If I buy Microsoft office, will I be able to open my old files on

L

laurelek

I have used Microsoft Works for my office needs for sometime, but I now plan
to get Microsoft Office as I need Outlook & Powerpoint. Will I be able to
open my old Works files with Word & Excel?
 
D

dj

Hi,

According to Help screens in Word and Excel, the answer is YES. I'll paste
in the text from those screens for your reference, although they may be a
little difficult to read in this context. Here's what Microsoft has to say
about this:

WORD:

By using a file format converter in Microsoft Word, you can open documents
that were created in Microsoft Works. After you open the document, you can
save it in Word format.

On the File menu, click Open.
In the Files of type list, click Works 6.0 & 7.0.
If you don't see this option in the list

Install the file format converter as follows:
Exit all programs.
Do one of the following:
If you are using Microsoft Windows 2000, double-click Add/Remove Programs in
Control Panel.
If you are using Microsoft Windows XP, double-click Add or Remove Programs
in Control Panel.
In the Currently installed programs list, click either Microsoft Office 2003
or Microsoft Office Word 2003 (depending on whether you installed Word as
part of Office or as an individual program), and then click Change.
The Configuration Wizard opens.

On the Maintenance Mode Options page, click Add or Remove Features, and then
click Next.
If you installed Word as part of Office, then on the Custom Setup page,
select the Choose advanced customization of applications check box, and then
click Next.

On the Advanced Customization page, click the plus sign (+) next to Office
Shared Features.
Click the plus sign (+) next to Converters and Filters, and then click the
plus sign (+) next to Text Converters.
Click the arrow next to Works for Windows 7.0, and then click Run from My
Computer.
The file format converter is installed.

In the File name box, enter the name of the file that you want to convert,
and then click Open.
On the File menu, click Save As.
In the Save As dialog box, make any changes that you want in the File name
box, click the file format that you want in the Save as type list, and then
click Save.

EXCEL:

Applies to
Microsoft Office Excel 2003
Microsoft Excel 2000 and 2002

Microsoft Excel can open Microsoft Works files saved in the Microsoft Works
2.0 (or earlier) format. To open Microsoft Works 3.0 or 4.0 files in
Microsoft Excel, you must first save them in a compatible file format.

Save a Microsoft Works file in a compatible file format
If you want to open a file saved from Microsoft Works 3.0 or 4.0 in
Microsoft Excel versions 5.0 and later, the file must first be saved in a
compatible file format.

Open the file in Microsoft Works 3.0 or 4.0.
Click Save As on the File menu.
From the Save File As Type list, select one of the following file formats:
Works for Windows 2.0 (WKS)
Excel 4.0/5.0 (XLS)
Lotus 1-2-3 (WK1)
The file format you choose depends on what you want to do with the file
after opening it in Excel; for instance, if you want to continue to work on
the file in Excel, choose the Excel 4.0/5.0 (XLS) format. If you want to
re-open the file in Works, however, select the Works for Windows 2.0 (WKS)
format. Excel can also open a file in Lotus 1-2-3 format.

Click OK to save the file in the new format.
Close the file before you open it in Microsoft Excel.
Open a Microsoft Works file in Excel
Once your Microsoft Works file is in a compatible format, you can open it in
Excel.

On the File menu, click Open.
In the Look in list, click the drive or folder that contains the file you
want to open, and then locate the folder that contains the file.
In the Files of type list, click one of the following file types:
If the file is in Microsoft Works format, click Microsoft Works 2.0 Files
(*.wks).
If the file is in Microsoft Excel file format, click Microsoft Excel Files
(*.xl*;*.xls;*.xla;*.xlt;*.*.xlm; *.xlc;).
If the file is in Lotus 1-2-3 format, click Lotus 1-2-3 Files (*.wk?).
Double-click the file you want to open.
 
C

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