Windows users cannot open attachments created in Office 2008

[Madroc]

Version: 2008
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger)
Processor: Intel

I "upgraded" [HA!] from Office 2004 to Office 2008 in January. I soon discovered that Windows users could not open Word files I created (regardless of whether I saved them as .doc or .docx, and regardless of their ability to open .docx files.)

I don't remember how I fixed the problem, and it's happening in Excel too. I wasted several hours trying to find a fix and I can't. Mac users can open the .xls file I sent, but Windows users can't. I had no trouble uploading the files to a Windows network drive from a thumb drive, either.

I use Mac Mail for email, if that matters.

Any thoughts, other than try [again] to find my Office 2004 disc, or upgrade to NeoOffice?

 

[Michel Bintener]

I suspect this has nothing to do with any of the Office applications (as you
say yourself, the files work fine when uploaded via a thumb drive), but with
the encoding used by Mail. In Mail, make sure to check the option "Always
Send Windows-Friendly Attachments", which you can find in Edit>Attachments
in the application's main window. Also, make sure that the file extension is
always present for each file.

Version: 2008
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger)
Processor: Intel

I "upgraded" [HA!] from Office 2004 to Office 2008 in January. I soon
discovered that Windows users could not open Word files I created (regardless
of whether I saved them as .doc or .docx, and regardless of their ability to
open .docx files.)

I don't remember how I fixed the problem, and it's happening in Excel too. I
wasted several hours trying to find a fix and I can't. Mac users can open the
.xls file I sent, but Windows users can't. I had no trouble uploading the
files to a Windows network drive from a thumb drive, either.

I use Mac Mail for email, if that matters.

Any thoughts, other than try [again] to find my Office 2004 disc, or upgrade
to NeoOffice?

--
Michel Bintener
Microsoft MVP
Office:mac (Entourage & Word)

*** Please always reply to the newsgroup. ***

 

[CyberTaz]

Hello Madroc -

Rest assured that it *most likely* has nothing to do with Office 2008 itself
but there are some considerations that aren't new but are more important
than in the "good old days" Security issues on the Dark Side have gone
ballistic in the last year or so with total disdain for the fact that there
are other operating systems out there.

First, make sure you tick the checkbox in Save As to Append File Extensions,

Second, in Mail use the Edit> Attachments - Always send Windows-Friendly
Attachments option, and

Third, send zipped rather than "naked" files.

It's also possible that the recipients having the problem are in an
environment where the email server has not been properly configured, & that
you can't control. Just advise them to download the file to their local HD
before attempting to open it rather than dbl-clicking the attachment icon.

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

 

[Madroc]

Thanks for the response. Now that you mention it, that's what the fix was with Word. But I just checked, and that box is checked (which is why I can send Word files to Windows users.) Any idea why Excel files behave differently? (Or why this problem didn't begin until I installed 2008?)

 

[Madroc]

[Can't edit my post]

My response was to MB -- I missed the second one. Maybe the problem is that the recipient has to download first. The good news is that one of the recipients for the one thing I use Excel for is a Mac user, and she doesn't have any problems. Thanks again.

 

[CyberTaz]

One other point not clear from your earlier post: Is Office fully updated
(12.1.2)? There was a problem with WinExcel opening files created by 2008
but [AFAIK] that was addressed effectively by the SP1 (12.1.0) update.

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

 

[Madroc]

I'm running 12.1.2, so yes.

 

[William Smith [MVP]]

I suspect this has nothing to do with any of the Office applications (as you
say yourself, the files work fine when uploaded via a thumb drive), but with
the encoding used by Mail. In Mail, make sure to check the option "Always
Send Windows-Friendly Attachments", which you can find in Edit>Attachments
in the application's main window. Also, make sure that the file extension is
always present for each file.

I believe Michel is spot-on with his suggestion about encoding.
Optionally, you can right-click or Control-click your document in the
Finder and "Compress" the file into a .zip file. If that works then you
can guarantee the problem is with encoding.

--

bill

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