OFF95: Microsoft Office Binder 7.0 Cannot Open Binder 97 Files

The information in this article applies to:

• Microsoft Office for Windows 95, version 7.0
• Microsoft Office 97 for Windows

SYMPTOM

In Microsoft Office Binder, version 7.0, if you attempt to open a binder file (OBD) created by Microsoft Office Binder 97, you may receive the following error message

   The Binder file could not be loaded.
   This file cannot be read because it was created by an older version.

NOTE: The error message should actually read as follows:

   The Binder file could not be loaded.
   This file cannot be read because it was created by a newer version.

MORE INFORMATION

Compatibility Between Microsoft Office Binder 7.0 and 97

Although Microsoft Office Binder 97 can open binder files stored in both the Binder 7.0 and Binder 97 formats, it can only save binders in the Binder 97 format, not in the Binder 7.0 format.

Because of this, it is not possible to open a binder saved by Microsoft Office Binder 97 in Microsoft Office Binder 7.0.

If you have saved a binder in the Microsoft Office Binder 97 format and need to reopen it in Microsoft Office Binder 7.0, open the binder file in Microsoft Office Binder 97 and export each section of the binder in its native file format. To do so, follow these steps:

1. Activate the section you want to export.

2. On the Section menu, click View Outside.

3. Once the section is open in its source application, click Save As on the File menu. Save the section as a new file.

1. On the Section menu, click Add From File.

2. In the Add From File dialog box, select one of the files you exported. Click Add to add the file into your binder.