Cannot Convert a Document File to a Readable Document

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated September 7, 2024)
This tip applies to Word 2002


Shane is using Word 2002. He writes a lot, and so uses many Word files. These days when he opens a Word file it will often times be a page full of yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy with two dots on top of each y. Once in a while Word suggests that he load a converter, which he does from the original Office installation discs. Even with the suggested converter loaded, the document still stays a page of yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy characters.

There are two possibilities at work here. First (and most likely), the document you are trying to load is corrupted. If the problem occurs with files you get from other people, it is possible that the files became corrupted in transmission. If the files are on your computer and they previously opened properly, then the problem could be because of some corruption on your hard drive. (You can run some good hard drive diagnostic programs to figure out if this is the problem.)

The section possibility is that what you are trying to open is not really a Word document, but a different type of file created by a different program. It is even possible that the file is one of the temporary files created by Word. (These temporary files are supposed to be deleted when you normally exit a Word session, but may not be deleted if you exit Word abnormally.)

You will want to identify and rectify the underlying problem with the files. If it is some type of corruption on your hard drive, then you should get that fixed. If it is some type of corruption in the files being provided by someone else, you should get new files from the other person.

Finally, if the file you are having problems opening work just fine on another Word system, then you may want to check into doing a reinstall or repair of your Word installation. It could be that something this simple is all that is required to fix the problem.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (581) applies to Microsoft Word 2002.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Quickly Inserting Table Rows

Need to pop a few extra rows into a table? It is easy to do using the same tools you used to create the table in the ...

Discover More

Inserting the User's Name in a Cell

Need to understand who is using a particular workbook? There are a number of ways you can find out, as discussed in this tip.

Discover More

Error Creating Event Handlers

If you are getting an error when you try to create an event handler, it could be related to a long-known bug in Excel. ...

Discover More

Comprehensive VBA Guide Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) is the language used for writing macros in all Office programs. This complete guide shows both professionals and novices how to master VBA in order to customize the entire Office suite for their needs. Check out Mastering VBA for Office 2010 today!

More WordTips (menu)

Saving All Open Documents

Got a lot of open documents you are working with? You can save them all at one time by just holding down the Shift key ...

Discover More

Opening Only a Merge Document

After merging the information from a data source into a document, you may decide that you only want to open the merge ...

Discover More

Saving Documents as Read-Only by Default

When you save your documents, you can specify that they be saved in a "read-only" format so that they cannot be changed ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is 7 - 7?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)


This Site

Got a version of Word that uses the menu interface (Word 97, Word 2000, Word 2002, or Word 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.

Videos
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.