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General => Technical Help => Topic started by: Lodger on Tuesday 24 January 12 23:23 GMT (UK)

Title: New PC - can't open Access & Excel Help required
Post by: Lodger on Tuesday 24 January 12 23:23 GMT (UK)

I have a new PC with Microsoft Office and M/soft Word 2010. I also have a couple of old but really handy databases (one is a spreadsheet) on Access and Excel but can't open them.
Does anyone know where I can download these old Microsoft programmes without having to sign-up for all sorts of free toolbars, video programmes etc:

Thanks,

Lodger

Title: Re: New PC - can't open Access & Excel Help required
Post by: jc26red on Wednesday 25 January 12 01:21 GMT (UK)

Office should be backward compatible.... :-\  I expect you only have the 30 day trial version installed though.

Try downloading "open office", that's also compatible with MS documents. Its free

Title: Re: New PC - can't open Access & Excel Help required
Post by: ReadyDale on Wednesday 25 January 12 13:44 GMT (UK)

Lodger, as has been said, Office is backward compatible (i.e. a current version can open old files, but not always the other way round).
Your initial post just said you "couldn't open them" but didn't give any clues - did it display a message (if so what).

Trying to predict the answer to the above, is it just that when you try opening the files from within Excel / Access, you cannot find your files? This could be because the file extensions (those letters after the dot in a file's name) changed for Office 2007 onwards. For instance Access files used to be .mdb and are now .accdb
whilst Excel was .xls and is now .xlsx   so any files with those (older) extensions will not be listed.
If you try double-clicking on the file (via "my Computer") that should open them.