Dispatches from the Intertubes

We’ve noticed that the computers in the labs here in Bartlett Hall (101 & 105) have the latest version of Microsoft Word (version 2007) installed. Earlier versions of Word featured a file format that was mostly compatible from version 97 to 2003. This latest version of Word, however, features a new file format, which means that files created with this newest version of Word are incompatible with earlier version of the program. This may cause a problem if you or your students have a version of Word on your personal computer that is between versions 97 and 2003. These earlier versions will be unable to open the files they create and save in the lab with Word 2007.

Here are three different methods for making Word 2007 play nice with earlier versions of Word.

1. Download and Install the File Converter

OIT computer mensch and my friend Michael Friedman pointed out that there is a handy file converter available from Microsoft, which, according to that company, allows one to “Open, edit, and save documents, workbooks, and presentations in the file formats new to Microsoft Office Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007.”

Thanks for the tip, Mike!

2. Save Documents in Word 97-2003 Format

These instructions assume you have MS Word 97, 2000, XP, or 2003 on your personal computer.

1. Click the MS Office icon in the upper left corner of the Word 2007 window:
2. Hover the mouse pointer over the “Save As” option and select “Word 97-2003 Document:”
3. Continue saving your file as your normally would by naming your file, navigating to the folder in which you would like to save your file, and clicking “Save.” Note: the file extension should be “.doc” and not “.ocx” when you save in the 97-2003 version of Word.

3. Save Documents in Rich Text Format

What if you or your student doesn’t have MS Word 97-2003 on your personal computer? Most contemporary word processing programs can do some form of conversion to or from MS Word, but your best bet is to save files in Rich Text format. This file format preserves most of your text formatting, but is more universally recognized by non-Microsoft programs than native Word formats.

To save files in Rich Text format (RTF) from MS Word 2007, do the following:

1. Click the MS Office icon in the upper left corner of the Word 2007 window:
2. Hover the mouse pointer over the “Save As” option and select “Other Formats:”
3. Navigate to the folder in which you want to save your file. Change the option in the combobox labelled “Save as type” to “Rich Text Format (*.rtf)” and then name your file and click “Save.”