WD97: Links to Floating Pictures Lost Saving as Word 6.0/95 (170971)

SYMPTOMS

When you save a Word 97 document in the Word 6.0/95 file format, you may lose the picture link information when you open the document in an earlier version of Word.

CAUSE

The converter that saves in Word 6.0/95 format does not preserve the picture link information for linked floating pictures.

RESOLUTION

To work around this problem, use either of the following methods.

Method 1: Link the Picture as an Inline Object

When you insert the picture, clear the Float Over Text check box so that Word inserts the picture as an inline object rather than a floating object.

Method 2: Insert the Picture into a Text Box

To keep the picture as a linked floating object, first insert a text box, and then insert the picture as a linked inline object in the text box.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the Word 6.0/95 (via RTF) Export Converter in Microsoft Word 97 for Windows. This problem was corrected in the Word 6.0/95 (via RTF) Export Converter that ships with Microsoft Word 97 SR-1.

For additional information about SR-1, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

172475 OFF97: How to Obtain and Install MS Office 97 SR-1

MORE INFORMATION

NOTE: If your document contains a picture as a linked floating object, none of following methods will work around this problem:

Saving the document in the Microsoft Word 97 file format, and opening the document in Word 6.0 or 7.0 using the Microsoft Word 97 Import Converter.
Saving the document in Rich Text Format (RTF), and then opening the document in an earlier version of Word.
Saving the document in the Word 6.0/95 file format using the binary export converter, and then opening the document in Word 6.0 or 7.0.

REFERENCES

For additional information about floating pictures, please see the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

162579 WD97: Linked Picture Doesn't Preserve Scaling Properties

161692 WD97: Problems With Float Over Text Objects