How to set which default application to open a file.

[angeljjr]

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

Hi,

I have an Intel iMac with MS Office 2004 and MS Office 2008. I would like to keep 2004 before I switch over completely to 2008. But the problem that I am encountering is that I cannot set Word 2004 as the default for all word files.

If I "Get Info" change the default for one file it works, but when I try to set it as the default for all files it still opens with Word 2008.

I have uninstalled and re-installed both.
Installed 2008 first, then 2004.
I have checked and repaired file permissions.
I have also checked and repaired the drive.

Any suggestions?
Is there some preference file I can manually edit to set 2004 versions as the default for all MS Office files?

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

 

[CyberTaz]

Hi Angel -

Main suggestion: Check here first from now on You could have saved
yourself a lot of time & trouble. There really is no [reasonable] way to
make things work the way you'd prefer.

The most effective workarounds I've found are:

1- Open files using the preferred version's File> Open method, or

2- Make sure Word 2004 is launched before double-clicking a file in a Finder
window. Even if both versions are running a .doc will open in 2004, as will
a .docx if you have the OXML Converters installed.

Actually, both options boil down to having Word 2004 launched before opening
any Word files. If it won't interfere with other usage of your Mac you can
set Word 2004 to automatically launch on login even if you set it to Hide.

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

 

[angeljjr]

Thank You. I was not having any luck with my search queries, I guess I need to work on my keywords.

 

[CyberTaz]

Wellll, some topics are harder to nail down than others, and I'd put that
one pretty near the top of the "obscure" list

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