PRJ2000: Error Message When You Open a Microsoft Project 2000 File in Microsoft Project 98 (312610)

SYMPTOMS

When you attempt to use Microsoft Project 98 to open a project file (.mpp file) that was created in Microsoft Project 2000, you receive the following error message:

This file was created by a later version of Microsoft Project. To open this file, you need a converter that you can download from the Web site. After downloading the converter, please restart Microsoft Project and reopen the file.

Do you want to connect to the site to download the converter now?

If you click No when you receive the error message, you receive the following error message:

Microsoft Project cannot open this file because the format is not recognized.

The file was probably created by a newer version of Microsoft Project.

For more information about Microsoft Project, please visit your local reseller, contact your local Microsoft subsidiary, or see our World Wide Web site at http://www.microsoft.com/project/.

If you click Yes when you receive the error message described at the beginning of this article, your browser starts and is redirected to the following Microsoft Web site:

Microsoft Project Converter Information

The Web site displays instructions about how to save Microsoft Project 2000 files in Microsoft Project 98. You receive the following message:

You have reached this page because you opened a Microsoft Project 2000 file using Microsoft Project 98.

A CONVERTER IS NOT REQUIRED TO OPEN MICROSOFT PROJECT 2000 FILES IN MICROSOFT PROJECT 98.

CAUSE

This behavior can occur if you attempt to use Microsoft Project 98 to open Microsoft Project 2000 files. Microsoft Project files that are created in Microsoft Project 2000 cannot be opened in Microsoft Project 98. Currently, there is no converter available to convert Microsoft Project 2000 files to Microsoft Project 98 format.

WORKAROUND

To work around this behavior, open the .mpp file in Microsoft Project 2000, save the file in Microsoft Project 98 format, and then open the file in Microsoft Project 98. To do this, follow these steps:

Start Microsoft Project 2000, and then open the project file.
On the File menu, click Save As.
In the Save as type box, click Microsoft Project 98 (*.mpp), specify a name and location where you want to save the file, and then click Save.
Click Exit on the File menu to close the project file and quit Microsoft Project 2000. You can now use Microsoft Project 98 to open this version of the file.

NOTE: When you save a Microsoft Project 2000 file in Microsoft Project 98 format, features and functionality included in the file that are new to Microsoft Project 2000 do not appear when you open it in Microsoft Project 98.

MORE INFORMATION

In Microsoft Project 2000, you can open files from the Microsoft Project 98 file format and save files to the Microsoft Project 98 file format. This allows you to share files with users who have not yet upgraded to Microsoft Project 2000. However, if you want to open a Microsoft Project 2000 file in Microsoft Project 98, you must first save the file in Microsoft Project 98 format.

For additional information about how to migrate existing projects from Microsoft Project 98 to Microsoft Project 2000, see the following Microsoft Web site:

http://www.microsoft.com/office/project/MSP2KMigration.htm