I still make the ridiculous assumption that if I have updated to Office 2007 then EVERYONE must have updated, right? Wrong (right dad?). So, if you are tired of calling or email the folks who forget to save their documents in a 2003 (or earlier) compatible format before sending them to you (sorry dad), or sending your documents to a friend to convert, this this tip is for you.

By installing the Compatibility Pack along side of Microsoft Office XP, or Office 2003, you will be able open, edit, save, and create files using the Open XML Formats new to the 2007 Microsoft Office system. Office 2000 users, as well as users of Windows 2000 SP4 and later, can convert Open XML Formats to binary file formats from within Windows Explorer.

Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 File Formats

The above link will bring you to the Microsoft download center where you can find out more information and instructions for download.

After this installation you will never have to make that phone call again!