Office Resource Kit Blog

Register Office 2007 file format MIME types on servers

In order for servers to recognize the new file formats in the 2007 Office system, you will need to register the Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME) types for each new file type. If the MIME types are not registered, servers will detect the new file formats as ZIP archives. MIME types are automatically registered with computers running Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 2 (SP2) or later versions.

For servers running Windows 2003 Server and Internet Information Services (IIS) 6.0, you can add the Open XML types in IIS Manager | Server Properties | MIME Types. IIS 7.0 includes these new MIME types by default.

For servers that are not Windows-based, you will need to register the MIME types manually. Please refer to the product documentation for your server or refer to the links at the end of this article for more information about registering MIME types.

The following table shows the extensions you will need to register, their file type, and their MIME type:

For more information on setting these types on different servers, see the following articles:

·         How to get Companyweb (Windows SharePoint Services v2) to work with Office 2007 on David Overton’s blog

·         Office 2007 MIME types for Apache on Vladimir Mazek’s blog

·         Description of the default settings for the MimeMap property and for the ScriptMaps property in IIS (includes MIME types for other file extensions)

Security updates for June 2009

Assessment tools cheat sheet

If you're in the process of planning an Office deployment, have a look at the newly published article Assessment tools for the 2007 Office system(http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=154575).  Please let us know what you think & if you find it helpful!  We'll plan to have something similar for the next version of Office.

- Cat

Office Update and Office Update Inventory Tool Version 2.2 support ends in August, 2009

Beginning August 1, 2009, Microsoft will discontinue support for the Office Update Web site (at http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/downloads/FX101859091033.aspx). Customers can access functionality equivalent to the Office Update site by using the Microsoft Update Web site (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=15270). This allows us to provide a more simplified and consistent experience for users across Microsoft products.

Updates for supported products that are currently offered on Office Update are also offered on the Microsoft Update site (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=15270).

Users who try to access the Office Update website after August 1, 2009, will be automatically redirected to the Microsoft Update Web site (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=15270).

For more information, see About Office Update on the Office Online Web site (at http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/downloads/FX010402221033.aspx).

Advantages of using Microsoft Update

Microsoft Update is a scalable, Internet-based software distribution platform and service for consumer and corporate customers. Microsoft Update provides the following advantages:

·         Seamless and automatic update experience. No manual work is required to determine which updates are needed.

·         Single distribution service. A one stop shop for customers to get all updates from Microsoft extends the Windows Update experience.

·         Devices just work. The required drivers are automatically installed.

·         Benefits for consumers. Automatic updating and interactive experience to keep computers secure and up-to-date.

·         Benefits for IT Pros. All management solutions provided by Microsoft use Microsoft Update: Windows Server Update Services, Microsoft Update Catalog, Systems Management Server (SMS), Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA), and System Center Essentials.

Using Systems Management Server (SMS) for updates

Customers who use SMS 2.0 in conjunction with the Software Update Services Feature Pack (http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sms/bb676802.aspx) will be required to upgrade to SMS 2003 or greater in order to deploy Office updates with SMS. Customers who are using SMS 2003 and System Center Configuration Manager 2007 in conjunction with the Inventory Tool for Microsoft Updates (ITMU) will not be affected.

Using Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA) to check security state

MBSA 2.1 customers are not affected. MBSA 2.1 is compatible with Microsoft Update and Windows Server Update Services (http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/wsus/default.aspx) and the SMS Inventory Tool for Microsoft Update (ITMU). For more information about MBSA, see Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (http://www.microsoft.com/mbsa).

Office Update Inventory Tool Version 2.2 support ends in August, 2009

If you have been using the Office Update Inventory Tool Version 2.2 to check computers in your organization for status of Microsoft Office updates, be aware that this tool will not be supported after August 1st, 2009.

Microsoft recommends that customers use Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) to administer and deploy Office updates within their corporate network. For information about WSUS, see Microsoft Windows Server Update Services 3.0 Overview (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=82773) and Step-by-Step Guide to Getting Started with Microsoft Windows Server Update Services 3.0 (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=82774) on the Microsoft TechNet Web site.

