Word 2010 compatibility problem - inking tools

Question

In Word 2003 (running on XP Tablet) I was able to use ink annotation in all documents. In Word 2007 (same system) I was still able to use ink in all documents, (including ones stored in 97-2003 format and opened in compatibility mode). When I try to use the 'pens' tool on these documents in Word 2010, (Windows 7 Professional, Tablet PC) all buttons are greyed out and I get the following pop-up message: "This command is currently disabled. This document has been opened in compatibility mode..."

I hate to think that it's by design that functionality that worked fine in 2007 has intentionally been disabled in 2010. Is this a bug? Are there preferences I need to change in order to get this to work again for me in 2010?

Additional information:

• I can still open and print documents with ink annotations that I edited in previous versions and saved in 97-2003 format, but am unable to add or alter any ink annotations.
• In Word 2007, I could get at inking functionality regardless of whether I was in compatibility mode or not. I did so by (a) clicking on the "start inking" button in the ribbon's review tab, or (b) clicking on the Pens(GroupInkPens) command I added to the quick access toolbar via the "more commands..." dialog.
• In Word 2010 those same controls are there for me and are accessible in the same way, but only when I'm not in compatibility mode. (Though the toolbar command is now called Pens(GroupPens)).

Answer 1

The files are in 2007 DOCX format which 2010 can read, in "Compatibility Mode" (ie dumbed down from 2010 to 2007 functionality). Although 2007 and 2010 both use DOCX file extension, the internal file structure is slightly different, to allow 2010 files to support new features.

OK, make a copy of the file and open it in 2010. Go to File tab / Info command / Convert button and convert it to 2010 file format and save it. Now try to use the pen feature ...

Actually, your additional points cover the same answer ...

Answer 2

Actually, looks like finding a good solution to this one is unlikely. To get drawings / objects to work like I expect them to I still need to save in 97-2003 (.doc) format. I tried to bite the bullet and save one of my files in 2010 format, and immediately ran into loss of important drawing functionality when not in compatibility mode.

I tried one paste of multiple objects from a .doc to a 2010 document. They pasted, but with their positioning offset. Not a big deal; but when I tried to select them to correct their positioning I found that I couldn't use lasso selection to select multiple notations / objects. The only way to select them all was to shift-click one at a time - either on the document or in the "selection and visibility" pane. As far as I can see, that problem is a known bug / design compromise acknowledged by one of the program managers - Peter Frem. Lasso selection of objects works only when you're in 97-2003 compatibility mode (See*http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/office2010/thread/54f0e690-ac97-425e-a5d6-20a6d14bd80e*and a related thread*http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/office/forum/office\_2010-word/cannot-select-objects-using-mouse-cursor-word-2010/221a042a-6aa1-47ab-a417-0ea23c937a79?page=4*)

So as far as I can tell, the two features I use the most in Word - ink annotation and liberal use of drawing objects - now live in mutually exclusive domains. I can choose to use ink (save in new format) or have reliable and complete functionality for embedded drawing objects (save in .doc format). Very disappointing.

I'd appreciate it if someone could confirm if this is the case or not.

Answer 3

I just got a new computer & without my wanting it, it was loaded with Windows 7 & Microsoft Office Evaluation 10.

In order for me to use these features, I'll have to spend days--maybe weeks--at my computer, searching through the commands, etc., to learn them. That assumes, of course, that my searches actually produce something useful. So far when I've searched, I can't find the answer or solution to anything I'm interested in.

Most importantly, I do not want to use Word 2010. I've used Word 2000 for many years & have been overjoyed with its functionality. I've tested subsequent versions of Word & they've just been unweildly & arcane. They've never updated the one feature important to me--indexing--& apparently they never will. Of course, I can't test this, since the indexing feature is not available in Word 2010 Starter version & I promise Bill Gates, I will never buy it. Ever. Why isn't it available? Isn't it enough that I'm already viewing advertisements? Shouldn't I get something in exchange for that devil's bargain?

In Word 2000, if I want to select all, change paragraph formatting, change a style, or a number of other commands, I simply hold my cursor over the word or spot & click on the right button. A dialog box appears with my desired selections, & I just choose one. This feature is gone from Word 2010.

I suspect that there might be a way to make this work if I want to spend hours in front of my computer, sorting it out. However, as a disabled person, this is a genuine hardship to me. It is painful for me to sit this long, in many different bodily ways.

