Q: I cannot open any files created with Office 2007 with my Office 2003. How can I get around this?

A: Microsoft Office 2003 (O2K3) cannot open Office 2007 (O2K7) documents without the help of the O2K7 Compatibility Pack. This is because the file formats have changed, as reflected in the file extensions. For example, a Word 2003 file might be called REPORT.DOC, whereas the same file created in Word 2007 will be called REPORT.DOCX.

The compatibility pack is a free download from Microsoft. Install O2K3 onto your computer, reboot the computer, then perform the following steps.

-- Connect to the Internet.

-- Go to http://www.microsoft.com/downloads.

-- In the search box at the top, type Office Compatibility Pack.

-- Click on Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel and PowerPoint 2007 File Formats, which should be one of the first items in the list.

-- Click the Download button.

-- Choose RUN.

-- Allow this package to be installed onto your machine, taking all default prompts.

-- Reboot the computer.

-- Repeat Steps 1, 2, and 3 above.

-- Click on Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack Service Pack 1 (SP1), which should be toward the top of the list.

-- Repeat Steps 5, 6, 7, and 8.

The Compatibility Pack is invisible to the system, working in cooperation with the programs in the O2K3 suite (Word, Excel and PowerPoint). When someone sends you a document created in O2K7, simply double-click on the file to open that file in the corresponding O2K3 software.

NOTE: You can open a Publisher 2007 file in Publisher 2003, but certain features will not be supported. If you reopen the same file in Publisher 2007, the features that were not supported in earlier versions of Publisher will be available again.

Q: When I print an envelope, Word asks me for my return address information. After entering the address, I click the check box to save this address as my default return address, but the next time I use the envelope feature, Word has forgotten my return address again. How can I fix this?

A.: The way you fix this problem is different between Word 2007 and Word 2003. In Word 2007, click the Office button and then click Word Options.

Word displays the Word Options dialog box. At the left side of the dialog box, click Advanced. Scroll through the options available until you see the General section. In the Mailing Address area, enter the return address you want to use as the default. Click OK.

If you are using Word 2003 or other older versions:

Choose Options from the Tools menu. Word displays the Options dialog box. Make sure the User Information tab is displayed. In the Mailing Address area, enter the default return address. Click OK.

Opinions are solely the writer's. April Miller Cripliver of Chesterton holds a doctorate in management information systems and is a computer hardware and software consultant. E-mail your computer questions to nwitimes@cripliver.com, and specify your operating system and other pertinent PC information.