For information about managing updates for the 2007 Office system, see Distribute product updates for the 2007 Office system (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=146924).

Microsoft Office 2000 extended support ends in July, 2009

Yes, Office 2007 SP2 is supported on Win XP SP2 too

The system requirements on the download page for the 2007 Microsoft Office Suite Service Pack 2 (SP2) lists Windows XP Service Pack 3...but that's because that is the latest and greatest for Windows XP.  Windows XP SP2 supports Office 2007 SP2.  Just note that MS support for SP2 of Win XP ends Jul 13 2010.

Cheers!

- Cat

Security updates for May 2009

On Tuesday, May 12th, 2009, Microsoft released 7 security updates for Office. The updates address security issues described in Microsoft Security Bulletin MS09-017: Vulnerabilities in Microsoft Office PowerPoint Could Allow Remote Code Execution (967340) (http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms09-017.mspx). Excerpt follows.

“This security update resolves a publicly disclosed vulnerability and several privately reported vulnerabilities in Microsoft Office PowerPoint that could allow remote code execution if a user opens a specially crafted PowerPoint file. An attacker who successfully exploited any of these vulnerabilities could take complete control of an affected system. An attacker could then install programs; view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights. Users whose accounts are configured to have fewer user rights on the system could be less impacted than users who operate with administrative user rights.

This security update is rated Critical for supported editions of Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2000. For supported editions of Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2002, Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2003, Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007, Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac, and Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac; Open XML File Format Converter for Mac; all supported versions of PowerPoint Viewer, and Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 File Formats; Microsoft Works 8.5; and Microsoft Works 9.0, this security update is rated Important. For more information, see the subsection, Affected and Non-Affected Software.

The security update addresses the vulnerabilities by modifying the way that PowerPoint handles conditions that could cause memory corruption when opening specially crafted PowerPoint files. This update also addresses the vulnerabilities by preventing Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2000 and Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2002 from opening PowerPoint 4.0 native file formats. For more information about the vulnerability, see the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) subsection for the specific vulnerability entry under the Vulnerability Information section in Microsoft Security Bulletin MS09-017: Vulnerabilities in Microsoft Office PowerPoint Could Allow Remote Code Execution (967340) (http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms09-017.mspx).

This security update also addresses the vulnerability first described in Microsoft Security Advisory 969136 (http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/advisory/969136.mspx).

Recommendation. Microsoft recommends that customers apply the update immediately.

Affected and Non-Affected Software

The following software has been tested to determine which versions or editions are affected. Other versions or editions are either past their support life cycle or are not affected. To determine the support life cycle for your software version or edition, visit Microsoft Support Lifecycle.

Affected Software 

*For Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007 Service Pack 1 and Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007 Service Pack 2, in addition to KB957789, customers also need to install the security update for Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 File Formats Service Pack 1 and Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 File Formats Service Pack 2 (KB969618) to be protected from the vulnerabilities described in this bulletin.”

For more information, see Microsoft Security Bulletin MS09-017 (http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms09-017.mspx).

For complete details, see "Microsoft Security Updates for May 2009" for home users and "Microsoft Security Bulletin Summary for May 2009" for IT professionals.

Updated 2007 Office system Administrative Template files (ADM, ADMX, ADML) and Office Customization Tool available

2007 Microsoft Office Suite Service Pack 2 (SP2) available

Microsoft has released 2007 Microsoft Office Suite Service Pack 2 (SP2) which provides the latest updates to the 2007 Office suite.

To learn about the product-specific changes introduced by SP2 and about important information that you should be aware of before installing SP2, see KB 953195 “Description of 2007 Microsoft Office Suite Service Pack 2 (SP2) and of Microsoft Office Language Pack 2007 SP2” (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/953195). To download SP2, see 2007 Microsoft Office Suite Service Pack 2 (SP2) (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=B444BF18-79EA-46C6-8A81-9DB49B4AB6E5&displaylang=en) on the Microsoft Download Center.

SP2 includes the following types of fixes:

·         Previously unreleased fixes that were made specifically for this service pack.

o   In addition to general product fixes, this includes improvements in stability, performance, and security.

