Office Mac to Windows Compatibility Issues

[John McGhie]

Hi Kelly:

That "sounds" as if the selection may have extended to include the spaces
while you were editing, so that the spaces got tracked as a deletion.

You would need to get the document back to verify that.

There is also a "missing spaces" bug we are tracking on Word 2008. It
produces a very similar outcome without tracked changes being involved.

In either case, there's nothing we can do but wait. Word 2008 is very
buggy. There's an update due around the middle of March. That will fix a
few issues, maybe this one will be among them.

In the meantime, do your professional work in Office 2004 if you have it,
and wait for Microsoft to squish its bugs.

Cheers

I am also experiencing a compatibility issue. A colleague sent me a Word 2007
.docx file for editing. I edited it in Word 2008 for Mac, and left Track
Changes on so he could see my edits.

When he opens it in Word 2007 again, the spaces between words are missing in
areas where editing has occurred.

This sounds a bit like a display bug I found mentioned on this site where
embedded documents don't display properly, but this is not an embedded
document.

It's a very disappointing outcome. As a copyeditor, I bought Office 2008 for
the express purpose of collaborating with Office 2007 users on .docx files.

Does anyone know of fixes or workarounds?

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

 

[Dave Edwards]

I am also having problems between Mac 2004 and Win 2003
I am sent a Word 2003 document for updating in 2004 for Mac. There is an embedded object that I double click to open a small Excel spreadsheet into which I enter numbers. On opening the spreadsheet, the object is automatically enlarged which throws the right-hand end into the right margin, so that is unprintable.
What is worse, I close the Word document, saving it in 2004 for Mac and then email it as an attachment back to the originator using Mail. They reopen in 2003 for windows, and can see the whole document including the amended object, but when they print it, the object area is blank. If they Preview the document, the numbers in the object are greyed. I dont know if this is the result of emailing the doc back and forwards, or a setting in either of our Words is wrong.

 

[John McGhie]

Already answered your other

I am also having problems between Mac 2004 and Win 2003
I am sent a Word 2003 document for updating in 2004 for Mac. There is an
embedded object that I double click to open a small Excel spreadsheet into
which I enter numbers. On opening the spreadsheet, the object is automatically
enlarged which throws the right-hand end into the right margin, so that is
unprintable.
What is worse, I close the Word document, saving it in 2004 for Mac and then
email it as an attachment back to the originator using Mail. They reopen in
2003 for windows, and can see the whole document including the amended object,
but when they print it, the object area is blank. If they Preview the
document, the numbers in the object are greyed. I dont know if this is the
result of emailing the doc back and forwards, or a setting in either of our
Words is wrong.

--
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
+61 4 1209 1410, mailto:[email protected]
McGhie Information Engineering Pty Ltd
http://jgmcghie.fastmail.com.au/
Sydney, Australia. S33°53'34.20 E151°14'54.50

 

[billy lorne]

Though I've downloaded the newest update (12.0.1), I'm still having problems with 97-2004.doc(s) created on my Mac opening in older PC; as well, after opening a .doc in Mac, I couldn't open back up in my pc at work. The default .docx to a PC .docx is okay, but not when chosing the .doc in Mac and then trying to open on a PC. Help. :frown:

 

[Billy_L.]

I've sent .docx and .doc's to myself and they open in various email accounts saved various ways: RTF, PDF, .docx, and .doc. They open just fine in Windows 2007 at work. However, these same documents will not open when saved to my flashdrive nor on my older PC at home (windows 98). I thank anyone for some help?

 

[Timmo]

Frustration springs eternal. I have no way to get a simple Word file open that one of my lawyers mailed to me...except by opening it on my old Dell. There Word works fine. Office 2008 just tells me that it is not recognized as a word document or that it may be open...both are not true. Interestingly enough, this problem only appeared, I believe, after the latest automatic update was downloaded and installed. Yes, I have tried saving the document in various ways and opening Word first and all the usual stuff. I did not shift from a PC to a MacBook anticipating the pleasure of having my old Dell open in parallel. Is this just an Office 2008 problem?

