Office button menu convert command problem

[NeilT]

Hi Group,
My company is preparing to deploy Office 2007. In reasearching the best way
to train users to convert old files, we found the Convert command located in
the Office Button menu. However, it seems that when the user is converting a
file that is not located on the local machine (on our network), the Convert
command performs a Save As. This would lead to issues in having multiple
copies of files and users confused about which files are current.

Is there a way to make the Convert command act the same way with files on
the network as it does with files on the local machine? Or is our user
training going to be complicated, and likely uneffective?

Thanks.

 

[Daddy]

I wonder: Is there a pressing need to convert all old formats? Office 2007
will open just about any old format you happen to have, and will save the
file back to the same format - if you wish - or to the new Office Open XML
Format (or even the Open Document Format.)

In fact, by default Office 2007 will save files in OOXF, no matter what
their original format. If that's what you're looking for, there's nothing
your users need to do aside from saving the file as they are used to doing.

That said, here is your answer:

"Converting Office documents to Open XML"
http://blogs.msdn.com/dmahugh/archive/2007/02/09/converting-office-documents-to-open-xml.aspx


Also: Whether you convert files 'as needed' or in bulk, the old binary
format is not replaced; a new OOXF file is created.

Daddy

 

[NeilT]

I think you may have misunderstood my question.

I know that I can open old files with 2007, and we can leave old files in
the binary format. And I also know that users can open an old file and use
the Save As command to save in the new format. My concern is that users will
use Save As, but not delete the old file. Then another user will look for
the same file and find two.

Under the Office Button Menu, there is a command called 'Convert'. On the
user's local machine, this command will convert the original document to the
new format. That is to say, it does not produce a copy; it changes the
original file avoiding the two file scenario mentioned above. However, if
the file is on the network, the Convert command produces the same results as
Save As. I would like to change this behavior. Perhaps this is simply not
possible, but I was hoping to get some insight regarding the Convert command.

Thanks.

 

[Daddy]

Now I understand your question; thank you for adding those details.

Network shares work differently from local machines, of course, so the
behavior of Convert may well be different for files on a network.

The link I initially provided shows how it's possible to convert all binary
formats at once. (I've done it myself.) You could use that utility and then
simply delete (or more likely, backup) the binary files.

Daddy