Desperate, nned "old" files!

M

Marny

I have many medical info folders/files [hubby w/brain cancer] originally
saved in "wordpad" [98 2nd ed.] that automatically converted to MS Word .doc
files when a friend installed Office 2000 on my computer [so I have no disc].

I have new Dell now & it does not have MS Word. I paid to have the old files
retrieved & burned to disc, but they display on new computer as HTML.

Is there ANY way I can re-convert them back to wordpad format so that I can
retrieve this vital information? IF I can get the old MS Office disc will it
be compatible with the new Dell Inspiron or would I have to get Office 2007?
I really can't afford to do that & absolutely wouldn't if there was any
chance that it wouldn't convert the old files!

ANY help is greatly appreciated - but please explain in layman's terms - I
am not tech savvy!
 
T

Tom [Pepper] Willett

Download the free word viewer:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...87-8732-48D5-8689-AB826E7B8FDF&displaylang=en

:I have many medical info folders/files [hubby w/brain cancer] originally
: saved in "wordpad" [98 2nd ed.] that automatically converted to MS Word
..doc
: files when a friend installed Office 2000 on my computer [so I have no
disc].
:
: I have new Dell now & it does not have MS Word. I paid to have the old
files
: retrieved & burned to disc, but they display on new computer as HTML.
:
: Is there ANY way I can re-convert them back to wordpad format so that I
can
: retrieve this vital information? IF I can get the old MS Office disc will
it
: be compatible with the new Dell Inspiron or would I have to get Office
2007?
: I really can't afford to do that & absolutely wouldn't if there was any
: chance that it wouldn't convert the old files!
:
: ANY help is greatly appreciated - but please explain in layman's terms - I
: am not tech savvy!
 
M

Marny

I went to the link & under "System requirements/Operating systems" Vista Home
Premium is NOT on the list. does that mean it is not compatible with my OS?
If I try to download it will it "just" fail? If so, any other suggestions?

Thanks for your help!
 
J

Jay Freedman

The page doesn't list Vista only because the page was posted more than two
years ago, and the list of operating systems wasn't updated after Vista was
released. The program will work.

--
Regards,
Jay Freedman
Microsoft Word MVP
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so
all may benefit.
I went to the link & under "System requirements/Operating systems"
Vista Home Premium is NOT on the list. does that mean it is not
compatible with my OS? If I try to download it will it "just" fail?
If so, any other suggestions?

Thanks for your help!

Tom [Pepper] Willett said:
Download the free word viewer:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...87-8732-48D5-8689-AB826E7B8FDF&displaylang=en

Marny said:
I have many medical info folders/files [hubby w/brain cancer]
originally saved in "wordpad" [98 2nd ed.] that automatically
converted to MS Word ..doc files when a friend installed Office
2000 on my computer [so I have no disc].

I have new Dell now & it does not have MS Word. I paid to have the
old files retrieved & burned to disc, but they display on new
computer as HTML.

Is there ANY way I can re-convert them back to wordpad format so
that I can retrieve this vital information? IF I can get the old MS
Office disc will it be compatible with the new Dell Inspiron or
would I have to get Office 2007? I really can't afford to do that &
absolutely wouldn't if there was any chance that it wouldn't
convert the old files!

ANY help is greatly appreciated - but please explain in layman's
terms - I am not tech savvy!
 
M

Marny

When I clicked on "download - save" absolutely nothing happened. I waited for
a minute & clicked again - nada! Then I clicked the program just to "run". A
box did pop up this time & looked like it was running - then disappeared.

I've checked in all my files [download, temporary. programs, etc] & have
even run a search - still no sign of anything. What am I doing wrong?

Thanks for replying.

Jay Freedman said:
The page doesn't list Vista only because the page was posted more than two
years ago, and the list of operating systems wasn't updated after Vista was
released. The program will work.

--
Regards,
Jay Freedman
Microsoft Word MVP
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so
all may benefit.
I went to the link & under "System requirements/Operating systems"
Vista Home Premium is NOT on the list. does that mean it is not
compatible with my OS? If I try to download it will it "just" fail?
If so, any other suggestions?

Thanks for your help!

Tom [Pepper] Willett said:
Download the free word viewer:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...87-8732-48D5-8689-AB826E7B8FDF&displaylang=en

I have many medical info folders/files [hubby w/brain cancer]
originally saved in "wordpad" [98 2nd ed.] that automatically
converted to MS Word ..doc files when a friend installed Office
2000 on my computer [so I have no disc].

I have new Dell now & it does not have MS Word. I paid to have the
old files retrieved & burned to disc, but they display on new
computer as HTML.

Is there ANY way I can re-convert them back to wordpad format so
that I can retrieve this vital information? IF I can get the old MS
Office disc will it be compatible with the new Dell Inspiron or
would I have to get Office 2007? I really can't afford to do that &
absolutely wouldn't if there was any chance that it wouldn't
convert the old files!

ANY help is greatly appreciated - but please explain in layman's
terms - I am not tech savvy!
 
J

Jay Freedman

When the program ran and then disappeared, it should have installed
the viewer -- probably in C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office 11
as the file WordViewer.exe. If you click the Start menu and then click
All Programs, you should see it listed as "Microsoft Office Word
Viewer 2003".

If it isn't there, you may have had a problem between the web site's
download manager and the rights assigned to your Vista login. You can
try downloading instead from the file I've posted at
http://jay-freedman.info/wdviewer.exe which I'll leave there for 24
hours. Run that file to install the viewer.

