Dressing Up Your Word 2007 Document: Word 2003 Compatibility

CADL has updated to Microsoft Word 2007, which means that files you create in Office 2007’s suite of products (Word, Excel, Power Point, etc.) may not be compatible with files you’ve made in older versions of Microsoft Office… unless you save them in a Word 97-03 compatibility format. For example, a lot of patrons who come to CADL’s Computer Center have questions about how to save Office 2007 files in a format they can open at work in Office 2003 or on a friend’s computer that’s running even older software. Here’s how to format a Word 2007 file so it’s compatible with older versions of Word.

In Word 2007, you’ll notice a few changes. Instead of the toolbar (see above image) we’re used to, Microsoft is now using “the ribbon”:

The red arrow in the picture is pointing to the new “Office Button” that does a lot of what the “File” menu did on the old toolbar system. When you click on it, you’ll see the following.

The options to select from are: New, Open, Save, Save As, Print, Prepare, Publish, and Close. To save your file in any format, you’re going to click “Save As.”

You can choose from a number of options. To save your file in the format that is compatible with older versions of Microsoft Word, you’re going to select “Word 97-2003 Document.” If you’re not looking at these instructions when saving a file and can’t remember “Word 97-2003 Document,” just read the description below each “Save As” option’s title. The one for “Word 97-2003 Document” reads: Save a copy of the document that is fully compatible with Word 97-2003. Just remember that you’re saving for compatibility, and you’ll be able to remember which option to click.

That’s it! All that’s left to do is to select where to save your file and title your document as you wish. Super easy.

Knowing how to save files compatible with older versions of Word is a very important skill to have, especially if you’re applying for jobs. I personally have helped several patrons applying for jobs who have sent resumes to potential bosses in the Office 2007 format. Often, the potential boss emails the patron back saying he or she can’t open their resume on their computer. All you have to do is follow the above steps, and you can save it in a file that a potential boss’s computer can read.

Out with the Old in with the New

Things will be changing at our libraries! Over the next several weeks our old computers will disappear and you will see new ones. Here is a is a quick look at what you will see:

The New

Yes, I know, it is just another box, but look carefully at the picture. There are some IMPORTANT differences from our old ones! The new computers do not have a floppy drive. You can bring in your thumb drive, cd/dvd, or memory card. If you look at the image above, you can see the memory card ports on the left side of the computer. The new computers do not support all memory cards, just a few of the main ones.

Once you log onto a computer, the “look” will be different.  The entry page will give you several quick start options such as library catalog, emedia, Word, Internet, etc.

Start Screen

You can click the “Exit to Desktop” button to close the start screen. The new computers will be running Windows Vista and it does change the look of features such as My Computer, Recycle Bin, Patron G Drive, etc. THere is also that Office 2007 thing, but that is for another post!

Vista and Office 2007

In the very near future, all of the libraries in the CADL system will have new computers operating on the Windows Vista platform, with Microsoft Office 2007 software. The Main Library has already begun that switch.  To stay ahead of the curve, check out Microsoft’s Office Online Home and the Windown Vista home page. There’s no better way to find out the odds and ends of Microsoft’s newest products than to go to the source itself.