Reading Word files from 1991

  • Thread starter Thread starter Bill
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Bill

How do I read a Word doc from 1991 and save it into Word 2003? I have a lot
of such files. I know I can open them in Wordpad, copy and paste into Word
2003, and edit out all the formatting symbols. But this is a lot of work.
Is there an easier way, e.g., a free download somewhere that can read the old
file and save it into the newer format for me?
 
How do I read a Word doc from 1991 and save it into Word 2003? I have a lot
of such files. I know I can open them in Wordpad, copy and paste into Word
2003, and edit out all the formatting symbols. But this is a lot of work.
Is there an easier way, e.g., a free download somewhere that can read the old
file and save it into the newer format for me?

Graham Mayor has a large selection of old converters at
http://www.gmayor.com/downloads.htm, and you might find something
there.

If not, go to the Open dialog and set the "Files of type" dropdown to
"Recover text from any file". That will do a better job than WordPad,
although you'll still have to delete some extra junk from the end of
the document.
 
Jay,
Thanks. The Graham Mayor site had 2 possible downloads but there was a note
indicating potential risk so I didn't try them. However, your suggestion to
use the Open dialog with recover worked very well and was much quicker than
the Wordpad method. Thanks,
- Bill
 
The risk is minimal and probably non-existent if you are only opening your
own files.

--
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Graham Mayor - Word MVP

My web site www.gmayor.com

<>>< ><<> ><<> <>>< ><<> <>>< <>><<>
 
Unless you have installed SP3 for Word 2003, you should be able to just open
them directly. If you have installed SP3 and are getting a message about
being blocked for security reasons, then you can get around this with a
Registry edit.
The applicable KB articles are KB922849, which describes how to create an
exempt location (which may serve your needs) and KB938810, which is
currently being rewritten to be more helpful (the article as written doesn't
make it clear that the Registry keys must be created, not just edited).
Meanwhile, see
http://msmvps.com/blogs/bradley/archive/2007/11/28/still-having-issues-post-office-2003-sp3.aspx
for a downloadable .reg file that will make the edits described in 938810
for you.
 
Graham and Suzanne,
Thanks for your replies. My earlier reply to Jay was mostly right, but
after trying the Open and Recover text option, I saw that it didn't recover
the files real well sometimes, e.g., sometimes had characters and words
missing, sometimes had extra phrases - it was probably recovering chunks from
different previously saved revs. So, Graham, I'll give two of your downloads
a try. And Suzanne, it seems like you're suggestion is right on the problem.
I do have SP3 installed, and the error message I get when I try to open the
old files is: "You are attempting to open a file that was created in an
earlier version of Microsoft Office. This file type is blocked from opening
in this version by your registry policy setting." So your suggestion to make
a registry edit makes sense. Since I didn't know what that entailed or might
affect, I didn't want to try it before.
Thanks,
- Bill
 
Suzanne,
It's been awhile since your reply, but I finally tried your suggestion about
changing the registry. Maybe I was just a little hesitant about the
tinkering. But ... Your instructions were excellent - flawless! The
references were excellent and following the steps was easy. I set a restore
point and backed up the registry as instructed. Then I ran the script - very
fast. Then I tried using my Word 2003 sp3 to open a doc from 1992 and it
opened quickly and accurately! Thank you very much for your help! I'm
smiling and feeling good about this.
- Bill
 
I felt good about it, too, when it restored the functionality I needed. The
KB article I referenced (http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=938810) has in
fact now been rewritten and includes downloadable .reg files directly from
Microsoft for any users who might have felt a bit hesitant about using a
file from an unknown (albeit MVP) source.
 

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