Office 2007 Compatability Mode install

[Rusty Smith]

As far as I can tell the ability to install Office 2007 in Compatibility Mode
is just a sales/marketing bullet point and not an actual option that you can
select or put in your Office Customization installation file. Have I been
duped by marketing into thinking I can deploy in a "Compatibility Mode" or is
it on a per document basis for Word, Excel and Power Point? And the "save
files in this format" in the Office Customization Tool is the closest thing I
can get to Compatibility with 2003?
Thanks

Rusty Smith
Sonic Innovations
(e-mail address removed)

 

[Bob Buckland ?:-\)]

Hi Rusty,

What are you looking for as the 'compatibility mode' definition in this case?

The Save as Default is one of the settings to use the older version along with setting in Word, for example, the Word 2003
compatibility settings in Advanced Word options to be an older version of Word.

Backwards Compatibility as a mode is related to enabled/disabled features exclusive to the Office 2007 apps and to using the legacy
file formats. It doesn't, for example, have one that uses the older menus and toolbars.

==============
As far as I can tell the ability to install Office 2007 in Compatibility Mode
is just a sales/marketing bullet point and not an actual option that you can
select or put in your Office Customization installation file. Have I been
duped by marketing into thinking I can deploy in a "Compatibility Mode" or is
it on a per document basis for Word, Excel and Power Point? And the "save
files in this format" in the Office Customization Tool is the closest thing I
can get to Compatibility with 2003?
Thanks

Rusty Smith <<
--

Bob Buckland ?
MS Office System Products MVP

*Courtesy is not expensive and can pay big dividends*

 

[Gerry Hickman]

Hi Bob,

Is the "Save As" compatibility mode something that can be enforced (or
set as default) by group policy?

 

[Bob Buckland ?:-\)]

Hi Gerry,

Yes, there is a policy FileSaveBlock, in the Office 2007 Group Policy Templates
http://microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=92d8519a-e143-4aee-8f7a-e4bbaeba13e7

that, while it doesn't remove the Office 2007 file format choices in File=>Save As, can be set to produce an error message if
they're used (setting is, if I recall, per app rather than as an Office policy)
There is a matching FileOpenBlock policy.

The default file format setting is one that can be done in the Office Customization Tool (OCT2007).

Note. that having all of the documents in 'compatibility mode' can result in a number of Office 2007 features being 'greyed out'
and that can be confusing to users.

There is additional information on these policies in the Office Resource Kit (2007) at
http://technet2.microsoft.com/Office/en-us/library/fe3f431c-8d7a-45c8-954f-1268f3b533161033.mspx

================
Hi Bob,

Is the "Save As" compatibility mode something that can be enforced (or
set as default) by group policy? >>
--

Bob Buckland ?
MS Office System Products MVP

*Courtesy is not expensive and can pay big dividends*

 

[Gerry Hickman]

Thanks Bob,

It's typical that it's never as straight forward as it should be! Thanks
for the links, I'll be able to refer back to this when I get the new GP
templates in place.