OOXML Word 2007 converter (#3): Failure and mild success
Mixed reactions for the OOXML converter from MIcrosoft.
Last week reported on the release of and misfortune with a newly released Mac OS X-compatible drag-and-drop OOXML converter (which can convert Word 2007 for Windows and Word 2008 for Mac OS X [when released]) documents to RTF (rich-text-format) documents, readable by Word 2004, Word v.X and other applications.
Our experience to the converter was poor, with a relatively simple Word 2007 document failing to convert at all with the error messages "There was an error opening the file. Conversion Failed."
Reader experience was somewhat mixed, with some reporting mild success but most sharing in our dismay.
Fails to convert at all One camp of users -- like our in-house trial -- is unable to convert files at all, receiving only error messages.
One user writes:
"Sadly for me, this doesn't seem to work at all on my computer. I get an error message every time I try to convert a file."
Converts some files Another group of users has success with some files but not others.
A reader writes:
"I tried it with a couple of different word .docx files and it worked on 3 out 8; not the best result, but then it's only a beta so perhaps it will get better in the future."
Success, or something like it Finally, some users had success converting files, though in nearly every case, there was some flaw apparent in the resultant file.
MacFixIt reader Neal Pann writes:
"I had recently received a docx file via email (in Mail) and saved that file to the desktop. After dragging and dropping the file on the converter, it quickly converted the file and everything looked exactly like the original with the exception that one of the graphics didn't convert. A 'block' taking up the same space of the graphic was there, just no graphic. I believe that is something that is noted in the notes that some graphics might not convert correctly."
MacFixIt reader Marcus adds:
"Install went smoothly on a MacBook Core Duo, 1G RAM, 10.4.9. Tested using a '.docx' document emailed from a 'Windows friend.' Document was very small and contained only one paragraph of less than 200 words. Worked whether double-clicking on document or dragging into OOXML window."
Alternatives Note that there are a number of alternatives to the official Microsoft Word 2007 converter that might provide better results for some documents. These include:
Feedback? Late-breakers@macfixit.com.
Previous coverage:
- Misadventures in Microsoftery: The Oops of OOXML
- Microsoft releases OOXML Word 2007/2008-to-RTF converter for Mac OS X; no Excel, PowerPoint or macro support yet
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