WD: Can't Edit Objects in Converted Word Document

If you create an embedded object in a Word 6.x or 7.x document, open the document in Word 97, and save the document in Word 6.0/95 format, or Rich Text Format (RTF), you can view but not edit the object when you reopen the document in Word 6.x or 7.x. When you double-click the object, you get the following error message: In addition, the field code for the object displays as: This problem affects new documents created in Word 97 and opened in Word 6.x or 7.x. this also occurs with documents created in Word 95, opened in Word 97, and saved as Word 6.0/95 format or RTF, and then reopened in Word 6.x or 7.x.

This problem does not prevent the object from displaying or printing; it only affects your ability to edit the object.

When you save the document in Word 6.0/95 format or Rich Text Format on a computer that has Word 97 installed, the embedded object is updated to the version of the server program on the computer. For example, an Equation Editor object is updated to Equation Editor 3.0; when you reopen the document in Word 6.x or 7.x where the updated version of the server application is not available, Word cannot identify the server and you can no longer edit the object.

There is no workaround currently available.

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Microsoft Word 97 for Windows. We are researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.

Note: Once you open the documents in Word 6.0 or 7.0, do not save the document from Word 6.0 or 7.0 in Rich Text Format (RTF). If you do, any of the objects listed below that come into the document as an "unknown" object will be converted to a picture when you perform the save as RTF. To prevent the conversion to a picture, save the document in native format as a Word Document.

This problem affects the following objects when you open the converted document in either Word 6.x or Word 7.x, except as noted: Microsoft Excel Chart objects become pictures which you can edit in the picture editor.