·         All of the Public Updates, Security Updates, Cumulative Updates, and Hotfixes released through February 2009.

For more information about this service pack, including a list of the files affected, see KB 970357 "Technical details about the Office 2007 System client service packs" (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/970357).

 Note: Service Packs for Office products are available only as patches to the installed product; they are not integrated with the base Office system products.

For information about distributing updates, see "Deploying all Microsoft Self-Extractor packages in a folder" and "Deploying software updates with the initial 2007 Office system installation" in Distribute product updates for the 2007 Office system (http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc178995.aspx). Also see Deploy 2007 Office software updates with System Center Configuration Manager 2007 (http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc872848.aspx).

Also see Gray Knowlton's blog for a description of changes in SP2: Office 2007 Service Pack 2 Kiosk (http://blogs.technet.com/gray_knowlton/archive/2009/04/27/office-2007-service-pack-2-kiosk.aspx).

The following sections highlight the changes in SP2.

OpenDocument Format version 1.1 (ODF)

ODF has been added as an available file format for saving documents in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. For information, see the following resources:

·         Differences between the OpenDocument Spreadsheet (.ods) format and the Excel (.xlsx) format (http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/excel/HA102877221033.aspx)

·         Differences between the OpenDocument Presentation (.odp) format and the PowerPoint (.pptx) format (http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/powerpoint/HA102877231033.aspx)

·         Differences between the OpenDocument Text (.odt) format and the Word (.docx) format  (http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/word/HA102835631033.aspx)

·         Doug Mahugh’s blog: Working with ODF in Word 2007 SP2 (http://blogs.msdn.com/dmahugh/archive/2009/04/28/working-with-odf-in-word-2007-sp2.aspx)

·        For information about new Group Policy and Office Customization Tool settings for OpenDocument Format and Open XML Formats in the 2007 Office system, see Group Policy and Office Customization Tool settings that address OpenDocument Format and Open XML Formats in the 2007 Office system (http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd723552.aspx).

Extensible file formats

SP2 provides support for extensible file formats. Word, Excel, and PowerPoint now include a converter interface that lets developers plug third-party custom file formats into these Office programs. Developers can create a converter for files of a particular extension. When this converter is installed on a user’s computer, the custom file format effectively behaves like a built-in file format. Users can open files of this format and save them by using the Open or Save UI, and they can set the custom format as their default file format. For more information, see Introducing the Open XML Format External File Converter for 2007 Microsoft Office System SP2 on the MSDN web site (http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd300649.aspx).

PDF and XPS file types

SP2 includes functionality that allows you to export and save to the PDF and XPS formats in 2007 Microsoft Office programs. It also allows you to send as e-mail attachment in the PDF and XPS formats in a subset of these programs. The Save as PDF or XPS add-in was previously offered as a separate download (2007 Microsoft Office Add-in: Microsoft Save as PDF or XPS) and this functionality is now incorporated into SP2. For more information, see the following resources:  

The Truman Show?

Every day I run into someone that asks me about the “Ribbon” and how it came to be.  Typically it is someone that is new to Office 2007, who just recently had it installed at their workplace, and they need to create a document with x, y and z by tomorrow.

Well to start, why is it called the Ribbon?  It doesn’t quite look like a ribbon.  It doesn’t scroll from one side of my screen to the other like a type-writer ribbon.  The simple answer, it was just an internal codename that represented an initial idea, and that name stuck.

So then how did we get from Word 1 .0 menu’s to Office 2007 contextual tabs? 

Sure there may have been a lot of design time, usability studies, and scenarios like a Truman Show to ensure we captured everything from eye movement to process thinking via a live web cam.

But what did those earlier prototypes of Office look like that got us where we are now? 

The ones that went from less than 50 menu items to over 250 menu items, spanning across 33 toolbars made up of 16x16 icons, and 19 task panes?

Take a look at a presentation on the Story of the Ribbon.

By the end of the video, you will see why 90% of the users say it’s easier to create professional documents in Office 2007, and 88% say it’s more fun to use Office 2007 with the new “Ribbon” (Fluent UI) than previous versions.

