Techie help: Track Changes format query

[August_Bouvier]

I have MS Word 2000. I started my current writing project a few months back on a laptop that has the current version of Word--I'm assuming it's 2007.

Anyways, I continue writing on my computer, but have to download an update from the official MS site in order for my computer to read the document created on the updated version of Word.

Since I did this, I noticed a difference in the Track Changes style. One that I prefer.

Previously, when I added or deleted, the text would appear highlighted and underlined, the deleted text would appear with the strikethrough in the edited sentence until I rejected or accepted the change.

With me so far?

Since the update, the deleted text gets placed along the margin with a line pointing towards the original location within the text. (Kind of how you'd do in a book). It's visually easier for me to keep up with.

My issue.

Sometimes, Track Changes reverts to the older style. I don't know why. I can just tell by the logo that appears when Word starts loading which style will appear.

Can anyone help me figure out how to stick with the current Track Changes style?

Thanks for your help,

August

 

[Weird Harold]

My issue.

Sometimes, Track Changes reverts to the older style. I don't know why. I can just tell by the logo that appears when Word starts loading which style will appear.

If you're in a document with the new format, what happens when you open (with file/open) a file that normally shows the old format?

It sounds like you've got two different versions of word and are opening them by double-clicking document files -- and windows is detecting the difference between Word 2K files and Word 07 files to choose which version of Word to use.

You can check which version of Word you're in by clicking Help/About on the menu bar -- check the version information with each style of change tracking and then figure out how to correct the file associations to make Win 07 the version for all DOC files.

 

[August_Bouvier]

Hope this makes sense

Um, I can't get to the new format. It just reverted to the old one a few days ago when I opened the document containing my project. I don't what caused it to switch over.

If I open a new document, it's in the old format regardless of how I access it.

The only thing that comes to mind is the other night, I closed a file that I wasn't going to save and a dialogue box appeared saying something about a format change. However, I can't recall if this is what triggered the change.

As I said before, this has happened a few times. I'd just like to know what causes it and how I can stick with the new Track Changes style. I've fiddled around in menu bar but no dice.

August

 

[Weird Harold]

Um, I can't get to the new format. It just reverted to the old one a few days ago when I opened the document containing my project. I don't what caused it to switch over.

If I open a new document, it's in the old format regardless of how I access it.

The only thing that comes to mind is the other night, I closed a file that I wasn't going to save and a dialogue box appeared saying something about a format change. However, I can't recall if this is what triggered the change.

As I said before, this has happened a few times. I'd just like to know what causes it and how I can stick with the new Track Changes style. I've fiddled around in menu bar but no dice.

August

It sounds like you saved a change to NORMAL.DOT -- your default stylesheet/template -- that reverted to the older format as your default. But then the different logos on startup suggest you've got two versions on your system and for some reason you're now just accessing the older version.

Each file has the status of the reviewing tools embedded in it, so each file should react according to the format it was last saved in. Check and see if you've got the option to Save As in Word 07 format -- you may need to reinstall the update to have that option.

Since I don't know what the update consisted of, it's difficult to tell you where to look for the changes it made; some updates actually change or replace the main .EXE file, others change shared DLL files, yet others are just wizard (.WIZ) or Conversion templates (.CNV) files or even a combination of all the above.

 

[August_Bouvier]

It sounds like you saved a change to NORMAL.DOT -- your default stylesheet/template

This sort of rings a bell. I might have done this as: a. it was almost 2 am; b. I'm not computer savvy.

I checked the Save As option and in the drop down list, there's a Word 2007Document and Word 2007 Macro-Enabled document option. I haven't actually done that yet.

Ok. I checked and opened another file. Also created on the 2007 laptop, which I hadn't accessed in a few weeks. It opens in the new format.

I opened my current project and viola, it's in the new format. Mind you, that wasn't the case 10 minutes before.

I accessed Word from the Start menu and it loaded the old way. New format left again. The difference in the loading page is a different appearance, not so much different wording. It goes by quickly.

I repeated the above procedure, opening the second file and viola. It's back again. My project also switched over to the new format.

Sorry that this turned out to be long. I don't know how else to convey it.

I appreciate your input.

August

 

[Weird Harold]

I think if you go through all of your older documents and use Save AS 'Word 2007 Macro-Enabled document' You should have the new reviewing tools format enabled in all of them.

You should also look in your Format/Style dialogue and Tools/Macros dialogue for the style and/or macro in the Word 2007 files with the new format to see what style or macro you need to use to get the format you want.

 

[August_Bouvier]

Harold,

You're my hero. I'll give that a try.


August


P.S. what's a marco?

I checked the Format and Tools menus. What exactly should I be looking for? Nothing jumped out at me as being a different setting.

 

[Weird Harold]

P.S. what's a marco?

I checked the Format and Tools menus. What exactly should I be looking for? Nothing jumped out at me as being a different setting.

I'm not sure what you should be looking for, but it will be something that is in one of the files that display the new format and will not be in the files that do not show the new format.

The three attachments are the three dialogues most likely to show something different. The Format/Styles dialogue (note the "Plain Text, Plain Text 2" and "Plain Text 1" styles in my list -- the latter is for converting files to plain text when they have single paragraph breaks, the former is for converting files with double paragraph breaksto plain text.)

The Tools/Templates and Add-ins dialogue is where you might find an update that just adds a file type to the auto-convert and save as functions or adds-in Word 2007 style reviewing tools.

Macros are customized commands built up from multiple single keystroke commands. Many of Word's basic functions -- like the reviewing toools are actually macros because they do multiple things with one click/keystroke.

In my copy of Word 97, you'll note that the "Word Command" I selected for the screen capture is ToolsReviewRevisions which is a macro command that makes up part of the reviewing tools for Word 97. What you're looking for may be a different version of one of those macros -- or might be a different set of macro-names ties to the same hot-key or toolbar function.

 

[snoopercharmbrights]

I don't know whether this will help but in Word2003 in <Tools> <Options> on the [Track Changes] tab there is an option Use Balloons (Print and web layout) with a number of possible values. That controls the bubbles and seems to do so on a per document basis.

 

[August_Bouvier]

there is an option Use Balloons (Print and web layout) with a number of possible values. That controls the bubbles and seems to do so on a per document basis.

I'll give this a try if the format switches unexpectedly again. <fingers crossed>