I tried to install Word 2000 under Windows 7 but it refuses to allow me to do that. I'm quite sure this is a deliberate move on Microsoft's part, an attempt to force me to upgrade to the newer versions. I would be happy to upgrade, but like most MS software (& many other vendors), the newer versions are inferior to the older ones. In the case of Word 2010, for example, there are so many non-intuitive buttons above the pane, it's ridiculous. I tailor a template to my own needs & ability to comprehend, then use it over & over. So far, I haven't been able to do that. In the old versions, I just clicked on the "new file" icon in the toolbar & bingo, a new, clean page appeared, containing all my necessary icons & menus.

In Word 2010, I have to click on "File," then on "New" then I have to choose a template. Well, when I need a new template, I'll go looking for one, or build one myself. Being put through these steps is ridiculous.

I have to balance my use of the mouse with my use of keystrokes & keyboard-entered commands. This was elegantly addressed, finally, in Word 2000. I've used every version of Word since 95 & when Office 2000 came out, it was as if my prayers had been answered.

These presets & kindergarten icons in 2010 are useless to me. Worse, navigating through them hurt me physically. I'm under the gun here, enrolled in school online, & I can't use my new computer because I simply do not have the time to learn the software--assuming the software actually could work for me--before the final exam in six months. I have to take 8 exams before then & in order to do that, I end up going back to my laptop, where Windows Vista (a pale substitute for Win98 or even XP) supports the software I use, from Word to Mozilla Firefox (another program that is worse for being "improved;" why don't the nerds leave this stuff alone?). Why did I get a new computer if I'm going to end up using my laptop? The point of buying this desktop computer was to use it at home, more comfortably than I can use my laptop.

I've been using Windows since v. 3.1. I became disabled in 1999, when, of course, I was using Windows 98. That OS worked fine for me, then & later, until I was forced into the horror of Microsoft ME, which actually rendered my computer impotent. I was glad when XP came along.

If I can't install the software I need under Windows 7, I'll have no choice but to go Open Source & use my old trusty programs. At this time, I'm going to see if I can use OpenOffice instead of Microsoft Office, since the commands in its word processing program are almost identical to Word 2000. I am a bare-bones kind of person; I don't need a billion different processes. I don't play computer games. I don't use my computer as a television. I do word processing, use indexing software, catalog photos in Picasa & upload/download with Picasa or Firefox. Aside from needing to burn or read the occasional CD-R or CD-RW, I have very few uses for my DVD drive. But if I do need to use it, I'll use Windows Media Player or one of the free players. This version of Media Player on my new computer is also driving me nuts. If I can't rip or burn & it's something I'm doing wrong, why won't the software tell me? It's always done that before.

I don't have a smart phone or an iPod, or any gadgets. I don't text. I don't go to coffee shops & "work." I don't use Kindle. I couldn't be less interested in technology that keeps people looking down at their devices, not at me, while we're having a conversation. I don't talk on my cell phone on the bus or train, disturbing others with my side of a conversation I have no desire to hear. Funny story--last time I was on a train the woman behind me was talking, in several phone calls back & forth--with someone about putting up bail, where the gun was located, charges of murder, drugs, divorce, domestic violence (as something her family experiences), estrangement & every other imaginable topic you'd hear about on Jerry Springer. I thought I was being punk'd, it was so surreal. So a lot of the features in Windows 7 are wasted on me.

Lastly, trying to use Help--which I do a dozen times a day--is worst of all. No matter how I phrase my search terms, nothing comes up that's useful to me.

Would Microsoft allow me (as if they have the right to allow me to do anything when I've paid them money for the software I want to use) to use Vista or XP instead of Windows 7? Would they allow me to install Word 2000 instead of using 2010? The bottom line for me is that if I could use Word 2000, I could study Windows 7 when I felt like it, but I wouldn't be stuck trying to learn Word 2010 which is stopping me in my tracks.

I'd appreciate any assistance from the pros here. I've gotten help here before & greatly appreciated it & its usefulness.

Answer 4

sorry i'm jumping in; i cannot find the way to start a new topic. this was the closest one. here is my quandary:

I just got a new computer & without my wanting it, it was loaded with Windows 7 & Microsoft Office Evaluation 10.

In order for me to use these features, I'll have to spend days--maybe weeks--at my computer, searching through the commands, etc., to learn them. That assumes, of course, that my searches actually produce something useful. So far when I've searched, I can't find the answer or solution to anything I'm interested in.

Most importantly, I do not want to use Word 2010. I've used Word 2000 for many years & have been overjoyed with its functionality. I've tested subsequent versions of Word & they've just been unweildly & arcane. They've never updated the one feature important to me--indexing--& apparently they never will. Of course, I can't test this, since the indexing feature is not available in Word 2010 Starter version & I promise Bill Gates, I will never buy it. Ever. Why isn't it available? Isn't it enough that I'm already viewing advertisements? Shouldn't I get something in exchange for that devil's bargain?

