Word 2007 should be able to open any .doc file you created with a previous
version of Word. What program did you use to create those thousands of .doc
files?

<alamo@nomail> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>I have thousands of documents created under W98 and saved as .doc
> files that I need to transfer to my new computer running Vista Home
> Premium. Neither WordPad v.6, which came with Vista, nor Word 2007
> recongizes .doc files. I'm looking for suggestions how I can
> convert these files, preferably in large batches, to make them
> readable under Vista.
>
> Thanks,
> Signa

> This is interesting because I have .doc files from W98, W95, and W2003
> that I have pulled up with no problem in WV.

The OS from which they're coming is irrelevant. So Dell didn't have to
install anything special. You can open yours because you created them with
some version of Microsot Word. It's possible that the OP created them in
some program other than Word and that's why Word can't open them.

Also, no version of Windows can open a .doc file because Windows doesn't
open files. You use apps, like Microsoft Word, to open document files.


"Xalil" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:eEEHh.1419$Ah.305@trnddc07...
> This is interesting because I have .doc files from W98, W95, and W2003
> that I have pulled up with no problem in WV. I have the option to keep it
> in these version formats or to upgrade the documents to Windows 2007.
> Could it be that Dell installed something for me that you would otherwise
> have to install yourself? Although Dell customer service has really
> sucked with me, I really am impressed with their customization of my
> computers. Regardless, I believe (if my memory serves me correctly, which
> is not usually the case) there is with WV an option you can download or
> access to make everything extremely conversion friendly. Maybe it's a
> Word 2007 option instead of MV? I would also find the answer to you
> inquiry enlightening.
>
> <alamo@nomail> wrote in message
> news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>>I have thousands of documents created under W98 and saved as .doc
>> files that I need to transfer to my new computer running Vista Home
>> Premium. Neither WordPad v.6, which came with Vista, nor Word 2007
>> recongizes .doc files. I'm looking for suggestions how I can
>> convert these files, preferably in large batches, to make them
>> readable under Vista.
>>
>> Thanks,
>> Signa
>

Glad it's working. But just in case anyone is still confused by this, Vista
doesn't "handle" or open .doc files. No version of Windows does. Microsoft
Word opens .doc files. And it can only do that if it's installed on the
Windows Vista computer.


<alamo@nomail> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> On Wed, 07 Mar 2007 14:50:52 -0600, Adam Albright <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>
>>On Wed, 07 Mar 2007 19:46:18 GMT, "Xalil" <(E-Mail Removed)>
>>wrote:
>>
>>>This is interesting because I have .doc files from W98, W95, and W2003
>>>that
>>>I have pulled up with no problem in WV. I have the option to keep it in
>>>these version formats or to upgrade the documents to Windows 2007. Could
>>>it
>>>be that Dell installed something for me that you would otherwise have to
>>>install yourself? Although Dell customer service has really sucked with
>>>me,
>>>I really am impressed with their customization of my computers.
>>>Regardless,
>>>I believe (if my memory serves me correctly, which is not usually the
>>>case)
>>>there is with WV an option you can download or access to make everything
>>>extremely conversion friendly. Maybe it's a Word 2007 option instead of
>>>MV?
>>>I would also find the answer to you inquiry enlightening.
>>>
>>><alamo@nomail> wrote in message
>>>news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>>>>I have thousands of documents created under W98 and saved as .doc
>>>> files that I need to transfer to my new computer running Vista Home
>>>> Premium. Neither WordPad v.6, which came with Vista, nor Word 2007
>>>> recongizes .doc files. I'm looking for suggestions how I can
>>>> convert these files, preferably in large batches, to make them
>>>> readable under Vista.
>>>>
>>>> Thanks,
>>>> Signa
>>
>>That's curious since .doc is the default file type for Word documents.
>>I would first look in Control Panel, default programs, then pick the
>>associate file types option then scan the list for .doc and see what
>>Vista is currently set to use to open .doc files.
>>
>>I have a REALLY old version of Office, vintage 1997. I just opened it
>>up and wrote a test document. Both it and Notepad open and display it
>>without problems.
>>
>>Try this:
>>
>>Start, Search, then for the search term type .doc and you'll shortly
>>get a list of all the .doc files on your computer. See if you can open
>>any directly from Search, that at least willsee if there are other
>>misconfigurations issues.
>>
>>If all else fails,
>>
>>http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/d...displaylang=en
>>
>>or search for a similar viewer or just reinstall word or whatever you
>>used to create them.
>>
>
> Thanks to all for your suggestions. I had created most, not all, of
> the .doc files in WordPad - whatever version came with Windows 98,
> preferring WordPad to Word for its simplicity and ease of use. (Plain
> laziness, I confess.) The rest I'd created in Word. With those older
> versions I could open individual files in either Word (the default)
> or WordPad, depending how I went about it.
>
> I hadn't done much exploring in Word 2007 until just now. I just
> unpacked and set up the new computer a week ago yesterday and am still
> working at getting things I use frequently, like the Run command,
> available in places where I can find them quickly. The computer is a
> Dell, as Richard's is.
>
> On a quick poke around in Word just now, I found it indeed handles
> .doc files. I copied Adam's reply into Word and saved it as a .doc,
> in fact. So that solves my problem.
>
> Thanks again, to all who responded.
> Signa

I have thousands of documents created under W98 and saved as .doc
files that I need to transfer to my new computer running Vista Home
Premium. Neither WordPad v.6, which came with Vista, nor Word 2007
recongizes .doc files. I'm looking for suggestions how I can
convert these files, preferably in large batches, to make them
readable under Vista.