Enjoy!

File formats supported in the 2007 Office system (corrected)

Hello, my name is Ben and I'm a technical writer on the Office Resource Kit team. My article on Office 2007 file formats was published this week (http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc179078.aspx), but due to a publishing system error, the wrong version was published. The version up there right now is probably the very first draft (and more like a template), and it has gone through several iterations since then. We are fixing the issue, and the correct version should be up by this Thursday, April 9th. In the meantime, I'm pasting the correct article here. Sorry for any inconvenience and thanks for your patience!

In this article:

• File formats supported in Word 2007
  
  
• File formats supported in Excel 2007
  
  
• File formats supported in PowerPoint 2007
  
  
• File formats supported in Access 2007
  
  
• Additional file format information
  
  

This article discusses the file formats that are supported in Microsoft Office Word 2007, Microsoft Office Excel 2007, Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007, and Microsoft Office Access 2007. It also provides additional information about file formats that applies to all four applications.

File formats supported in Word 2007

You can save an Office Word 2007 file in another file format by clicking the Microsoft Office Button, and then Save As.

You can open a file that was created in another file format (in an earlier version of Microsoft Office Word or in another program) by clicking the Microsoft Office Button, and then Open. You will be prompted to save the file to an Office Word 2007 format. For files that were created in an earlier version of Word, you have the option to keep the original format.

Word file formats

File format	File extension	Description
Word Document	.docx	The default Office Word 2007 file format.
Word Macro-Enabled Document	.docm	The Office Word 2007 XML-based and macro-enabled file format. Stores Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) macro code.
Word 97-2003 Document	.doc	The default Word 97-2003 file format.
Word Template	.dotx	Template for creating new Office Word 2007 files that do not contain macros.
Word Macro-Enabled Template	.dotm	Template for creating new Office Word 2007 files that contain macros. If you want to include UI customizations or macros in the template, use this file format.
Word 97-2003 Template	.dot	Template for Word 97-2003 files.
Word XML Document	.xml	The XML file format supported in Office Word 2007 (Open XML).
Word 2003 XML Document	.xml	The XML format supported in Office Word 2003.

Other file formats

File format	File extension	Description
Portable Document Format (PDF)	.pdf	PDF is a fixed-layout file format that enables a file to retain the intended format when either viewed or printed, and is not easily changed. The ability to save an Office Word 2007 document in PDF file format (directly from Office Word 2007) is enabled by installing the 2007 Microsoft Office Add-in: Microsoft Save as PDF or XPS (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=111590).
XML Paper Specification (XPS)	.xps	XPS is another fixed-layout file format that enables a file to retain the intended format when either viewed or printed, and is not easily changed. The ability to save an Office Word 2007 document in XPS file format (directly from Office Word 2007) is enabled by installing the 2007 Microsoft Office Add-in: Microsoft Save as PDF or XPS (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=111590).
Single File Web Page	.mht; .mhtml	A Web page as a single file with an .htm file and all supporting files, such as images, sound files, cascading style sheets, scripts, and more.
Web Page	.htm	A Web page as a folder with an .htm file and all supporting files, such as images, sound files, cascading style sheets, scripts, and more. Good for posting on a site or editing with Microsoft Office FrontPage or another HTML editor.
Web Page, Filtered	.htm	Saving in the Web Page, Filtered file format removes Microsoft Office-specific tags. If you save in filtered HTML and then re-open the file in an Office application, text and general appearance will be preserved, but some features might work differently.
Rich Text Format	.rtf	RTF controls the representation and formatting of a document, both on the screen and in print. With the RTF file format, documents created under different operating systems and with different software applications can be transferred between those operating systems and applications.
Plain Text	.txt	When you save a Office Word 2007 document as a .txt file, you lose all formatting.
Works 6.0-9.0	.wps	This is the default file format of Microsoft Works, versions 6.0 through 9.0.

