Vista - no one can open my MS office word 2007 documents

I write for the local paper and recently got a new computer with MS office
word 2007. The problem is that NO ONE can open any of my documents any more!
Can I save it some where else, can I buy just the old "word " program that
everyone can open? I have Vista, and dont really care for it but cant change
it
now. Can I install just a compatable word program to vista???

"TinaWriter" <TinaWriter@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:0DB7E663-B4B4-45ED-9297-08AC6065470B@microsoft.com...
> I write for the local paper and recently got a new computer with MS office
> word 2007. The problem is that NO ONE can open any of my documents any
> more!
> Can I save it some where else, can I buy just the old "word " program that
> everyone can open? I have Vista, and dont really care for it but cant
> change
> it
> now. Can I install just a compatable word program to vista???


In the Save dialogue box, just under the filename entry line, you can select
to save in an older Word format.

ss.

TinaWriter wrote:
> I write for the local paper and recently got a new computer with MS office
> word 2007. The problem is that NO ONE can open any of my documents any more!
> Can I save it some where else, can I buy just the old "word " program that
> everyone can open? I have Vista, and dont really care for it but cant change
> it
> now. Can I install just a compatable word program to vista???
>
You dont need to buy anything else!! Just save your files as .doc
instead of .docx file type. It has nothing to do wiht Vista--it's just
the Office 2007 file type that isnt readable by older versions of office
without the office compatiblity add on.

Dave

"TinaWriter" <TinaWriter@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:0DB7E663-B4B4-45ED-9297-08AC6065470B@microsoft.com...
> I write for the local paper and recently got a new computer with MS office
> word 2007. The problem is that NO ONE can open any of my documents any
> more!
> Can I save it some where else, can I buy just the old "word " program that
> everyone can open? I have Vista, and dont really care for it but cant
> change
> it
> now. Can I install just a compatable word program to vista???


Open Word 2007
Click on the Orb in the upper right hand of the window
Click on the Word Options button in the lower right corner of the menu
Click on the Save choice in the left hand window
Click the down arrow to the right of the "Save files in this format:" text
box
Select Word 97-2003 Document (*.doc)
Click the OK button in the bottom right hand corner of the Word Options
dialog box.

Now all documents will be saved in a backwards compatible format.

To "translate" already existant docs saved in Word 2007 (*.docx) format,
open the doc in Word and click Orb, click Save As, choose Word 97-2003.

In the future, you might consider trying one of the Word or Office
newsgroups.

Lang

On Tue, 07 Aug 2007 19:22:41 -0700, TinaWriter wrote:

> I write for the local paper and recently got a new computer with MS office
> word 2007. The problem is that NO ONE can open any of my documents any more!
> Can I save it some where else, can I buy just the old "word " program that
> everyone can open? I have Vista, and dont really care for it but cant change
> it
> now. Can I install just a compatable word program to vista???

Suggest you try OpenOffice.org. It won't cost you a dime to find out if it
will do the job for you - it probably will. OO is a work-alike for MS
office. It will read and export MS office docs of several vintages, along
with industry standards.

In Word 2007 save your documents in the old .doc format not the new .docx
format.

--
I Bleed Blue and Gold
GO BEARS!


"ray" <ray@zianet.com> wrote in message
newsan.2007.08.08.15.45.39.816552@zianet.com...
> On Tue, 07 Aug 2007 19:22:41 -0700, TinaWriter wrote:
>
>> I write for the local paper and recently got a new computer with MS office
>> word 2007. The problem is that NO ONE can open any of my documents any more!
>> Can I save it some where else, can I buy just the old "word " program that
>> everyone can open? I have Vista, and dont really care for it but cant change
>> it
>> now. Can I install just a compatable word program to vista???
>
> Suggest you try OpenOffice.org. It won't cost you a dime to find out if it
> will do the job for you - it probably will. OO is a work-alike for MS
> office. It will read and export MS office docs of several vintages, along
> with industry standards.
>

He already has Office 2007. Why on earth would he want to lower himself to
OpenOffice when all he needs to do is save as DOC 97-2003?

You are introducing more problems with your solution.


