WD98: Word 98 Cannot Open WordPerfect 6 or 7 Files (183138)

WORKAROUND

To work around this behavior, open the document in the original version of WordPerfect that created it, and save the file as a WordPerfect 5.x file; or, use a third-party converter. You can then use the WordPerfect 5.x converter supplied with Word 98 to open the document.

Method 1: Save as WordPerfect 5.x

While in WordPerfect 6.x, 7.x or 8.x, save the documents in the WordPerfect 5.1/5.2 format. For example, to save a WordPerfect 6.0 document in WordPerfect 5.1 format, follow these steps:

1. In WordPerfect, click Save As on the File menu.
2. Type a file name and in the Format field, choose WordPerfect 5.1/5.2. NOTE: WordPerfect 5.1 and 5.2 share the same file format.
3. Click OK to save the file.

Then, use the WordPerfect 5.x converter supplied with Word 98 Macintosh Edition to import these documents.

NOTE: WordPerfect also includes a converter to save in Word 6 format, which you can use instead, as Word 6 format is also supported by Word 98.

Limitations of WordPerfect Converters:

For more information about limitations of converting WordPerfect 5.x files into Word 98 Macintosh Edition, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: NOTE: Because Word 98 uses the same converter (WordPerfect 5.x) that was included in Word 6.x for the Macintosh to open WordPerfect files, the same limitations apply to both Word 6.x and Word 98.

Method 2: Third-Party Converter Solutions

DataViz Corporation makes conversion solutions for Windows and Macintosh computers, such as Conversions Plus and MacLink Plus.

Conversions Plus for Windows converts files between Macintosh and Windows- based programs, as well as between different Windows programs. Conversions Plus allows you to use a high-density Macintosh disk in your Windows computer, and to convert files directly on your Windows computer.

MacLink Plus for the Macintosh is a translation (converter) library that allows conversion between Word for Windows, Word for MS-DOS, Word for the Macintosh, and a large number of third-party products.

To check for availability of a converter for Word 98 that will convert WordPerfect 6 or later, contact DataViz at: The third-party contact information included in this article is provided to help you find the technical support you need. This contact information is subject to change without notice. Microsoft in no way guarantees the accuracy of this third-party contact information.

For information about how to contact DataViz, click the appropriate article number in the following list to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
Additional Information Regarding Converter Availability:

Since Apple released System 7.5.0, Apple has bundled MacLinkPlus with retail versions of the Macintosh System software, and with new computers. The latest MacOS release, version 8.1 bundles MacLinkPlus version 9.0. MacOS 8.1 runs on all Power Macintosh and compatible computers, and so is available for any computer that can use Office 98.

MacLinkPlus 9.x supports WordPerfect version 3.5 for the Macintosh. DataViz has since released a commercial update to MacLinkPlus version 9.7, which also supports Word 97/98 format. Version 9.0 only converts to and from Word 6 and earlier.