Can’t open docx and xlsx files in Office 2003 any longer

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In the last couple of weeks I’ve lost the ability to open docx and xlsx files in Office 2003 (with the MS file converters installed) and Windows 10. It’s always worked in the past and I’ve reinstalled the converters but still no luck.

Any suggestions please? Presumably a recent Microsoft update has modified something?

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http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wiki/windows_10-windows_install/a-look-at-running-older-versions-of-microsoft/6faf72ea-254a-4c8e-9982-2c36cdb1936c

Which versions of Microsoft Office are officially supported Windows 10?
The following versions of Microsoft Office with the latest Service Packs have been confirmed to be compatible with Windows 10:
Office 2016 Preview
Office 2013/Office 365
Office 2010 (exception Office Starter 2010)
Office 2007
Older versions of Office such as Office 2003 and Office XP are not certified compatible with Windows 10 but might work using compatibility mode.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/lifecycle?p1=2488

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I’m not sure what point you are trying to make but many people round the world, including a good number who are members of this forum, use Office 2003 very satisfactorily on Windows 8.1 and 10. Until the last few days, this has included opening docx and xlsx files too (in my case at least)!

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In the last couple of weeks I’ve lost the ability to open docx and xlsx files in Office 2003 (with the MS file converters installed) and Windows 10. It’s always worked in the past and I’ve reinstalled the converters but still no luck.
Any suggestions please? Presumably a recent Microsoft update has modified something?

I’m not surprised, as I’ve run into the same thing with Office 2003, which by now it getting REALLY OLD!

I’ve had customers complain that their old Office 2003 would not open files created by Office 2007 or later. They didn’t want to spend lots of money for a new version of Office, so I installed “Open Office” for them and the problem was solved. In fact for quite some time, I’ve been using Open Office myself.
It’s absolutely FREE, so why not. To my knowledge, MS has not released a FREE version of Office.

Cheers Mates!
The Doctor 😎

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To my knowledge, MS has not released a FREE version of Office.

For info, MS Office 2010 Starter Edition is/was FREE, albeit with reduced functionality, an ‘always on’ advert pane (although some found ways around that) and x32 only.

I’ve had customers complain that their old Office 2003 would not open files created by Office 2007 or later.

You’ve made no mention of the Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack which resolves these issues.

P.S. – You may wish to specify whether you mean Oracle OpenOffice or Apache OpenOffice. Either way, you may be better off with LibreOffice rather than a version of OpenOffice, as development of Apache OpenOffice has slowed in the last 12-18 months and stopped completely with Oracle OpenOffice (now it’s been handed over to Apache).

P.P.S. – LibreOffice vs MS Office was discussed here on the forum almost exactly 2 years ago but the link to the comparison is still valid.

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… – LibreOffice

For the OP:
My experience with many home users:
DO NOT use any of the Open Office versions! There was LOTS of confusion and little support.

Get Libre Office (Libre = French for Free), current version from here. Don’t forget to separately download and install the Help files; download link in the LO page underneath the main link.

It just works…

All the diddling with Compatibility in Windows only keeps an outdated and thus potentially dangerous product along longer than prudent, IMHO at lest.

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Curiously, after this weeks MS updates followed by another re-installation of the file converters, Word and PowerPoint will convert and open their x files but Excel is still having problems.

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Curiously, after this weeks MS updates followed by another re-installation of the file converters, Word and PowerPoint will convert and open their x files but Excel is still having problems.

Are there any error messages displayed (either on-screen or within Event Viewer) when the Excel files now fail to open? If so, please give details.

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Yes, after about 30 secs of spinning cursor, ‘The converter failed to open the file.’ appears in a dialogue box.

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’The converter failed to open the file.’ appears in a dialogue box.

That’s not helpful. How about in Event Viewer, probably in the Application section?

(I use Nir Sofer’s free, portable MyEventViewer as it let me see events in chronological order in all sections at the same time instead of in seperate sections. If you use MyEventViewer, go to Options in the menu then Event Type Filter and remove the ticks against all except for Error and Warning. Next, go to Logs in the menu and remove the ticks against all except Application, HardwareEvents and System. These changes should filter out most of the superfluous stuff and leave the important stuff.)

I should have asked earlier… are you using the latest version (v4) of the Compatibility Pack?

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Thanks, will do. However I am currently away from the laptop in question for a few days so will do what you request and post a reply when I get back.

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Sorry for the delay in coming back on this but I got sidetracked with family matters…

However, curiously this week’s Microsoft updates seem to have resolved the problem!

Thanks to all who offered alternative solutions. Nice to know there are ways round this problem should it occur again – as it probably will!

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