File formats supported in Excel 2007

You can save an Office Excel 2007 file in another file format by clicking the Microsoft Office Button, and then Save As. The file formats that are available in the Save As dialog box vary, depending on what type of sheet is active (a worksheet, chart sheet, or other type of sheet).

You can open a file that was created in another file format (in an earlier version of Microsoft Office Excel or in another program) by clicking the Microsoft Office Button, and then Open. You will be prompted to save it to an Office Excel 2007 format, unless you open a workbook that is shared. For files that were created in an earlier version of Office Excel, you have the option to keep the original format.

Excel file formats

File format	File extension	Description
Excel Workbook	.xlsx	The default Office Excel 2007 XML-based file format. Cannot store VBA macro code or Microsoft Excel 4.0 macro sheets (.xlm).
Excel Macro-Enabled Workbook	.xlsm	The Office Excel 2007 XML-based and macro-enabled file format. Stores VBA macro code or Excel 4.0 macro sheets (.xlm).
Excel Binary Workbook	.xlsb	The Office Excel 2007 Binary file format (BIFF12).
Excel Template	.xltx	The default Office Excel 2007 file format for an Excel template. Cannot store VBA macro code or Excel 4.0 macro sheets (.xlm).
Excel Macro-Enabled Template	.xltxm	The Office Excel 2007 macro-enabled file format for an Excel template. Stores VBA macro code or Excel 4.0 macro sheets (.xlm).
Excel 97- Excel 2003 Workbook	.xls	The Excel 97 - Excel 2003 Binary file format (BIFF8).
Excel 97- Excel 2003 Template	.xlt	The Excel 97 - Excel 2003 Binary file format (BIFF8) for an Excel template.
Microsoft Excel 5.0/95 Workbook	.xls	The Excel 5.0/95 Binary file format (BIFF5).
Excel Add-In	.xlam	The Office Excel 2007 XML-based and macro-enabled Add-In, a supplemental program that is designed to run additional code. Supports the use of VBA projects and Excel 4.0 macro sheets (.xlm).
Excel 97-2003 Add-In	.xla	The Excel 97-2003 Add-In, a supplemental program that is designed to run additional code. Supports the use of VBA projects.

Text file formats

File format	File extension	Description
Formatted Text (Space-delimited)	.prn	Lotus space-delimited format. Saves only the active sheet.
Text (Tab-delimited)	.txt	Saves a workbook as a tab-delimited text file for use on another Windows operating system, and ensures that tab characters, line breaks, and other characters are interpreted correctly. Saves only the active sheet.
Text (Macintosh)	.txt	Saves a workbook as a tab-delimited text file for use on the Macintosh operating system, and ensures that tab characters, line breaks, and other characters are interpreted correctly. Saves only the active sheet.
Text (MS-DOS)	.txt	Saves a workbook as a tab-delimited text file for use on the MS-DOS operating system, and ensures that tab characters, line breaks, and other characters are interpreted correctly. Saves only the active sheet.
Unicode Text	.txt	Saves a workbook as Unicode text, a character encoding standard that was developed by the Unicode Consortium.
CSV (comma delimited)	.csv	Saves a workbook as a comma-delimited text file for use on another Windows operating system, and ensures that tab characters, line breaks, and other characters are interpreted correctly. Saves only the active sheet.
CSV (Macintosh)	.csv	Saves a workbook as a comma-delimited text file for use on the Macintosh operating system, and ensures that tab characters, line breaks, and other characters are interpreted correctly. Saves only the active sheet.
CSV (MS-DOS)	.csv	Saves a workbook as a comma-delimited text file for use on the MS-DOS operating system, and ensures that tab characters, line breaks, and other characters are interpreted correctly. Saves only the active sheet.
DIF	.dif	Data Interchange Format. Saves only the active sheet.
SYLK	.slk	Symbolic Link Format. Saves only the active sheet.

Note:
If you save a workbook in text format, all formatting is lost.

