WD: Error Message Opening Word 97 File in Word 6.x, 7.x

• Microsoft Word for Windows, version 6.0
• Microsoft Word for Windows 95, versions 7.0, 7.0a

SYMPTOMS

In Word versions 6.x and 7.x, when you open a Word 97 document that contains PNG or JPG graphics, you may receive one of the following error messages:

Case 1

   Microsoft Word 97 Conversion: Out of Memory

   Microsoft Word Err = 1025: Word cannot open the document.
   (<path><filename>)

Case 2:

   Microsoft Word 97 Conversion: Unable to load graphics conversion filter.
   Continue with document conversion?

CAUSE

Case 1:

Microsoft Word 97 saves PNG and JPG graphics files in their native file formats (that is, Word 97 does not convert these graphics to EMF/WMF formats as it does with other graphic formats). The converter that is installed to Word 6.0 (Msword8.cnv) has a problem converting some Word 97 documents containing PNG or JPG graphics to Word 6.x, 7.x format.

Case 2:

One or more of the following graphics filters installed by the Word 97 converter Setup is either missing or an incorrect version of the filter.

Following are the graphic filter files installed by the Wrd97cnv.exe Setup for Word 6.x and 7.x.

   Filters for Word 6.x (located in the Msapps/Grphflt directory):

      File name        Size       Date
      -------------------------------------

      Emfimp.flt       150KB      8/29/1996
      Iffjpeg.dll      76KB       4/2/1996
      Jpegimp.flt      14KB       4/2/1996
      Pictimp.flt      57KB       5/25/1993
      Pngimp.flt       128KB      9/25/1996

   Filters for Word 7.x (located in the Program Files\Common
   Files\Microsoft Shared/Grphflt folder):

      File name        Size       Date
      --------------------------------------

      Emfimp32.flt     333KB       9/19/1996
      Jpegim32.flt     168KB       9/19/1996
      Png32.flt        218KB      10/15/1996
      Pictim32.flt     80KB        9/30/1996

WORKAROUND

Workaround for Case 1

To work around this behavior, use one of the following methods.

   Method 1: Save the File in as a Word 6.0/95 Document
   ----------------------------------------------------

   1. Open the document containing .png and/or .jpg graphics in Word 97.

   2. On the File menu, click Save As.

   3. In the Save As dialog box, in the Name box, type a new name for the
      file (this creates a copy of the file). Change  the "Save as type" to
      "Word 6.0/95 (*.doc)," and then click OK.

   This will save a copy of your file in a format that can be converted
   into Word 6.0. This saves the document as an RTF file. The RTF converter
   for Word 6.0 is internal to Word, so no additional converter is required
   to open an RTF file in Word 6.0.

   Method 2: Save the File in Rich-Text Format (RTF)
   ------------------------------------------------

   1. Open the document containing .png and/or .jpg graphics in Word 97.

   2. On the File menu, click Save As.

   3. In the Save As dialog box, in the Name box, change the name of the
      file (this creates a copy of the file).

   4. Also, in the Save As dialog box, change the "Save as type" to
      "Rich Text Format (*.RTF)," and then click OK.

   This will save a copy of your file in a format that can be converted to
   Word 6.x and 7.x. The RTF converter for Word 6.x and 7.x is internal to
   Word, so no additional converter is required to open an RTF file.

   Method 3: Use a Different Graphics Format
   -----------------------------------------

   In your Word 97 document, insert the graphic files in a format other
   than PNG or JPG before you open the document in Word 6.x or 7.x.

Workaround for Case 2

To work around this behavior, use the following method.

   Re-install the converter and associated filters
   -----------------------------------------------

   Re-install the converter and associated graphic filters by running the
   Wrd97cnv.exe setup again to ensure usage of the correct filters.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the products listed at the beginning of this article. We are researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.

MORE INFORMATION

If you're currently using Word 6.x or Word 7.x for Windows, you must install the Word 97 import converter before you can open Word 97 documents. For additional information, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   ARTICLE-ID: Q162214
   TITLE     : How to Obtain the Word 97 Converter

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