xarzu
Joined: May 04, 2007
# Posts: 11
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Posted: 02/03/2008 11:23 pm
I have the very latest version of Microsoft Office at work. The Word processing program saves files in a new format called .DOCX. This format is unlike anything. If I open a file in this format in a flat text reader it looks like garbage. I cannot even see the text that I typed. It is or seems to be encrypted. So if I write something at work and I send the file home, I cannot open it and work on it some more.
Does anyone know of any sort of conversion routine for a .DOCX file? I tried TextPad but it was complete garbage. I tried OpenOffice and it was just as bad. I tried an earlier version of Microsoft Word and there were page breaks and XML instructions but none of the text that I had written could be seen in the file.
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g1smd
Staff
Joined: Jul 28, 2002
# Posts: 10288
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Posted: 02/04/2008 12:01 pm
Have you tried to save the file using the Save As... option and then selecting a different file format other than the default.
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Hampstead
Joined: Feb 20, 2001
# Posts: 2007
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Posted: 02/04/2008 03:44 pm
That's exactly what you must do.
There is a shortcut you can use too. Hold down the alt key and press f then a. From the drop-down menu select .doc as the file type.
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beth_lk
Staff
Joined: Jun 23, 2004
# Posts: 1138
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Posted: 02/04/2008 07:13 pm
I get attachments via email all the time in.DOCX and can't open them....grrrrr 
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Curt
Joined: Eons Ago
# Posts: 3717
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Posted: 02/04/2008 10:07 pm
Looks like M$ is trying to stop OpenOffice from opening their documents—another way to stop competition from open sourced applications. Micro-monopoly is at it again.
Side point: Another reason M$ shouldn't be able to buy Yahoo.
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Hampstead
Joined: Feb 20, 2001
# Posts: 2007
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Posted: 02/05/2008 12:19 am
Microsoft have even made it difficult for their users.
If I navigate to find a document, word now only sees .docx documents. All the old documents are invisible. Of course there is a way around this but it seems a bit long winded and counter intuitive.
I really can't see the point.
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g1smd
Staff
Joined: Jul 28, 2002
# Posts: 10288
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Posted: 02/05/2008 05:45 am
The point is for Microsoft to make all other competing software look broken, so that everybody buys the Microsoft product as it is the only one that "works".
Many people have wised up to that, but there is a long way to go. Get all of the people in your network to move to OpenOffice. Kick the Borg out of your office.
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Hampstead
Joined: Feb 20, 2001
# Posts: 2007
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Posted: 02/05/2008 05:59 am
>>The point is for Microsoft to make all other competing software look broken, so that everybody buys the Microsoft product as it is the only one that "works".
Yes but the new version looks broken because it can't see any docs you've created in the past. I bet many people have gone into a blind panic!
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Quadrille
Joined: Nov 15, 2000
# Posts: 1064
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Posted: 02/05/2008 06:27 am
I love M$ - so committed to openness.
This site promises to convert a file - docx-converter.com - though I suspect you'll need a new email address for each 'free' conversion, as they are selling something.
And it looks like it will lose significant formatting, so will not always be enough.
MicroSmug do offer their own solution here - but even that has limitations.
Note that is an aspx file, so may not open in Firefox 
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g1smd
Staff
Joined: Jul 28, 2002
# Posts: 10288
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Posted: 02/05/2008 07:13 am
It should open in Firefox if the webserver follows the standards and sends a content=text/html MIME type in the HTTP header.
Oh, as it is an .aspx URL, that'll be a Microsoft IIS webserver used for the hosting; so maybe it doesn't follow the standards.
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formerskeptic
Joined: Oct 05, 2001
# Posts: 291
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Posted: 02/05/2008 10:11 pm
Bill must die
[ Message was edited by: formerskeptic 02/06/2008 03:07 am ]
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Curt
Joined: Eons Ago
# Posts: 3717
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Posted: 02/05/2008 11:08 pm
Dang, we might as well do what g1smd says:
g1smd said:
Get all of the people in your network to move to OpenOffice. Kick the Borg out of your office.
And do this before you save your documents with the new MS Office. Don't upgrade to docx MS Office. Convert your current MS files that are not docx to OpenOffice.
Doesn't MS ever learn? The harder they push us the harder we'll push back and push them clean out of our puters.
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Hampstead
Joined: Feb 20, 2001
# Posts: 2007
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Posted: 02/08/2008 03:36 am
If you have a gmail account, send the .DOCX document to yourself then open the attachment as a Google document.
You will be able to edit, copy etc.
[ Message was edited by: Hampstead 02/08/2008 06:19 am ]
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Hampstead
Joined: Feb 20, 2001
# Posts: 2007
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Posted: 02/08/2008 03:36 am
You can use the same process to extract the text from a PDF too.
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Quadrille
Joined: Nov 15, 2000
# Posts: 1064
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Posted: 02/08/2008 05:06 am
Nice one
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xarzu
Joined: May 04, 2007
# Posts: 11
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Posted: 02/12/2008 07:25 pm
You can get a compatibility pack for earlier versions of MS Office that will allow you to open Office 2007 documents. You can then save them in a different format.
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/products/HA101686761033.aspx
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