(06-05-2017, 10:43 AM)mrsjroderick Wrote: Kathy,

Thanks for your reply! Below this reply is the message and its explanation that Word gives me when I try to open the downloaded file (I downloaded it from the AO Curriculum page for Year 1 at https://www.amblesideonline.org/01.shtml, with the 36-week schedule link under the detailed version link on the right side of the page, then the DOC link on the 36-week schedule page, file name Y1_36wk_chart.doc). I don't mind installing LibreOffice, but it would be good to mention this problem for other Word users! I haven't yet tried the file in another program, but Word is my go-to at present.  Hope we can figure this out! It might help to know that most of my files in Word have the extension .docx, not .doc.  Thanks again!

Jen

Word experienced an error trying to open the file. Try these suggestions.
- Check the file permissions for the document or drive.
- Make sure there is sufficient free memory and disc space.
- Open the file with the text recovery converter.

This error message can appear for several reasons.
The document may be corrupt or damaged. Use either the Recover Text converter or the Open and Repair feature. Both are available from the Open dialog.
NOTE: If you have opened a file that is attached to an e-mail message, it is recommended that you save the file to a local hard disk first before attempting to recover or repair the file.
The Open and Repair feature is available from the Open dialog box. To open and attempt a repair, click the File tab, click Open, and then navigate to the damaged file and click it once. Instead of clicking the Open button at the bottom right of the dialog box, click the down arrow to the right of the button and select Open and Repair from the menu. If the file can be recovered, it will open and appear in the document work area.
The Recover Text converter is available from the Open dialog box and appears in the Files of type drop down list. It appears in the drop-down list as: Recover Text from Any File (*.*).
The Recover Text converter has its limitations. Document formatting is lost, along with anything that is not formatted as text. Graphics, fields, drawing objects, and so on, are not converted. However, headers, footers, footnotes, endnotes, and field text are retained as simple text.
File permissions may be set so that you cannot access the file (read denied). It is also possible that you do not have permissions to open anything within the drive or folder that contains the file. In this case, contact the owner of the drive or folder and request permissions to access the file.
It is possible that you have run out of system resources (disk space or RAM), or that another program on your system has consumed all the available memory. It is also possible for a program to have a memory leak that is using up large quantities of memory. The best method to recover memory that has been consumed by a memory leak is to restart the computer. It may be possible to shut down the offending program by using the Task Manager, but it is not recommended since it may further destabilize the system.
There may be a read lock on the file that you are attempting to open. Another user may have the file open, or another application that has a link to the file may have placed an exclusive lock on the file, preventing Word from opening the file. If a custom application has opened the file, it may have opened the file using an incorrect method.
The file that you are attempting to open may require a file converter that is not installed on your computer. Most converters are installed by default, but optional converters are available from the Add or Remove Programs utility (in Control Panel) for your version of Office (requires performing an advanced customization install and searching the feature tree for Office Shared Features \ Converters and Filters). Other converters are available from the Office Resource Kit. Search the www.microsoft.com Web site for "Office Converter Pack".
For more information, see Microsoft Knowledge Base article 918429.

(06-05-2017, 11:14 AM)amerebreath Wrote: If you do a Google search on Word 2016 opening .doc files, there are others who have experienced issues as well.

I'm wondering if this might be helpful: http://www.pcworld.com/article/3016278/software/print-preview-and-open-old-office-files.html

It seems like figuring out a way to upload .docx versions to the website might solve this problem for others as well. It would take someone with a newer version of Word opening the files and using Save As... to save them in a .docx format (which I realize while simple, will still require somebody's time...)

(06-05-2017, 11:25 AM)lklivingston Wrote: But then people with older Word versions couldn't open them. So the problem would just be shifted to a different set of users. . .

Try opening the .odt file.

(06-05-2017, 11:32 AM)lklivingston Wrote: Actually, all the Word charts we offer are .doc files (so that all our Word users can open them, not just those with newer versions), and so far we've all been able to open them and edit them.  Has Word recently stopped supporting that file format?  If it's just the security settings as mentioned in the article you linked, then you should easily be able to change your settings to allow the file to open.

Have you tried the steps suggested in the article?