You Are Attempting to Open a File That Was Created in an Earlier Version of Microsoft Office Error Message - Microsoft Office Help Tips

When trying to open a certain file type using an Office 2003 application you may get the following message:

You are attempting to open a file that was created in an earlier version of Microsoft Office. This file type is blocked from opening in this version by your registry policy setting.

This is caused because Office blocks certain file types after you install Office 2003 Service Pack 3.

After you install Office 2003 SP3, the following file types are blocked because the parsing code that Office 2003 uses to open and save the file types is less secure.

Corel Draw (.cdr) files
Lotus and Quattro files
Microsoft Excel 4.0 Charts (.xlc) files
Pre PowerPoint 97 files
Older Word for Windows files
Older Word for Macintosh files

There is a way to allow your Office application to open these types of files again. It involves a simple download and import of a registry file from Microsoft.

To re-enable Word file types only, save the following file to a folder on the computer:
http://download.microsoft.com/download/2/8/B/28B644CE-9A30-4D99-AFEF-830A4FB5B839/UnblockWord.reg

To re-enable Excel file types only, save the following file to a folder on the computer:
http://download.microsoft.com/download/2/8/B/28B644CE-9A30-4D99-AFEF-830A4FB5B839/UnblockExcel.reg

To re-enable PowerPoint file types only, save the following file to a folder on the computer:
http://download.microsoft.com/download/2/8/B/28B644CE-9A30-4D99-AFEF-830A4FB5B839/UnblockPowerPoint.reg

To re-enable the CorelDraw (CDR) file type only, save the following file to a folder on the computer:
http://download.microsoft.com/download/2/8/B/28B644CE-9A30-4D99-AFEF-830A4FB5B839/UnblockCDR.reg

If you are changing the settings for the CDR file type, you will need to be logged on as an administrator on that computer. If you are using Windows Vista or Windows 7, you must be running with an elevated application. By default, regedit will prompt for elevation when it runs the .reg files when you try to import them.

To import the registry files simply double click each one and when it asks if you want to import the file into the registry click on Yes.

Related Tips:
Allowing Blocked Outlook Attachments
Microsoft Office 003 Service Pack 3
Office 2003 Save My Settings Wizard
Office Tips and Tricks
"The Update Cannot Be Applied" Error When Installing an Office 2003 Service Pack

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