If you’re using Microsoft Office 2003 or 2004 and have received Office 2007 or 2008 documents you can’t read, there is help out there. Hampshire IT is planning to convert all users on campus to the new versions of Office over the coming months, but in the meantime there are ways to read those new file formats. Read on to find out how to download file converters to solve this problem.

Microsoft Office 2007 (PC) and 2008 (Mac) introduced the new file formats docx, xlsx, and pptx. These new file formats will eventually be standards, but this is a transitional time, and many users are still using the old versions of Office.

If you have Microsoft 2007 or 2008, it’s best for now to set the save options to save files in the old formats. If we installed Office on your machine this is how it should be set up already; if it’s not, see the section “Setting the Default ‘Save’ File Format” at http://www/computing/8809.htm for instructions.

If you have the older version of Office, 2003 or 2004, you can install a file format converter that will let Office read the new file formats. The instructions below will guide you through the steps.

Mac

• In your browser go to http://software.hampshire.edu/mac/Microsoft/ Click on the file OpenXMLConverter100.dmg
• Choose “Save to disk”.
• The file will download to your desktop, unless you have customized settings.
• Double click OpenXMLConverter100.dmg, on your desktop, to open the installer, then click the green arrow with the yellow symbol to start the installer, then follow the prompts.
• Use the password you use to log onto your computer, the same password you use to do software updates
• When the installation is complete the docx, xlsx, and pptx files will open in compatibility mode. You may re-save them in the common format. You can then put the installer and the .dmg files in the trash.

PC

• In your browser go to http://software.hampshire.edu/windows/microsoft/
• Click on the file FileFormatConverters.exe
• Choose “Save File”.
• The file will download to your desktop, unless you have customized settings.
• Double click FileFormatConverters.exe on your desktop to start the installer, then follow the prompts
• When the installation is complete the docx, xlsx, and pptx files will open in compatibility mode. You may re-save them in the common format. You can then put the FileFormatConverters file in the trash.

A link to Microsoft interactive tutorials and guides to find the menus in the new interfaces can be found at http://www/computing/8806.htm

If you need further assistance, contact the IT Help Desk at x5418.