Using Word 97 and XP in the same home (Word 97)

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Dear Loungers — I am about to add to our venerable home computer, still running Windows 95 and Office 97, a new machine running Windows XP and Office XP. I face some seemingly simple questions to which I don’t seem to have seen direct answers yet in the press or the various Woodygrams.

(1) Is Word XP file-compatible with Word 97? What kind of problems will I run into if, say, my kids start their homework on the XP machine and try to finish it on the 97?

(2) Will my extensive set of Word 97 (VBA) macros convert readily into Word XP? If not, is there a way to translate them?

(3) If the answers to (1) and (2) are unfavorable, what would happen if (for compatibility’s sake) I tried installing Word 97 along with Word XP on the new machine? Granted that it would be a highly inelegant solution, would it work?

Thanks!
Rick Ellrod

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An article on the Microsystems web site (http://www.microsystems.com/publications.htm#2002%5B/url%5D) might be useful reading.

Hope this helps.

SJ Miller

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greetings and Salutations,

(1) I am producing templates that must function in both W97 and XP and they do. To cover as many contingencies as possible set your XP options for W97 compatibility. There may be backwards compatibility problems in complex docs but I’ve only hit one really troublesome one… see (3)

(2) Yes, You will find that most W97 VBA code is common. Most WordBasic even works.

There isn’t any conversion required. Your only prob may be that some otherwise identical XP VBA has had new constants added. ie a parameter that specifies a XP default and needs to be rem’ed out in order to work in W97.

(3) ONE POSSIBLE PROBLEM … I suggest that when creating templates that need to function in both versions and you need different header/footers on the odd and even pages that you ensure that you create a ‘different first page’, never just odd/even pages.

Frank Pasztor

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Thanks — these replies are very helpful!

Rick

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