How to install the Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack so that you can open and save Office Open XML formats in earlier versions of Microsoft Office

Microsoft has added the new Office Open XML Formats to the following 2007 Microsoft Office programs and 2010 Microsoft Office programs:

• Microsoft Office Excel
• Microsoft Office PowerPoint
• Microsoft Office Word

A compatibility pack is available to make sure that you can open and save Office Open XML formats in earlier versions of Microsoft Office.

You can install the compatibility pack on a computer that is running Microsoft Office 2003 programs, Microsoft Office XP programs, or Microsoft Office 2000 programs. When you install the compatibility pack, you can open, edit, save, and create files in the robust Office Open XML formats.

This article is intended for a beginning to intermediate computer user.You may find it easier to follow the steps if you print this article first.

How to install the Compatibility Pack

To install the Compatibility Pack in Office XP or in Office 2003, update Office, and then install the Compatibility Pack.

If you are running Office 2000, there are no updates that you must install before you install the Compatibility Pack. You can skip step 1 and continue to step 2.

Step 1: Visit Microsoft Update

Windows Vista or Windows 7

1. Click the Start button, click All Programs, and then click Windows Update.
2. Microsoft Update will scan the computer to determine whether Microsoft Windows and other Microsoft programs are up to date.
3. If Windows or the Microsoft programs on the computer are not up to date, you will be prompted to install the latest updates. Click Install.
   
   
   
   You may be prompted for an administrator password or for a confirmation. Type the password, or click Continue.

Windows XP

1. Visit the following Microsoft Update Web site:
   http://update.microsoft.com/microsoftupdate/v6/default.aspx?ln=en-us
2. Click Express. Microsoft Update will scan the computer to determine whether Windows and other Microsoft programs are up to date.
3. If Windows or the Microsoft programs on the computer are not up to date, you will be prompted to install the latest updates. Click Install Updates.

Step 2: Download the Compatibility Pack

1. Visit the following Microsoft Web site:
   http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=941b3470-3ae9-4aee-8f43-c6bb74cd1466
2. After the Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 File Formats Web page opens, click Download.

Step 3: Install the Compatibility Pack

To do this, follow these steps, as appropriate for the version of Windows that you are running.

Windows Vista

1. Click Run.
   
   
   
   You may be prompted for an administrator password or for a confirmation. Type the password, or click Continue.
2. Click Run when you are prompted to run the software.
3. Click to select the Click here to accept the Microsoft Software License Terms check box, and then click Continue.
4. Click OK.
   
   
   You may be prompted for an administrator password or for a confirmation. Type the password, or click Continue.
5. When the Compatibility Pack is installed, click OK.

Windows XP

1. Click Run two times.
2. Click to select the Click here to accept the Microsoft Software License Terms check box, and then click Continue.
3. Click OK.
4. When the Compatibility Pack is installed, click OK.

Step 4: Visit Microsoft Update again

To verify that you have all of the latest updates to the Compatibility Pack, vist the Microsoft Update Web site again:

http://update.microsoft.com/microsoftupdate/v6/default.aspx?ln=en-us

Microsoft Update will scan the computer to determine whether Microsoft Windows and other Microsoft programs are up to date. If Windows or the Microsoft programs on the computer are up to date, you will not be prompted to install the latest updates.

How to verify that you did install the Compatibility Pack

To do this, follow these steps, as appropriate for the version of Windows that you are running.

Windows Vista or Windows 7

1. Click Start
   
   .
2. In the Start Search box, type appwiz.cpl, and then press ENTER.
3. In the Currently installed programs and updates list, verify that "Compatibility Pack for the 2007 Office system" is listed.

Windows XP

1. Click Start, click Run, type appwiz.cpl in the Open box, and then click OK.
2. In the Currently installed programs and updates list, verify that "Compatibility Pack for the 2007 Office system" is listed.

Similar problems and solutions

You may encounter issues if the computer is not fully updated so that it is compatible with the Office Open XML Formats and with the changes that are made to the Office programs after you install the Compatibility Pack. For more information about these issues, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

924074  How to open and save Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 or 2010 files in earlier versions of Office programs 

source online  microsoft support