How do I change file extentions?

[pivt]

Hi- I have a floppy disk with numerous files. Some are from 'word perfect',
and Works 4.5. I'd like to be able to open the files at work. We use Word
2000 there.
Is it possible to change the file extensions to "doc" so they can be opened?
If so,
How do I do it? Thank you for any help...

 

[Michael R]

Hi- I have a floppy disk with numerous files. Some are from 'word perfect',
and Works 4.5. I'd like to be able to open the files at work. We use Word
2000 there.
Is it possible to change the file extensions to "doc" so they can be opened?
If so,
How do I do it? Thank you for any help...

Yes to the WordPerfect files and I dont think so regarding the Works
files. I believe Works files need to be converted some other way.

To change a file extension, right click on the file and choose rename.
This will allow you to re-name the file. Type a new name. When
re-naming, do not use any strange characters like %$##@ and be sure to
end the name with .doc

Be careful though. While I am not exactly sure how, Wordperfect and
Word are conceptually different. Because of this, not all WP files will
convert nicely to Word. Someone else will be able to expand on that issue.

 

[Chuck Davis]

As in Michael's response, I'm not sure. However, try this: Open Word, choose
Open from the File drop down menu, in the Files of type at the bottom of
the dialog box, click the down arrow and scroll to the WordPerfect fiile
type. Later do the same looking for Works.

 

[Chuck Davis]

See my previous post. The same does, in fact, work in Word 2000. All I had
to do was check my other computer.

 

[Graham Mayor]

Changing the filename extension will not make a jot of difference to opening
these file. What you require are the correct import filters.
Word 2000 comes with filters for Word Perfect and at least one version of
Works. If you don't have the correct filter for Works (for WP too for that
matter) you can download them via links on the downloads page of my web
site, but do not install them on a company machine without consulting the
company's IT department first.

Never ever read from, write to or print from floppy with Word. This is the
most certain method of ensuring document corruption. Copy to the hard disc
and work on the document from there.

--
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Graham Mayor - Word MVP


<>>< ><<> ><<> <>>< ><<> <>>< <>><<>

 

[Michael R]

Never ever read from, write to or print from floppy with Word. This is the
most certain method of ensuring document corruption. Copy to the hard disc
and work on the document from there.

Just out of curiosity Graham, can you elaborate? I've heard similar
tips from other Word gurus, but I've never been able to find out exactly
why this is a bad idea.

Also, when I rename a WP file with a .doc extension, Word opens it fine,
but it does run some sort of converter first. Is that the filter you're
speaking of? Thanks in advance for any advice

Michael

 

[TF]

Word has to create temp files in the active folder whenever it opens or
saves a document. The size of the temp files vary with the complexity of the
document. Opening or saving from a floppy is bad for two reasons: Word is
trying to both read and write from a media that was introduced eons ago
(pre-1980s) and is desperately slow and not made for simultaneous read/write
activities; Word also has no idea if there is sufficient room on the floppy
and will overwrite other data if there isn't.

There is absolutely nothing to be gained from changing a file extension:
Word (as with most applications) will know that the document being opened is
not a Word Doc. Word will read the header data to determine which format it
is and use the appropriate converter (if installed) to convert it into Word
format. The extension is there for us rather than the application.




: Graham Mayor wrote:
: >
: >
: > Never ever read from, write to or print from floppy with Word. This is
the
: > most certain method of ensuring document corruption. Copy to the hard
disc
: > and work on the document from there.
: >
:
: Just out of curiosity Graham, can you elaborate? I've heard similar
: tips from other Word gurus, but I've never been able to find out exactly
: why this is a bad idea.
:
: Also, when I rename a WP file with a .doc extension, Word opens it fine,
: but it does run some sort of converter first. Is that the filter you're
: speaking of? Thanks in advance for any advice
:
: Michael

 

[Michael R]

Thanks very much Terry. that was very informative

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

There is absolutely nothing to be gained from changing a file extension:
To add to what Terry has said, the extension is also there for Windows. If
you open a Word document from within Word, the cow will know her own calf.
But Windows requires registered file extensions to know what program to use
to open a file. Word by default "owns" the .doc and .dot extensions and can
also be configured to claim .htm, .rtf, and others. But unless you have
associated Word with, say, .wpd, you can't double-click on a WordPerfect
file in Windows Explorer and expect Word to open it. I haven't experimented
with whether you *can* associate Word with .wpd or whether you can rename a
..wpd file to .doc and open it in Word this way, though I would expect both
to be true. Even so, once Word has opened it, it will still know that the
file is not a native Word document.

 

[Amedee Van Gasse]

Suzanne S. Barnhill shared this with us in
microsoft.public.word.newusers:

To add to what Terry has said, the extension is also there for
Windows. If you open a Word document from within Word, *the cow will
know her own calf.*

I'll have to remember that one!