In Word 2000, if I want to select all, change paragraph formatting, change a style, or a number of other commands, I simply hold my cursor over the word or spot & click on the right button. A dialog box appears with my desired selections, & I just choose one. This feature is gone from Word 2010.

I suspect that there might be a way to make this work if I want to spend hours in front of my computer, sorting it out. However, as a disabled person, this is a genuine hardship to me. It is painful for me to sit this long, in many different bodily ways.

I tried to install Word 2000 under Windows 7 but it refuses to allow me to do that. I'm quite sure this is a deliberate move on Microsoft's part, an attempt to force me to upgrade to the newer versions. I would be happy to upgrade, but like most MS software (& many other vendors), the newer versions are inferior to the older ones. In the case of Word 2010, for example, there are so many non-intuitive buttons above the pane, it's ridiculous. I tailor a template to my own needs & ability to comprehend, then use it over & over. So far, I haven't been able to do that. In the old versions, I just clicked on the "new file" icon in the toolbar & bingo, a new, clean page appeared, containing all my necessary icons & menus.

In Word 2010, I have to click on "File," then on "New" then I have to choose a template. Well, when I need a new template, I'll go looking for one, or build one myself. Being put through these steps is ridiculous.

I have to balance my use of the mouse with my use of keystrokes & keyboard-entered commands. This was elegantly addressed, finally, in Word 2000. I've used every version of Word since 95 & when Office 2000 came out, it was as if my prayers had been answered.

These presets & kindergarten icons in 2010 are useless to me. Worse, navigating through them hurt me physically. I'm under the gun here, enrolled in school online, & I can't use my new computer because I simply do not have the time to learn the software--assuming the software actually could work for me--before the final exam in six months. I have to take 8 exams before then & in order to do that, I end up going back to my laptop, where Windows Vista (a pale substitute for Win98 or even XP) supports the software I use, from Word to Mozilla Firefox (another program that is worse for being "improved;" why don't the nerds leave this stuff alone?). Why did I get a new computer if I'm going to end up using my laptop? The point of buying this desktop computer was to use it at home, more comfortably than I can use my laptop.

I've been using Windows since v. 3.1. I became disabled in 1999, when, of course, I was using Windows 98. That OS worked fine for me, then & later, until I was forced into the horror of Microsoft ME, which actually rendered my computer impotent. I was glad when XP came along.

If I can't install the software I need under Windows 7, I'll have no choice but to go Open Source & use my old trusty programs. At this time, I'm going to see if I can use OpenOffice instead of Microsoft Office, since the commands in its word processing program are almost identical to Word 2000. I am a bare-bones kind of person; I don't need a billion different processes. I don't play computer games. I don't use my computer as a television. I do word processing, use indexing software, catalog photos in Picasa & upload/download with Picasa or Firefox. Aside from needing to burn or read the occasional CD-R or CD-RW, I have very few uses for my DVD drive. But if I do need to use it, I'll use Windows Media Player or one of the free players. This version of Media Player on my new computer is also driving me nuts. If I can't rip or burn & it's something I'm doing wrong, why won't the software tell me? It's always done that before.

I don't have a smart phone or an iPod, or any gadgets. I don't text. I don't go to coffee shops & "work." I don't use Kindle. I couldn't be less interested in technology that keeps people looking down at their devices, not at me, while we're having a conversation. I don't talk on my cell phone on the bus or train, disturbing others with my side of a conversation I have no desire to hear. Funny story--last time I was on a train the woman behind me was talking, in several phone calls back & forth--with someone about putting up bail, where the gun was located, charges of murder, drugs, divorce, domestic violence (as something her family experiences), estrangement & every other imaginable topic you'd hear about on Jerry Springer. I thought I was being punk'd, it was so surreal. So a lot of the features in Windows 7 are wasted on me.

Lastly, trying to use Help--which I do a dozen times a day--is worst of all. No matter how I phrase my search terms, nothing comes up that's useful to me.

Would Microsoft allow me (as if they have the right to allow me to do anything when I've paid them money for the software I want to use) to use Vista or XP instead of Windows 7? Would they allow me to install Word 2000 instead of using 2010? The bottom line for me is that if I could use Word 2000, I could study Windows 7 when I felt like it, but I wouldn't be stuck trying to learn Word 2010 which is stopping me in my tracks.

I'd appreciate any assistance from the pros here. I've gotten help here before & greatly appreciated it & its usefulness.