Comparison and Compatibility of Office 2003 and Office 2007

Most of the campus is presently using Microsoft (MS) Office Word, Excel and PowerPoint from 2003 , however, some individuals have upgraded to the newest version, Office 2007.  While comparing these two versions to uncover any potential compatibility issues within Blackboard, the following occurrences were noted.  Compatibility issues exist in the products themselves (i.e. version 2003 can not view version 2007 files) and working in Blackboard or any other course management systems present no additional problems.

The 2007 Microsoft Office system introduces a new file format that is based on XML. View the new file name extensions at http://office.microsoft.com.

MS Word - Office 2003 Word files have a .doc extension and Office 2007 Word files have a .docx extension. 

When attempting to open Word files in Office 2003 that were created with Office 2007, the following message may appear. Click on OK and you will be directed to a Microsoft site from which you can download the compatibility pack. 

You will now be able to open the files in Office 2003, but you still may receive the following warning message about opening newer versions in an older format.  The files look the same, but some may have a different layout, and different editing features. Download the compatability pack

Opening word files in Office 2007 that were created in Office 2003 should pose no issues, however the following message may appear:  (For more information regarding using Word 2007 to open documents created in previous versions click here.)

Office Excel - Office 2003 Excel files have a .xls extension and Office 2007 Excel files have a .xlsx extension. 

When attempting to open Excel files in Office 2003 that were created with Office 2007, a box opens up which says, "Microsoft Excel file conversion in progress".  This quickly goes away and the Excel files open without issue.

When opening excel files in Office 2007 that were created in Office 2003 the following message may appear. 

After clicking yes, the files open without problem.

Office PowerPoint - Office 2003 PowerPoint files have a .ppt extension and Office 2007 Excel files have a .pptx extension. 

Opening PowerPoint files in Office 2003 that were created with Office 2007 pose no problems. Opening PowerPoint files in Office 2007 that were created with Office 2003 pose no problems.

To learn more about Office 2007 visit the Microsoft "Get Started with Office 2007" Web Site.