"ray" <ray@zianet.com> wrote in message
newsan.2007.08.08.15.45.39.816552@zianet.com...
> On Tue, 07 Aug 2007 19:22:41 -0700, TinaWriter wrote:
>
>> I write for the local paper and recently got a new computer with MS
>> office
>> word 2007. The problem is that NO ONE can open any of my documents any
>> more!
>> Can I save it some where else, can I buy just the old "word " program
>> that
>> everyone can open? I have Vista, and dont really care for it but cant
>> change
>> it
>> now. Can I install just a compatable word program to vista???
>
> Suggest you try OpenOffice.org. It won't cost you a dime to find out if it
> will do the job for you - it probably will. OO is a work-alike for MS
> office. It will read and export MS office docs of several vintages, along
> with industry standards.
>

On Wed, 08 Aug 2007 09:24:07 -0700, Bill Yanaire wrote:

> He already has Office 2007. Why on earth would he want to lower himself to
> OpenOffice when all he needs to do is save as DOC 97-2003?

2007 is evidently not working for him. OO probably will. And it won't cost
a dime to find out.


>
> You are introducing more problems with your solution.
>
>
> "ray" <ray@zianet.com> wrote in message
> newsan.2007.08.08.15.45.39.816552@zianet.com...
>> On Tue, 07 Aug 2007 19:22:41 -0700, TinaWriter wrote:
>>
>>> I write for the local paper and recently got a new computer with MS
>>> office
>>> word 2007. The problem is that NO ONE can open any of my documents any
>>> more!
>>> Can I save it some where else, can I buy just the old "word " program
>>> that
>>> everyone can open? I have Vista, and dont really care for it but cant
>>> change
>>> it
>>> now. Can I install just a compatable word program to vista???
>>
>> Suggest you try OpenOffice.org. It won't cost you a dime to find out if it
>> will do the job for you - it probably will. OO is a work-alike for MS
>> office. It will read and export MS office docs of several vintages, along
>> with industry standards.
>>

2007 is working for him. All he needs to do is read these responses to his
question and he is home free. I have tried OO and it's not very good.



"ray" <ray@zianet.com> wrote in message
newsan.2007.08.08.16.54.23.632650@zianet.com...
> On Wed, 08 Aug 2007 09:24:07 -0700, Bill Yanaire wrote:
>
>> He already has Office 2007. Why on earth would he want to lower himself
>> to
>> OpenOffice when all he needs to do is save as DOC 97-2003?
>
> 2007 is evidently not working for him. OO probably will. And it won't cost
> a dime to find out.
>
>
>>
>> You are introducing more problems with your solution.
>>
>>
>> "ray" <ray@zianet.com> wrote in message
>> newsan.2007.08.08.15.45.39.816552@zianet.com...
>>> On Tue, 07 Aug 2007 19:22:41 -0700, TinaWriter wrote:
>>>
>>>> I write for the local paper and recently got a new computer with MS
>>>> office
>>>> word 2007. The problem is that NO ONE can open any of my documents any
>>>> more!
>>>> Can I save it some where else, can I buy just the old "word " program
>>>> that
>>>> everyone can open? I have Vista, and dont really care for it but cant
>>>> change
>>>> it
>>>> now. Can I install just a compatable word program to vista???
>>>
>>> Suggest you try OpenOffice.org. It won't cost you a dime to find out if
>>> it
>>> will do the job for you - it probably will. OO is a work-alike for MS
>>> office. It will read and export MS office docs of several vintages,
>>> along
>>> with industry standards.
>>>
>

On Tue, 7 Aug 2007 19:22:41 -0700, TinaWriter
<TinaWriter@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:

> I write for the local paper and recently got a new computer with MS office
> word 2007. The problem is that NO ONE can open any of my documents any more!
> Can I save it some where else, can I buy just the old "word " program that
> everyone can open?


You are creating the default .docx files instead of the older .doc
files that previous versions of Word used. You have two choices:

1. Everyone else can install the "Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack
for 2007 Office Word, Excel and PowerPoint File Formats" at
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/wo...444731033.aspx which will
let them open .docx files.

2. You can choose to save in the old .doc format by choosing it in
File | Save as.


--
Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP Windows - Shell/User
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