By the way, I've actually installed it on Vista and confirmed that it
does work.

When I clicked on "download - save" absolutely nothing happened. I waited for
a minute & clicked again - nada! Then I clicked the program just to "run". A
box did pop up this time & looked like it was running - then disappeared.

I've checked in all my files [download, temporary. programs, etc] & have
even run a search - still no sign of anything. What am I doing wrong?

Thanks for replying.

Jay Freedman said:
The page doesn't list Vista only because the page was posted more than two
years ago, and the list of operating systems wasn't updated after Vista was
released. The program will work.

--
Regards,
Jay Freedman
Microsoft Word MVP
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so
all may benefit.
I went to the link & under "System requirements/Operating systems"
Vista Home Premium is NOT on the list. does that mean it is not
compatible with my OS? If I try to download it will it "just" fail?
If so, any other suggestions?

Thanks for your help!

:

Download the free word viewer:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...87-8732-48D5-8689-AB826E7B8FDF&displaylang=en

I have many medical info folders/files [hubby w/brain cancer]
originally saved in "wordpad" [98 2nd ed.] that automatically
converted to MS Word ..doc files when a friend installed Office
2000 on my computer [so I have no disc].

I have new Dell now & it does not have MS Word. I paid to have the
old files retrieved & burned to disc, but they display on new
computer as HTML.

Is there ANY way I can re-convert them back to wordpad format so
that I can retrieve this vital information? IF I can get the old MS
Office disc will it be compatible with the new Dell Inspiron or
would I have to get Office 2007? I really can't afford to do that &
absolutely wouldn't if there was any chance that it wouldn't
convert the old files!

ANY help is greatly appreciated - but please explain in layman's
terms - I am not tech savvy!
 
M

Marny

RELIEF!!! Got it! Sooooo grateful for all the help :)

Jay Freedman said:
When the program ran and then disappeared, it should have installed
the viewer -- probably in C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office 11
as the file WordViewer.exe. If you click the Start menu and then click
All Programs, you should see it listed as "Microsoft Office Word
Viewer 2003".

If it isn't there, you may have had a problem between the web site's
download manager and the rights assigned to your Vista login. You can
try downloading instead from the file I've posted at
http://jay-freedman.info/wdviewer.exe which I'll leave there for 24
hours. Run that file to install the viewer.

By the way, I've actually installed it on Vista and confirmed that it
does work.

When I clicked on "download - save" absolutely nothing happened. I waited for
a minute & clicked again - nada! Then I clicked the program just to "run". A
box did pop up this time & looked like it was running - then disappeared.

I've checked in all my files [download, temporary. programs, etc] & have
even run a search - still no sign of anything. What am I doing wrong?

Thanks for replying.

Jay Freedman said:
The page doesn't list Vista only because the page was posted more than two
years ago, and the list of operating systems wasn't updated after Vista was
released. The program will work.

--
Regards,
Jay Freedman
Microsoft Word MVP
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so
all may benefit.

Marny wrote:
I went to the link & under "System requirements/Operating systems"
Vista Home Premium is NOT on the list. does that mean it is not
compatible with my OS? If I try to download it will it "just" fail?
If so, any other suggestions?

Thanks for your help!

:

Download the free word viewer:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...87-8732-48D5-8689-AB826E7B8FDF&displaylang=en

I have many medical info folders/files [hubby w/brain cancer]
originally saved in "wordpad" [98 2nd ed.] that automatically
converted to MS Word ..doc files when a friend installed Office
2000 on my computer [so I have no disc].

I have new Dell now & it does not have MS Word. I paid to have the
old files retrieved & burned to disc, but they display on new
computer as HTML.

Is there ANY way I can re-convert them back to wordpad format so
that I can retrieve this vital information? IF I can get the old MS
Office disc will it be compatible with the new Dell Inspiron or
would I have to get Office 2007? I really can't afford to do that &
absolutely wouldn't if there was any chance that it wouldn't
convert the old files!

ANY help is greatly appreciated - but please explain in layman's
terms - I am not tech savvy!

--
Regards,
Jay Freedman
Microsoft Word MVP
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so all may benefit.
 
D

Don

I have many medical info folders/files [hubby w/brain cancer]
originally saved in "wordpad" [98 2nd ed.] that automatically
converted to MS Word .doc files when a friend installed Office 2000 on
my computer [so I have no disc].

I have new Dell now & it does not have MS Word. I paid to have the old
files retrieved & burned to disc, but they display on new computer as
HTML.

Is there ANY way I can re-convert them back to wordpad format so that
I can retrieve this vital information? IF I can get the old MS Office
disc will it be compatible with the new Dell Inspiron or would I have
to get Office 2007? I really can't afford to do that & absolutely
wouldn't if there was any chance that it wouldn't convert the old
files!

ANY help is greatly appreciated - but please explain in layman's terms
- I am not tech savvy!

Perhaps I'm missing something here?

Is it possible that the acutal Wordpad 98 files (RTF) did NOT actually
go through any process of conversion in format?
Rather, the file association was merely changed?
And as a result, your simply clicking on the files with your mouse to
open?

I'm assuming the new Dell comes standard with WordPad?
1) Open WordPad
2) Select FILE
3) Open
4) go to folder location
5) select file

If the above solves your dilema?
Simpy change the file association.
 

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