Opening a Word document in Works 9

[Heather Positive Thinker]

Ive just been sent an email attachment (for a charity quiz actually) and its obviously in word because I cant blankety blank open it. After a lot of fussing around I realised I could right click on it and click on print target - and I got all the text but none of the pictures (and seeing as the questions relate to the pictures - lol)

On my old XP puter I found a converter to change Word to Works in a free download but this puter is Works 9 and on VISTA - does anyone know what freebie download will do the job please?

[James]

Hi Heather anything in Works 9 Help?

[Heather Positive Thinker]

From what I can see James, nothing - Works 9 does not seem to have the facility to convert Word to Works - brilliant, eh? This is the answer I got on the MS Site: which I dont really understand. They seem to be saying download another type of works program in order to convert the Word document - what a performance

CAUSES

• The file that you are trying to open is damaged.
• Works 9 does not have the required text converter to open the file.
• The file was created and saved in Microsoft Works 4.x.

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WORKAROUND
To work around this issue, open the file in a version of Microsoft Works or Microsoft Word that includes the text converter. Then, save the file in a format that is compatible with Works 9. The text converter is included with the following Microsoft programs:• Microsoft Works 6.0
• Microsoft Works 7.0
• Microsoft Works 8.0
• Microsoft Works Suite 2004
• Microsoft Works Suite 2005
• Microsoft Works Suite 2006
• Microsoft Word 2000
• Microsoft Word 2002
• Microsoft Office Word 2003

[WendyPusey]

Have you tried the Word Viewer from Microsoft?

Download details: Word Viewer 2003 (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=95E24C87-8732-48D5-8689-AB826E7B8FDF&displaylang=en)

[wulliam]

If someone on here has both applications then you could email it to them, they could copy&paste and email it back to you. Not ideal, I know - but it would work.

[Heather Positive Thinker]

Hi guys, Wendy, I think thats the one used with my old puter and I looked at and it said not compatible with Works 9 and all the performance above that you have to do to get round it. Ill have another look just in case its different - many thanks.


Nope, sadly that is the one I looked at before - it only converts up to Works 7 and not VISTA. How daft is MS not sorting this before putting out newer versions of works.

[WendyPusey]

Heather the Word Viewer opens the Word Document so you can read it. It doesn't convert it.

[Heather Positive Thinker]

Hi Wendy, sorry been fiddling. I did go to download the Viewer after I read you last note but it said I already had it on here ( I guess I must have brought it over from my other puter - or I did it when I was fiddling earlier) so I dont think that was the answer. But I went to the attachment again and instead of right clicking on it and trying to save, I left clicked. On the left click is says save, I clicked on that and then it says save as .doc but there is a drop down which also gives you an option to save as "all files" so I did that. And amazingly its just appeared with pics and all.

Many thanks for your help. :)

[James]

Well done Heather you got there in the end.

[Nasher]

Hi Heather,
Reading the posts I see that you have cracked the problem, but a much easier solution would have been to download OpenOffice.
Open Office allows you to open any Microsoft Office document be it in Word, Excel, Access, Publisher etc, etc and it is totally free.
Go to www: OpenOffice.org - The Free and Open Productivity Suite (http://www.openoffice.org) and download the program and then make it your default program for opening Word etc and you will have no more problems opening your attachments etc.
I've used it myself and I know others who have used it and all are very pleased with it.
Try it and see.
Neil.

[Heather Positive Thinker]

Thanks Nasher, that did occur to me - I downloaded it on my old computer but hadnt put it on this new one.

So I wouldnt have to use it all the time (Im afraid I find it a bit too advanced for me) - I could just have it and use it to open any word documents I get? I was looking at it yesterday trying to see if I could just download the word processor so I could try to use that, but I think you have to have the whole caboodle.

[Nasher]

Hi Heather,
Yes, you're right, you do have download the whole caboodle, but that whole caboodle only takes 800Mbytes of disk space and if you delete the temporary installation files it will only take up 440Mbytes of space, which on todays enormous hard drives is very little.
So, you could leave it sitting there on your desktop until you actually need it.
I recently emailed an Excel file of my Family Tree to a 2nd cousin 5 times removed and they didn't have any Microsoft Office programs on their computer so I suggested Open Office to her and she then managed to open the Excel file immediately. So, it isn't just Word it could be useful for.

All the best, whatever you decide,
Neil.

[Heather Positive Thinker]

Yes brilliant Nash, glad that you encourage me to download it again. It seems too complicated to use for my usual wordprocessor. Im sure Id get used to it but not at mo .... Many thanks.