Re: converting Word 6 docs to Word 7

[Chris Knight <knight -at- ADA -dot- COM>]

Kristen Lorenz wrote:
>
> Hi everybody,
>
> Because we have a new logo and want to print all of our manuals in an 8
> 1/2 x 11 format, I have to change the page size on a bunch of old
> documents from 1995. (We still provide these documents to customers who
> have this particular version of our software). They were done in Word 6
> on a Windows 3.1 platform. I have Word 7 on Windows 95.
>
> These documents convert, but the font is now courier 12pt, all heading
> markings are lost, any screen shots are lost, and the formatting is
> altered.
>
> Is this just the way it is, and I am stuck reformatting all bizillion
> pages for these manuals?? I tried searching the archives, but to no
> avail. There's no way out of doing this at this point. This could take
> me into January - I could not do any other projects.

The format problems you describe are probably due to the files losing
their links to their template (.DOT) file. Check File/Templates to see
if there was a template, and where it was. Attach the template to the
files in Word 7.

Even if there was no template, the files should still be OK, unless you
have attached a template which redefines the styles used in your
documents AND you have "Automatically update document styles" checked
(also in File/Templates). If this is the case, uncheck this control,
and re-import the files.

If the screen shots were linked rather than embedded, all you need to
do is make sure all the file locations (in the INCLUDEPICTURE fields)
are correct. If the graphics were embedded, the problem is probably
that you don't have the correct graphics filter(s) installed. Check
with whoever installed Word.

Bottom line: Word 6 files are completely compatible with Word 7. As
long as you still have the original files, and work with copies, ALL
formatting and screen shots should be salvageable.

Hope this helps. Let us know how you make out.

--
Chris Knight
Consultant, Technical Communication Architect
Vancouver BC, Canada
(currently at Applied Digital Access,
e-mail: knight -at- bcg -dot- ada -dot- com)
Opinions expressed are my own, not ADA's


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