Word 2007 File Converter issue

I am attempting to install the Works file converter into Word 2007.


I follow all of the relevant instructions via Control panel, Programs and Features, then Microsoft Office 2007. Next, Add or Remove features leading to the Installation Options page and finally Office Shared Features.

From there, Converters and Filters to Text Converters and (finally!) Works 7.0 - 9.0 Converter for Windows.

Continuing from there I am advised that everything has installed successfully, but, and here's the crunch, there is no sign of the File conversion Menu when I check in Word.

It seems, or claims to have been, to have installed, but it is also invisible.


What is going wrong?


Perhaps the necessary source is not installed on the computer, as Office 2007 was pre-loaded, but I am not sure. I would have thought that, in that case, there would have been an error message of some sort.

From the MS site, (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...1e-70fa-465d-ae2e-cf44dbf05297&displayLang=en) it appears that the converter setup file is Works632_en-US.msi, which, to be fair, does not appear on my machine as far as I can check.

Can I just download and run that file with no issues? Silly question, but advice in confirmation would be good!

 

Installed that file and as far as I can see there is no Add-in installed. If I click on a *.wps file and then 'Open' I get a File Conversion pop up offering me Text encoding as follow: Windows(Default), MS-DOS and Other.

If I use the Windows default I get something like


¬ ! " # $ % & ' ( ) * þÿÿÿ, þÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿND þ•S0 0 ° T› à œ ¯ t
€
Å  Å¡ Å¡ Å¡ Å¡ S 9 Å  n ÈAÆ’. 7 à d Å¡ ÿÿÿÿ à * t Å¡ ¬ T

Tables 80% width, centred borders green; light/dark border : default values
Headers between table blocks 18pt Times New Roman centred
Footers between table blocks 109pt Times New Roman centred
Alphabetic selection table white background

Icons set at absbottom


"˜ Å“ ½
"¦ ’ à í * ¯ ysmsgsas[s[sW 8
Å“ ½ ¿ " $ T Å  Å’ ÃŒ ï 0 2 g  " Y l qq


with the text, which was originally around one page in length spread out over some 11 pages, most of which are essentially nonsense as above.


Surely a file converter should convert immediately to a straight text otherwise there is an incredible amount of editing. On this basis, a document which I want to recover that was originally some 75 pages will take over a thousand.

Something, somewhere, must be wrong - but what? Or is it me?

 

I think I have the beginnings of a Eureka moment!

Just created a Works v8 (?Works 2003), file and copied it across to my Vista box.

Clicked on that *.wps file and it immediately opened correctly in Word 2007, (which, incidentally is updated to the current state anyway).

Then I copied an old wps file, (c 2000) from a backup disk, (oh yes, backups!), and tried that. Result - failure.


Then I had some further thoughts. I have an uneasy feeling that the 'failed' file may have been from an earlier version of Works, (?v3, v4??) which may explain the issue.


I'm going to look for further info now, but I wonder if that is the reason.


Although it is rather convoluted, it appears that I can open (any?) *wps in Works 8 and it will offer me a conversion choice, so I can load and then save in something more 'usable in the future, such as *.txt, *.rtf, whatever.

If I find more I'll message back of course.