 

[John McGhie]

It's "sort of" an Office 2008 problem

Most likely what has happened is that your file system permissions are out
of whack.

Reboot the computer. Then run Disk Utility and Repair Permissions on the
boot volume. Then open the Help menu in Word and "Check for Updates". Put
in any that are offered.

Then try again. Report back if that doesn't fix it...

Hope this helps

Frustration springs eternal. I have no way to get a simple Word file open that
one of my lawyers mailed to me...except by opening it on my old Dell. There
Word works fine. Office 2008 just tells me that it is not recognized as a word
document or that it may be open...both are not true. Interestingly enough,
this problem only appeared, I believe, after the latest automatic update was
downloaded and installed. Yes, I have tried saving the document in various
ways and opening Word first and all the usual stuff. I did not shift from a PC
to a MacBook anticipating the pleasure of having my old Dell open in parallel.
Is this just an Office 2008 problem?

--
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/
Sydney, Australia. S33°53'34.20 E151°14'54.50
+61 4 1209 1410, mailto:[email protected]

 

[johnc]

Word 2008 reports compatibility problems as is reports "6.0 / Word 97" settings - although the settings are actually "2000 - 2004 - X" .

The settings folder in the Library has been deleted - which helped making some options accessible in Word that was before dimmed - but the reporting of a false compatibility issue seems strange to me...

 

[John McGhie]

Did you read back through the thread? It was explained there.

It's a bug: the system is hitting the wrong error message.

Word 2008 reports compatibility problems as is reports "6.0 / Word 97"
settings - although the settings are actually "2000 - 2004 - X" .

The settings folder in the Library has been deleted - which helped making some
options accessible in Word that was before dimmed - but the reporting of a
false compatibility issue seems strange to me...

--

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, Microsoft MVP, Word and Word:Mac
Nhulunbuy, NT, Australia. mailto:[email protected]

 

[HeidioftheRockies]

I am having the same compatibility issues as others have described. Can't open .doc files sent to me by others and others can't open files from me. Everything worked fine before the "critical" update on the 13th. Now I am situation critical. I am a relatively new Mac user and have had nothing but trouble since I installed Office about 6 weeks ago. Anyone have a short, sweet answer to this compatibility problem other than tossing my computer out of the window!

 

[Phillip Jones]

Try opening Disk Utility and repairing permissions.

If that doesn't work restart computer from systems disk and repair
permissions from Disk Utility.

If using OSX.4.11 and below try downloading a Utility called AppleJack
and install.

Then restart computer and hold down Command-S (Single User Mode.
Wait for Black & White screen to come up and at blinking cursor type
applejack then hit return.

Follow the menu of repairs in order. when all tasks done retart compter.
Try word.

IF your using 10.5 unless The developers have come out with an update do
not install AppleJack . Apple has completely revamped how Single User
Mode works. and Applejack the last time I looked isn't compatible though
they are working on it.

In That case just use the repair system within Single User mode.

The advantages of using AppleJack is that you only use the UNIX repair
Commands required to repair you drive. While single user mode is a
little more dangerous it accesses *all* UNIX commands the benign ones
and the ones that can get you in trouble.

Also you might try DiskWarrior on OX.4.11 and lower. It may not be
compatible with OSX.5.

I am having the same compatibility issues as others have described.
Can't open .doc files sent to me by others and others can't open
files from me. Everything worked fine before the "critical" update on
the 13th. Now I am situation critical. I am a relatively new Mac user
and have had nothing but trouble since I installed Office about 6
weeks ago. Anyone have a short, sweet answer to this compatibility
problem other than tossing my computer out of the window!

--
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[Daiya Mitchell]

There are lots of different issues being discussed in this thread. It
would be better to ask a NEW question (upper left under search box) to
get dedicated help for your problem, and give full details.