Yes and no. If you save your files from the Office 2007 applications in the
older file format (97-2003) then you'll be able to open them in the 2003
applicaitons. You can also install the Compatibility Pack on the computers
with Office 2003 so they can open and edit files in the new Office 2007 file
format. But depending on the file content it may appear differently and some
objects may not be fully editable, if at all.
The recommended method is to use the old file format.
In each Office 2007 application you can set the default Save As type to the
old format to make this easier. Here are the steps you need:
- Click the Microsoft Office Button, click <Application> Options, click Save
- From the Save Files as the Type drop down, select the <Application>
97-2003.
When you open or save a document in the older file type the application
enters into what is called Compatibility Mode. When in this mode, features
that aren't supported by previous applications are not enabled, for the most
part anyway. Word is pretty good about disabling and replacing various
features but Excel and PPT aren't. See the links provided to obtain a list
of the features that aren't supported.
You can also force Word to create new documents in Compatibility Mode. For
Word you need to use a Registry hack. Information on this can be found at:
http://word2007bible.herbtyson.com/2007/07/26/how-to-force-compatibility-mode/
You will also want to review the following Help topics. Each of them
contains a list of behaviors and objects that aren't supported by earlier
versions. If you want your documents to be fully editable in the older
version then you want to refrain from using the new features:
Excel:
http://office.microsoft.com/client/...s=EXCEL&lcid=1033&CTT=3&Origin=HA101988951033
PPT:
http://office.microsoft.com/client/helppreview.aspx?AssetID=HA101023491033&ns=POWERPNT&lcid=1033
Word:
http://office.microsoft.com/client/helppreview.aspx?AssetID=HA101172971033&ns=WINWORD&lcid=1033
http://office.microsoft.com/client/helppreview.aspx?AssetID=HA101176541033&ns=WINWORD&lcid=1033
If you're not sure about an item you've added to a file, in each of the
applications you can click the Microsoft Office Button, point to Prepare,
and then click "Run Compatibility Checker".
Of course this doesn't cover everything, there are a few gotchas that you
may or may not encounter, but this should give you a good start.
Please post all follow-up questions to the newsgroup. Requests for
assistance by email cannot be acknowledged.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Beth Melton
Microsoft Office MVP
Coauthor of Word 2007 Inside Out:
http://www.microsoft.com/MSPress/books/9801.aspx#AboutTheBook
Word FAQ:
http://mvps.org/word
TechTrax eZine:
http://mousetrax.com/techtrax/
MVP FAQ site:
http://mvps.org/