How to Read MS Vista .doc files with Office 2004 Mac

[aRKay]

I am getting .doc files from Vista users and this Intel iMac wants to
open the some strange PC notepad application. What I have been doing is
save the document to the desktop, Get Info then tell change the app to
MS Word. It then sort of works but the format is hosed

Has Microsoft released a translator for the Mac that will open Vista
generated .doc files in Word?


arkay

 

[Mickey Stevens]

I'm guessing the documents were created in Office 2007 and saved in the new
..DOCX format.

You can try using the beta converter from Microsoft to open such files in
Word 2004:
<http://snipurl.com/1qcn4>

I'd suggest you ask these users to save in the previous Word .DOC format (an
option in the Save As dialog) so that you can read and open the file without
having to rely on the beta converter.

 

[aRKay]

I downloaded and installed the Office Open XML Converter.app but I am
not sure how it should be used. I have a new email from a Vista user
in Entourage and when I click on the attachment Entourage or OSX 10.5.1
wants to open the Vista document with "WordPad MFC Application.app"
whatever that is?

I then opened Office Open XML Converter.app and dropped the Vista
document and it said the document was already converted. At this point I
gave up and uninstalled Office Open XML Converter.app.

If Vista users want the rest of us to use their documents, they are
going to have to learn to send them in some standard format or they go
direct to trash.

Maybe this issues will be solved with Office 2008

 

[Mr. Strat]

I am getting .doc files from Vista users and this Intel iMac wants to
open the some strange PC notepad application. What I have been doing is
save the document to the desktop, Get Info then tell change the app to
MS Word. It then sort of works but the format is hosed

Has Microsoft released a translator for the Mac that will open Vista
generated .doc files in Word?

It's not Vista, you dumbass. It's Office 2007. There is a beta
translator at Mactopia if you cared to look.

 

[Mr. Strat]

I downloaded and installed the Office Open XML Converter.app but I am
not sure how it should be used. I have a new email from a Vista user
in Entourage and when I click on the attachment Entourage or OSX 10.5.1
wants to open the Vista document with "WordPad MFC Application.app"
whatever that is?

It's not a Vista issue, dummy.

I then opened Office Open XML Converter.app and dropped the Vista
document and it said the document was already converted. At this point I
gave up and uninstalled Office Open XML Converter.app.

A clue is a terrible thing to waste.

If Vista users want the rest of us to use their documents, they are
going to have to learn to send them in some standard format or they go
direct to trash.

It's not a Vista issue, dummy.

Maybe this issues will be solved with Office 2008

Or maybe you could make an effort to educate yourself.

 

[aRKay]

It's not Vista, you dumbass. It's Office 2007. There is a beta
translator at Mactopia if you cared to look.

Mr. Strat,

If you would spend more time reading the posting that calling me dumbass
you would have seen I downloaded the translator from Mactopia and it
said the (what I assumed was a Pc Word) document was already converted.
Mac Word 2004 could not open the document until I manually changed the
Open with application in the Get Info box.

Please do not bother to respond as I don't want to hear from you

 

[litttle.creature.inc]

Excuse me Mr. Strat but dummies are these people who assume that they
know everything and are ashamed to ask for help. We have a nice
proverb saying that you are not born educated.

aRKay could you please have a look at the info dialog and tell me the
file suffix for the attachment (the one after the .) is it docx? I
suspect it's something else, can you tell me what's it?


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More options Nov 17, 3:14 am
Newsgroups: microsoft.public.mac.office
From: aRKay <[email protected]>
Date: Sat, 17 Nov 2007 02:14:04 GMT
Local: Sat, Nov 17 2007 3:14 am
Subject: How to Read MS Vista .doc files with Office 2004 Mac
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I am getting .doc files from Vista users and this Intel iMac wants to
open the so

 

[Mr. Strat]

Excuse me Mr. Strat but dummies are these people who assume that they
know everything and are ashamed to ask for help. We have a nice
proverb saying that you are not born educated.

No, dummies like this are people who are too lazy to make even a feeble
attempt to solve problems themselves.

 

[Clive Huggan]

Dear [whoever],

One of the marvellous things about this newsgroup is the longstanding
cordiality that exists here. It's a place where the many helpers (MVPs and
others) take a lot of time to understand the poster's situation, if that's
necessary to solve their problem. Over time, people without much knowledge
of Office or Macs have come to feel that they can ask questions here without
being ridiculed. People who answer them will often remember when they too
were raw beginners or were confused by terminology.

Occasionally -- only a few times per year, thank goodness -- someone makes
intemperate, sometimes juvenile, remarks that jolt us somewhat, because they
are so unusual here. They serve to remind us what a pleasant place this
*usually* is. You have at least performed that service.

One could simply ignore posts like yours. However, the original poster can
often take that as typical behaviour for this group and be discouraged.
Also, because this discussion group and those of the individual Office:Mac
products are the only groups of their kind in the world, we converse with
people from cultures in which your behaviour is more deeply offensive than
in your own North America. None of us should have to put up with your
boorishness.

In fact you have annoyed me sufficiently to take time out from my Sunday
with my family to tell you how unwelcome your behaviour is. Please do not
make further offensive remarks here. Try to show some basic courtesy in your
daily life. One day you will be thankful for the accumulated kindnesses that
result.

