Addressing Compatibility Issues of Various Versions of MS Office

There are a lot of different versions of Microsoft Office floating around in the cyber world, from the version that runs on now antique Windows 95 to Office 2008 (which is available to users of Leopard, the latest of the operating systems for those people who use Macs).

Oh, you didn't know that Microsoft Office could run on a Mac? It can and it has for years. And while handy for sharing office files between Mac and PC, it isn't fool proof.

Don't get too relaxed yet. Even if you're only sharing files between different PC based versions of Office, you can still have some serious problems with compatibility between versions.

What can happen when you encounter a less than compatible version? Well, you can encounter any number of problems:

• Junk text (letters that don't belong, funky foreign language letters in English words, boxes or text that looks like it has come from a the webdings font) in your document.
• Missing sections of your document.
• Missing features (like that video that you embedded in your PowerPoint).
• Lack of ability to use Macros.

So how can I keep things from going badly with my version?

Well, the most obvious, easiest and cheapest of the solutions available to you is just to not use the features that will have problems with cross version compatibility. But that means you can pretty much kiss video files, animated gifs and macros goodbye. In some cases that won't be much of an issue. After all, it's highly unlikely that your sales brochure or quarterly spreadsheet will include those items. Your boss's slick presentation from the annual shareholder's meeting, however, might be a different story.

Which brings me to my second point: know your audience. If you have a mixed group, simply create two different versions of the document. One can be as tricked out as you like and the other relatively bare bones. If a file, like a video, plays a serious role in your document, send it along as a separate file and simply refer to it in the presentation. Alternately, post it online and embed a link to the video into the no frills version of the presentation.

If your concern is not for a video file, but instead you fret about text anomalies or formatting problems, then another potential solution is to choose a different file format to send your document. A file format that is more universal is a PDF. (You can find directions on no cost, no stress word to PDF conversion in plain English on this very site!)

Another option exists if you are running a version of office on a Mac (not for a Mac) because you can use your version compatibility checking tool (this is the icon that looks like a big red construction workers lunch box) to keep your text in tact.

There you go: several simple solutions to keep your files in tact, as well as your sanity! Enjoy the process, but I wouldn't bother going to too much trouble if you know your receiver's system or you have had troubles in the past.