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Upgrading to Word 2000

Saving Documents in Word 6.0/95 Format

If you are planning a gradual upgrade to Microsoft Word 2000, and your workgroup includes a large number of Word 95 and Word 6.0 users, users can save Word 2000 documents in Word 6.0/95 format.

Word 2000 includes the Word 6.0/95 text converter, which enables users to save documents in the Word 6.0/95 binary file format with a .doc extension. Office 2000 Setup installs the text converter (Wrd6ex32.cnv) as part of the default installation.

The advantages of saving documents in Word 6.0/95 format include the following:

The disadvantages of saving documents in Word 6.0/95 format include the following:

Note that Word 95 and Word 6.0 have a 32-MB size limit for document files. If you are saving a large document with lots of graphics from Word 2000 to Word 6.0/95 format and you get an error message, try to divide the Word 2000 document into smaller files.

System Policy Tip   You can use a system policy to define the default value for the Save as type option in the Save As dialog box (File menu). In the System Policy Editor, set the Microsoft Word 2000\Tools | Options\Save\Save Word files as policy. For more information about the System Policy Editor, see Using the System Policy Editor.

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Table features

The following table identifies new features in Word 2000 that might affect data or formatting when users save documents in Word 6.0/95, Rich Text Format (RTF), or Word 97-2000 & 6.0/95-RTF format.

When this Word 2000 feature Is saved in another format
Vertical text in table cells Vertical text is reformatted as horizontal text.
Vertically aligned text in table cells Vertically aligned text aligns at the top of the cell.
Vertically merged table cells Merged table cells are exploded into unmerged cells.

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Formatting features

The following table identifies new features in Word 2000 that might affect your data or formatting when users save documents in Word 6.0/95, RTF, or Word 97-2000 & 6.0/95-RTF format.

When this Word 2000 feature Is saved in another format
Outline and heading numbered lists Outline numbered lists and heading numbered lists are converted to normal text but retain their appearance. In Word 6.0 or Word 95, use the Bullets and Numbering command (Format menu) to format lists.
Multilevel bullets Multilevel bullets are converted to regular text but retain their appearance. In Word 6.0 or Word 95, use the Bullets and Numbering command (Format menu) to format lists.
Page borders Page borders are not converted.
Character shading Character shading is lost.
Character borders Character borders are lost.
Paragraph borders Paragraph borders and shading unique to Word 2000 are lost.
Animated text Animated text formatting is lost.
Embossed and engraved characters Embossed and engraved character formatting is lost, and the text converts to white text.
EMF, PNG, and JPEG graphics EMF, PNG, and JPEG graphics are converted to WMF format, which does not support graphics compression. This increases the file size of documents that contain graphics.
Floating pictures with text wrapping Floating pictures are converted to WMF format in frames.
Floating OLE objects Floating OLE objects are converted to OLE objects in frames.
Highlighting Highlighting is preserved in Word 95 but lost in Word 6.0.

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Workgroup and Internet features

The following table identifies new features in Word 2000 that might affect data or formatting when users save documents in Word 6.0/95, RTF, or Word 97-2000 & 6.0/95-RTF format.

When this Word 2000 feature Is saved in another format
Password protection of documents Password protection is lost. In Word 6.0 and Word 95, you can reapply document protection by clicking Save As (File menu), clicking Options, and then selecting the options you want on the Save tab.
HYPERLINK field The HYPERLINK field is lost, but the last value of the field is retained as plain text. When Word 6.0 or Word 95 users save to RTF, “Error! Bookmark not defined” is displayed, and the field is preserved — even when the user saves a document in Word 6.0 or Word 95 format.
AUTOTEXTLIST field The field is lost, but the last value of the AUTOTEXTLIST field is retained as plain text.
Tracked changes for properties, paragraph numbers, and display fields Tracked changes for properties, paragraph numbers, and display fields are lost; but other tracked changes are retained and displayed with revision marks. (In Word 95 and Word 6.0, tracked changes are called revisions.)
Document protection for tracked changes, comments, and forms The protection state is retained, but the password is lost. When users open the document in Word 6.0 or Word 95, the document has protection for forms, changes, or comments, but no password is required to turn off the change tracking feature. (In Word 6.0 and Word 95, comments are called annotations.)
New document properties New document properties are preserved in Word 95 but lost in Word 6.0.

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Other features

The following table identifies new features in Word 2000 that might affect data or formatting when users save documents in Word 6.0/95, RTF, or Word 97-2000 & 6.0/95-RTF format.

When this Word 2000 feature Is saved in another format
Visual Basic for Applications macros Visual Basic for Applications macros are lost.
ActiveX controls on forms ActiveX controls can be used but not modified.
Unicode characters Unicode characters might be lost. Unicode characters (2 bytes per character) are mapped to corresponding ANSI (Windows) or converted to question marks (?). International characters might be affected.
DOCPROPERTY field The DOCPROPERTY field is retained in Word 95. In Word 6.0, the field appears as “Error! Bookmark not defined.”
Embedded fonts Embedded fonts are lost. Word 95 and Word 6.0 assign the closest font available.
WordArt drawing objects, or drawings created by using the Drawing toolbar Basic shapes such as lines and boxes are retained. Grouped objects and shapes are lost.

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See also

By default, Word 2000 saves documents in Word 97-2000 format. For more information about changing the default file format that Word 2000 uses to save documents, see How to Specify the Default Format in Which to Save Files.


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Friday, March 5, 1999
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