 

Other file formats

File format	File extension	Description
Portable Document Format (PDF)	.pdf	PDF is a fixed-layout file format that enables a file to retain the intended format when either viewed or printed, and is not easily changed. The ability to save an Office Excel 2007 document in PDF file format (directly from Office Excel 2007) is enabled by installing the 2007 Microsoft Office Add-in: Microsoft Save as PDF or XPS (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=111590).
XML Paper Specification (XPS)	.xps	XPS is another fixed-layout file format that enables a file to retain the intended format when either viewed or printed, and is not easily changed. The ability to save an Office Excel 2007 document in XPS file format (directly from Office Excel 2007) is enabled by installing the 2007 Microsoft Office Add-in: Microsoft Save as PDF or XPS (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=111590).
XML Spreadsheet 2003	.xml	XML Spreadsheet 2003 file format.
XML Data	.xml	XML Data format.
Quattro Pro 5.0 (Win)	.wb1	Quattro Pro version 5.0 for Windows. You can open Quattro Pro files in Excel by using a converter. You cannot save an Excel file to Quattro Pro format.
Quattro Pro 7.0 (Win)	.wb3	Quattro Pro version 7.0 for Windows. You can open Quattro Pro files in Excel by using a converter. You cannot save an Excel file to Quattro Pro format.

File formats supported in PowerPoint 2007

You can save an Office PowerPoint 2007 file in another file format by clicking the Microsoft Office Button, and then Save As.

You can open a file that was created in another file format (in an earlier version of Microsoft Office PowerPoint or in another program) by clicking the Microsoft Office Button, and then Open. You will be prompted to save the file to an Office PowerPoint 2007 format. For files that were created in an earlier version of PowerPoint, you have the option to keep the original format.

Important:
Office PowerPoint 2007 does not support saving to PowerPoint 95 (or earlier) file formats or Pack and Go Wizard (.ppz) files.

 

PowerPoint file formats

File format	File extension	Description
PowerPoint Presentation	.pptx	An Office PowerPoint 2007 presentation, which is an XML-enabled file format, by default.
PowerPoint Macro-Enabled Presentation	.pptm	A presentation that contains Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) code.
PowerPoint 97-2003 Presentation	.ppt	A presentation that you can open in PowerPoint 97 to Office PowerPoint 2003.
PowerPoint Design Templates	.potx	A presentation as a template that you can use to format future presentations.
PowerPoint Macro-Enabled Design Template	.potm	A template that includes pre-approved macros that you can add to a template to be used in a presentation.
PowerPoint 97-2003 Design Template	.pot	A template that you can open in PowerPoint 97 to Office PowerPoint 2003.
Office Theme	.thmx	A style sheet that includes definitions of a color theme, font theme, and effect theme.
PowerPoint Show	.pps; .ppsx	A presentation that always opens in Slide Show view rather than in Normal view.
PowerPoint Macro-Enabled Show	.ppsm	A slide show that includes pre-approved macros that you can run from within a slide show.
PowerPoint 97-2003 Show	.ppt	A slide show that you can open in PowerPoint 97 to Office PowerPoint 2003.
PowerPoint Add-In	.ppam	An add-in that stores custom commands, Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) code, and specialized features such as an add-in.
PowerPoint 97-2003 Add-In	.ppa	An add-in that you can open in PowerPoint 97 to Office PowerPoint 2003.

