Re: Word 6.0 documents in Word 2004

Hi Gordon:

Tell her to use File>Save As and choose "Microsoft Word Document".

The Word 6 format was a completely different binary format. The
Compatibility Checker is trying to warn you that if you save the document
back to that old format, you will lose formatting. It is also warning that
the older version of Word can't read the new format. That's not going to
worry her. Just say OK. Ignore the Compatibility Checker and force the
save. I would save to an updated file name so as to avoid the overwrite
dialog.

If she saves each document in the latest format as she works on them, she
will soon have them all converted and never see the dialog again.

Oh: You might want to mention that although PC Word can have 254 characters
in a file name, and 1024 characters in a file name and path, Mac Word is not
going to play if the total file name and path exceeds 254 characters, and
that some older Mac apps are not going to be happy if it exceeds 30
characters :-)

Hope this helps
--

Please reply in the group. Please do NOT email me unless I ask you to.

http://jgmcghie.fastmail.com.au/

John McGhie, Consultant Technical Writer
McGhie Information Engineering Pty Ltd
Sydney, Australia. GMT + 10 Hrs
+61 4 1209 1410, mailto:john@xxxxxxxxxxx

"Gordon" <aspar65-lem@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:1177957539.037311.181200@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
I have a friend who recently switched to a Mac (iMac core2Duo,
currently OS 10.4.9). She'd had a wretched old PC, and had been using
Word 6.0. She purchased Office 2004, and primarily uses Word.

She is having no problems creating, saving and printing new Word
documents (other than interface "shock"). I've successfully convinced
her she can name a file using more than 8 characters!

However the old Word 6 documents that came over from her PC act as if
they are possessed. You can't do a fast save (brings up Compatibility
Report). You can't do a Save As a Word (97-2004) document. We did
get the compatibility checker to forever ignore that saving as Word
97-2004 ruins compatibility with word 4.0-95. That is what it started
out complaining about.

So, you try to make a modification and save the file. Compatiblity
checker launches, you run it, and it says there are no isssues. Click
on save, confirm that you want to replace existing file.

Compatibility dialog launches again, and changes are not saved. It's
an endless loop.

Under Word preferences, we've tried turning off compatibility
checking, but the looping continues.

We've checked to make sure there wasn't anything unusual about file
permissions on these Word 6 files. There isn't. They are read/write,
and have identical permissions to the new files that cause no
problems.

Some of these files are "form letters" of a sort, that she needs to
update, and save.

Any ideas or assistance would be appreciated. I've never seen such
"voodoo". I use Office v.X at home, w/o much pain.



.

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