reacting to your implication that it was someone at Microsoft who
pushed for changes to the existing .doc file format. Microsoft offered
some resistance to the idea of a new file format, but found itself in a
politically unpopular position.

It was the Open Source community that was gung-ho and put pressure on
standards setting organizations to make a plain text file format be the
default format for Office documents. The pressure was successful, and it
resulted in the standards organization choosing the Microsoft XML format
as the standard for all word processing documents, regardless of who
makes the program. Microsoft now complies with the standard, which
resulted in us having the new .docx XML format in Office 2007 and 2008.
The new format is "for our own good" medicine to wean the world away
from binary file formats that are not human readable and editable in the
computer code. Yes, it is a pain in the butt to change millions of
documents over to the new format, but the converter can do it in a bulk
operation.

To test your converter installation, open a document in Word. Choose
File > Save As. Where it says Format, click the pop-up menu and choose
Word 2008 Document. If the Word 2008 Document option is not available,
then your converter is not properly installed. You should be able to
choose Word 2008 Document and then click the Save button to save in the
new .docx file format.

If you want to always use the new format, in Word preferences go to the
Save tab. Where it says Save Word Files as choose Word 2008 Document and
then click the OK button.

-Jim

 

[kevs1]

Jim, great info, who would know.
I just thought some nutcase is doing this to drive people crazy.
I did get the 2008 option to save. and it opened then automatically..
thanks all