Clive Huggan
============

 

[Mr. Strat]

In fact you have annoyed me sufficiently to take time out from my Sunday
with my family to tell you how unwelcome your behaviour is. Please do not
make further offensive remarks here. Try to show some basic courtesy in your
daily life. One day you will be thankful for the accumulated kindnesses that
result.

Another loser from Australia.

 

[John McGhie]

No, dummies are people who don't know how to behave properly among grownups.

You, for example.

The reason you are being so nasty to people in here is because you do not
know the answer either, and you are feeling very threatened by your
inadequacy.

We all know that, and fortunately, so does ARKAY.

Now, if you will excuse me, I have grown-ups to talk to...

No, dummies like this are people who are too lazy to make even a feeble
attempt to solve problems themselves.

--
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, Consultant Technical Writer
McGhie Information Engineering Pty Ltd
http://jgmcghie.fastmail.com.au/
Nhulunbuy, Northern Territory, Australia
+61 4 1209 1410, mailto:[email protected]

 

[John McGhie]

Your ignorance is utterly breathtaking In this case, it is also
extremely hilarious. If only you knew how wrong you were.

ROFLMAO...

Another loser from Australia.

--
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, Consultant Technical Writer
McGhie Information Engineering Pty Ltd
http://jgmcghie.fastmail.com.au/
Nhulunbuy, Northern Territory, Australia
+61 4 1209 1410, mailto:[email protected]

 

[John McGhie]

Hi Arkay:

(Sorry for the delay, we just had to chase away one of the noisy school
children...)

You need to put the XML converter back in Without it, you will not be
able to read that file.

The XML Converter will work either stand-alone, or as a file converter in
the office applications.

HOWEVER: It cannot operate on a file that is still in your email. You MUST
save it to the hard disk first. (It's never safe to open a file from the
email, because your antivirus has not had a chance to have a look at it
yet... But in this case, it's not going to work, either!)

Now: Be careful when you save it that file that it saves with the file
extension ".docx". Some mail applications will try to save it as a ".zip"
file (because it *is* in Zip format internally). If yours is one, correct
the extension, it MUST be .docx

Open Word, then use File>Open from the Word File menu to open the .docx. It
should open straight up.

The file you have is in the new Microsoft Word format. You are quite right,
Office 2008 will have no trouble with it The Office XML Converter you
have is a piece of Office 2008. It has been released early, to enable
earlier versions of Mac Office to read the new files.

Hope this helps

I downloaded and installed the Office Open XML Converter.app but I am
not sure how it should be used. I have a new email from a Vista user
in Entourage and when I click on the attachment Entourage or OSX 10.5.1
wants to open the Vista document with "WordPad MFC Application.app"
whatever that is?

I then opened Office Open XML Converter.app and dropped the Vista
document and it said the document was already converted. At this point I
gave up and uninstalled Office Open XML Converter.app.

If Vista users want the rest of us to use their documents, they are
going to have to learn to send them in some standard format or they go
direct to trash.

Maybe this issues will be solved with Office 2008

--
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, Consultant Technical Writer
McGhie Information Engineering Pty Ltd
http://jgmcghie.fastmail.com.au/
Nhulunbuy, Northern Territory, Australia
+61 4 1209 1410, mailto:[email protected]

 

[CyberTaz]

Well, I'm not an Aussie but I'll gladly join their ranks in admonishing your
arrogant, sarcastic, demeaning, offensive & otherwise asocial remarks.

Those who come here are seeking assistance rather than abuse - if they knew
the answers they wouldn't have to ask. If you have nothing positive to
contribute you have nothing to contribute whatsoever.

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

 

[Mr. Strat]

The reason you are being so nasty to people in here is because you do not
know the answer either, and you are feeling very threatened by your
inadequacy.

I gave the correct answer then the question was first posted. Rather
than pay attention, the OP blamed Vista files again in a second post.

Now, it's been well publicized that the file format for Office 2007 is
different than what it has been. The OP apparently was too lazy to use
a search engine or manufacturer's site to find his answer.

 

[CyberTaz]

In view of the fact that your reply to the OP's first message opened with:

"It's not Vista, you dumbass."

I'd hardly find it surprising if he read no further, let alone paid no
attention to anything beyond that.

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

 

[Mr. Strat]

In view of the fact that your reply to the OP's first message opened with:

"It's not Vista, you dumbass."

I'd hardly find it surprising if he read no further, let alone paid no
attention to anything beyond that.

And about two seconds on Google would have given him the answer. it's
been well publicized that Office 2007 format is vastly different from
what it's been.
A clue is a terrible thing to waste.

 

[little_creature]

Maybe rather than spending your time arguing you'd better to train people
how to search Google, then you really COULD help people,

How are you that you have trouble with australians? How you can judge people
just according to their nationality, you do not know them. Sounds like
Hittler who think about "pure" nationality.

 

[CyberTaz]

So instead of (a) tracing through several million hits using Google the OP
(b) came directly to a group that could specifically address his question...

If you picked (a), who's the "dumbass"?

 

[Barry Wainwright]

And about two seconds on Google would have given him the answer

And that justifies your rudeness? I don't think so.

--
Barry Wainwright
Microsoft MVP (see <http://www.microsoft.com/mvp/> for details)
Visit the Entourage User¹s Weblog for Hints, tips and troubleshooting
information:
http://www.barryw.net/weblog/