Older Word docs opening in 2008 as blank docs when opening from ahttp link

[chadwetli]

Has anyone seen this?

We have some Microsoft Word files on our internal site for people to
view as links. When a user with a Mac 10.5.3 using Office 2008 12.1
tries to launch the file from Firefox browser, the document opens
blank. The same happens if you use the save-as and try to open the
file directly from where it is. But, if you open Word, use the File,
Open menus, you can open it fine. Now, the files are ones that were
created before 2008, so the Compatibility Mode shows up in the window,
but I didn't think that would be an issue.

Anyone have any ideas?

 

[Daiya Mitchell]

Are you sure the document is actually opening? You see the title bar in
the window? It sounds like the issue where a double-clicked downloaded
doc launches Word, but does not open, as described here:
http://word.mvps.org/Mac/Word2008Issues.html#doubleclick
See if that fits your problem.

 

[Phillip Jones]

If you happen to be using Mozilla FireFox. Download and install FireFox
3. FF3 is supposed to fix this problem. doesn't make any difference if
on a PC, Mac, UNIX, Or Linux install.

Has anyone seen this?

We have some Microsoft Word files on our internal site for people to
view as links. When a user with a Mac 10.5.3 using Office 2008 12.1
tries to launch the file from Firefox browser, the document opens
blank. The same happens if you use the save-as and try to open the
file directly from where it is. But, if you open Word, use the File,
Open menus, you can open it fine. Now, the files are ones that were
created before 2008, so the Compatibility Mode shows up in the window,
but I didn't think that would be an issue.

Anyone have any ideas?

--
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Phillip M. Jones, CET |LIFE MEMBER: VPEA ETA-I, NESDA, ISCET, Sterling
616 Liberty Street |Who's Who. PHONE:276-632-5045, FAX:276-632-0868
Martinsville Va 24112 |[email protected], ICQ11269732, AIM pjonescet
------------------------------------------------------------------------

If it's "fixed", don't "break it"!

mailto[email protected]

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[John McGhie]

Yes, that issue is all over the Internet!

The problem is that some applications (e.g. Safari, FireFox...) are writing
an old file type into the file when they receive it.

Microsoft has deprecated several file types, due to potential security
issues. Word 2008 will open those file types if you use File>Open. It will
not open them on a double-click, or if the file is "sent" from another
application.

This prevents bad persons from including viruses in the old file types and
sliding them past the user onto the computer.

You need to upgrade the application that is doing the saving to the local
computer: the browser.

FireFox released their update this week. It writes the correct file type
into the file when it saves it.

For those who have been hit with the "issue" of Word 2008 SP1 not
opening files tagged with the WDBN file type code when opening
attachments saved from Lotus Notes, I've found a workaround.

It turns out that Lotus Notes (and a few others ... ) uses Internet Config
(a piece of public domain code that's incorporated into OS X) to apply file
type and creator codes to files that don't originate on the Mac. At least on
my computer, Internet Config maps the .doc extension to file type WDBN and
creator MSWD.

Internet Explorer (not available for download from Microsoft any more)
happens to be able to view and edit Internet Config mappings through
its Preferences window (File Helpers tab). You select the entry for
the ".doc" extension (it was sorted by extension when I opened it --
I'm not sure it always is), click "Change" and then change WDBN to
W8BN.

Fortunately, Alexander Clauss has written a utility to do this for you:
http://mac.clauss-net.de/misfox/

This workaround fixes this problem with Mozilla Thunderbird too.

Use MisFox, double-click on the entry for the Word file type and change WDBN
to W8BN.

Make sure "Resource Fork is significant" is checked.

Hope this helps

Has anyone seen this?

We have some Microsoft Word files on our internal site for people to
view as links. When a user with a Mac 10.5.3 using Office 2008 12.1
tries to launch the file from Firefox browser, the document opens
blank. The same happens if you use the save-as and try to open the
file directly from where it is. But, if you open Word, use the File,
Open menus, you can open it fine. Now, the files are ones that were
created before 2008, so the Compatibility Mode shows up in the window,
but I didn't think that would be an issue.

Anyone have any ideas?

--
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
Sydney, Australia. mailto:[email protected]

 

[Phillip Jones]

FireFox3 is out now and is supposed to fix the problem.

Yes, that issue is all over the Internet!

The problem is that some applications (e.g. Safari, FireFox...) are writing
an old file type into the file when they receive it.

Microsoft has deprecated several file types, due to potential security
issues. Word 2008 will open those file types if you use File>Open. It will
not open them on a double-click, or if the file is "sent" from another
application.

This prevents bad persons from including viruses in the old file types and
sliding them past the user onto the computer.

You need to upgrade the application that is doing the saving to the local
computer: the browser.

FireFox released their update this week. It writes the correct file type
into the file when it saves it.

For those who have been hit with the "issue" of Word 2008 SP1 not
opening files tagged with the WDBN file type code when opening
attachments saved from Lotus Notes, I've found a workaround.

It turns out that Lotus Notes (and a few others ... ) uses Internet Config
(a piece of public domain code that's incorporated into OS X) to apply file
type and creator codes to files that don't originate on the Mac. At least on
my computer, Internet Config maps the .doc extension to file type WDBN and
creator MSWD.

Internet Explorer (not available for download from Microsoft any more)
happens to be able to view and edit Internet Config mappings through
its Preferences window (File Helpers tab). You select the entry for
the ".doc" extension (it was sorted by extension when I opened it --
I'm not sure it always is), click "Change" and then change WDBN to
W8BN.

Fortunately, Alexander Clauss has written a utility to do this for you:
http://mac.clauss-net.de/misfox/

This workaround fixes this problem with Mozilla Thunderbird too.

Use MisFox, double-click on the entry for the Word file type and change WDBN
to W8BN.

Make sure "Resource Fork is significant" is checked.

Hope this helps

--
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Phillip M. Jones, CET |LIFE MEMBER: VPEA ETA-I, NESDA, ISCET, Sterling
616 Liberty Street |Who's Who. PHONE:276-632-5045, FAX:276-632-0868
Martinsville Va 24112 |[email protected], ICQ11269732, AIM pjonescet
------------------------------------------------------------------------

If it's "fixed", don't "break it"!

mailto[email protected]

<http://www.kimbanet.com/~pjones/default.htm>
<http://www.kimbanet.com/~pjones/90th_Birthday/index.htm>
<http://www.kimbanet.com/~pjones/Fulcher/default.html>
<http://www.kimbanet.com/~pjones/Harris/default.htm>
<http://www.kimbanet.com/~pjones/Jones/default.htm>

<http://www.vpea.org>