WD2000: Cannot Open Word 2000 Documents in Word 6.x or 7.x

ID: Q212226

The information in this article applies to:

SYMPTOMS

When you try to open a Microsoft Word 2000 document in Microsoft Word version 6.x or 7.x, the document contains garbage characters.


CAUSE

The document file format used to save files was changed in Word 97; Word 2000 uses the Word 97 file format. Word versions 6.x and 7.x cannot read this format correctly without the aid of a converter.


WORKAROUND

Use one of the following methods to open a Word 2000 document in an earlier version of Word:

Method 1: In Word 2000, save the document as a Word 6.0/95 file.

  1. Open the document in Word 2000.


  2. On the File menu, click Save As.


  3. In the Save As dialog box, change the Save as type to Word 6.0/95 (*.doc).


For additional information, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
Q162602: WD97: Questions About Saving in the Word 6.0/95 File Format

Method 2: In Word 2000, save the document as Rich Text Format (*.rtf).

  1. Open the document in Word 2000.


  2. On the File menu, click Save As.


  3. In the Save As dialog box, change the Save as type to Rich Text Format (*.rtf).



RESOLUTION

Windows

The best way to open a Word 2000 document in Word 6.x or 7.x for Windows is to use the Word 97 import converter. For information about how to obtain and use the Word 97 converter, please see the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
Q162214: WD: How to Obtain the Word 97-2000 Converter
Q212267: WD2000: How to Open Documents into an Earlier Version of Word

Macintosh

The best way to open a Word 2000 for Windows document in an earlier version of Word for the Macintosh is to use the Word 97-98 import converter.

For additional information, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
Q184128: WD: How to Obtain the Word 97-98 Converter

Additional query words: convert read import vba 


Keywords          : kbinterop kbusage kbdta kbconversion wd2000 
Version           : WINDOWS:2000
Platform          : WINDOWS 
Issue type        : kbprb

Last Reviewed: June 22, 1999