Thanks,
Signa

I don't use Word but isn't there a compatibility mode in which you can open
doc files?

<alamo@nomail> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>I have thousands of documents created under W98 and saved as .doc
> files that I need to transfer to my new computer running Vista Home
> Premium. Neither WordPad v.6, which came with Vista, nor Word 2007
> recongizes .doc files. I'm looking for suggestions how I can
> convert these files, preferably in large batches, to make them
> readable under Vista.
>
> Thanks,
> Signa

This is interesting because I have .doc files from W98, W95, and W2003 that
I have pulled up with no problem in WV. I have the option to keep it in
these version formats or to upgrade the documents to Windows 2007. Could it
be that Dell installed something for me that you would otherwise have to
install yourself? Although Dell customer service has really sucked with me,
I really am impressed with their customization of my computers. Regardless,
I believe (if my memory serves me correctly, which is not usually the case)
there is with WV an option you can download or access to make everything
extremely conversion friendly. Maybe it's a Word 2007 option instead of MV?
I would also find the answer to you inquiry enlightening.

<alamo@nomail> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>I have thousands of documents created under W98 and saved as .doc
> files that I need to transfer to my new computer running Vista Home
> Premium. Neither WordPad v.6, which came with Vista, nor Word 2007
> recongizes .doc files. I'm looking for suggestions how I can
> convert these files, preferably in large batches, to make them
> readable under Vista.
>
> Thanks,
> Signa

On Wed, 07 Mar 2007 19:46:18 GMT, "Xalil" <(E-Mail Removed)>
wrote:

>This is interesting because I have .doc files from W98, W95, and W2003 that
>I have pulled up with no problem in WV. I have the option to keep it in
>these version formats or to upgrade the documents to Windows 2007. Could it
>be that Dell installed something for me that you would otherwise have to
>install yourself? Although Dell customer service has really sucked with me,
>I really am impressed with their customization of my computers. Regardless,
>I believe (if my memory serves me correctly, which is not usually the case)
>there is with WV an option you can download or access to make everything
>extremely conversion friendly. Maybe it's a Word 2007 option instead of MV?
>I would also find the answer to you inquiry enlightening.
>
><alamo@nomail> wrote in message
>news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>>I have thousands of documents created under W98 and saved as .doc
>> files that I need to transfer to my new computer running Vista Home
>> Premium. Neither WordPad v.6, which came with Vista, nor Word 2007
>> recongizes .doc files. I'm looking for suggestions how I can
>> convert these files, preferably in large batches, to make them
>> readable under Vista.
>>
>> Thanks,
>> Signa

That's curious since .doc is the default file type for Word documents.
I would first look in Control Panel, default programs, then pick the
associate file types option then scan the list for .doc and see what
Vista is currently set to use to open .doc files.

I have a REALLY old version of Office, vintage 1997. I just opened it
up and wrote a test document. Both it and Notepad open and display it
without problems.

Try this:

Start, Search, then for the search term type .doc and you'll shortly
get a list of all the .doc files on your computer. See if you can open
any directly from Search, that at least willsee if there are other
misconfigurations issues.

If all else fails,

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/d...displaylang=en

or search for a similar viewer or just reinstall word or whatever you
used to create them.

I'm pretty sure Win 98's Wordpad saved in Word 6 format.

I don't have Word 2007 but look in help to see what it says about Word Ver 6
documents. MS doesn't like these documents as they believe they are security
holes.




<alamo@nomail> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>I have thousands of documents created under W98 and saved as .doc
> files that I need to transfer to my new computer running Vista Home
> Premium. Neither WordPad v.6, which came with Vista, nor Word 2007
> recongizes .doc files. I'm looking for suggestions how I can
> convert these files, preferably in large batches, to make them
> readable under Vista.
>
> Thanks,
> Signa

In message <JfEHh.32416$(E-Mail Removed)> "Richard"
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>I don't use Word but isn't there a compatibility mode in which you can open
>doc files?

All DOC files are opened in compatibility mode, Word is moving to a docx
extension for 2007 files.
--
Insert something clever here.

In message <(E-Mail Removed)> "Puppy Breath"
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>Also, no version of Windows can open a .doc file because Windows doesn't
>open files. You use apps, like Microsoft Word, to open document files.

While true, given that WordPad is built in, it's a reasonable confusion.
--
Insert something clever here.