Other file formats

File format	File extension	Description
Portable Document Format (PDF)	.pdf	PDF is a fixed-layout file format that enables a file to retain the intended format when either viewed or printed, and is not easily changed. The ability to save an Office PowerPoint 2007 document in PDF file format (directly from Office PowerPoint 2007) is enabled by installing the 2007 Microsoft Office Add-in: Microsoft Save as PDF or XPS (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=111590).
XML Paper Specification (XPS)	.xps	XPS is another fixed-layout file format that enables a file to retain the intended format when either viewed or printed, and is not easily changed. The ability to save an Office PowerPoint 2007 document in XPS file format (directly from Office PowerPoint 2007) is enabled by installing the 2007 Microsoft Office Add-in: Microsoft Save as PDF or XPS (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=111590).
Single File Web Page	.mht; .mhtml	A Web page as a single file with an .htm file and all supporting files, such as images, sound files, cascading style sheets, scripts, and more. Good for sending a presentation in e-mail.
Web Page	.htm; .html	A Web page as a folder with an .htm file and all supporting files, such as images, sound files, cascading style sheets, scripts, and more. Good for posting on a site or editing with Microsoft Office FrontPage or another HTML editor.
GIF (Graphics Interchange Format)	.gif	A slide as a graphic for use on Web pages. The GIF file format is limited to supporting 256 colors, and therefore, it is more effective for scanned images such as illustrations rather than color photographs. GIF can also be good for line drawings, black and white images, and small text that is only a few pixels high. GIF supports animation and transparent backgrounds.
JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) File Format	.jpg	A slide as a graphic for use on Web pages. The JPEG file format supports 16 million colors and is best suited for photographs and complex graphics.
PNG (Portable Network Graphics) Format	.png	A slide as a graphic for use on Web pages. PNG was approved as a standard by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) to replace GIF. PNG does not support animation as GIF does, and some older browsers do not support this file format.
TIFF (Tag Image File Format)	.tif	A slide as a graphic for use on Web pages. TIFF is the best file format for storing bit-mapped images on personal computers. TIFF graphics can be any resolution, and they can be black and white, gray-scaled, or color.
Device Independent Bitmap	.bmp	A slide as a graphic for use on Web pages. A bitmap is a representation, consisting of rows and columns of dots, of a graphics image in computer memory. The value of each dot (whether it is filled in or not) is stored in one or more bits of data.
Windows Metafile	.wmf	A slide as a 16-bit graphic (for use with Microsoft Windows 3.x and later).
Enhanced Windows Metafile	.emf	A slide as a 32-bit graphic (for use with Microsoft Windows 95 and later).
Outline/RTF	.rtf	A presentation outline as a text-only document that provides smaller file sizes and the ability to share macro-free files with others who might not have the same version of PowerPoint or the operating system that you have. Any text in the notes pane is not saved with this file format.

File formats supported in Access 2007

This section describes the differences between the new Office Access 2007 ACCDB file format and the earlier-version MDB file format. In Office Access 2007, the Microsoft Jet database engine has been customized for the 2007 Office system applications. This Office-specific version of Jet, called the Access Database Engine, enables integration with Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 and Microsoft Office Outlook 2007, creation of multi-valued lookup fields, and other improvements.

New features of the Office Access 2007 file format

Feature	Description
Multi-valued lookup fields	Most database programs, including prior versions of Access, only allow you to store a single value in each field. In Office Access 2007, however, you can now create a lookup field that allows you to store more than one value in each field. In effect, it creates a many-to-many relationship within the field, and hides the details of the implementation using system tables. For example, suppose you have a Task table with a lookup field that you used to assign the task to an employee. What if you have a task that you need to assign to several employees? In earlier versions of Access, you would need to set up a new cross-reference table to store each combination of task and employee, and then revise your forms and reports to use the new data structure. In Office Access 2007, this is made much easier by implementing a multi-valued lookup field. Instead of being able to select only one item from a drop-down list, now each item in the list has a check box next to it so that you can select as many as you like. The multiple selections are displayed in the field, separated by commas.
Attachment data type	The new Attachment data type lets you easily store all types of documents and binary files in your database without unnecessary database bloat. Attachments are automatically compressed when appropriate to maximize space usage. You can attach a Office Word 2007 document to a record, or save a series of digital pictures. You can even have multiple attachments attached to a single record.
Integration with Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 and Office Outlook 2007	In the past, Access files have been blocked from Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 and Office Outlook 2007 because unsafe code could be included within an Access database. Office Access 2007 implements a new format that allows code to be either verified as safe or disabled. This makes it possible to integrate Access databases much more fully with Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 and Office Outlook 2007, and it also allows anti-virus programs to inspect Access database files much more easily.
Work with your SharePoint data offline	You can take your SharePoint lists offline with one click by using Office Access 2007. Work on your data in Access and then synchronize your changes, or reconnect with the SharePoint site at a later time.
Memo field history tracking	Memo fields are useful for storing large amounts of information. Starting with Office Access 2007, you can set a property (AppendOnly) that forces Access to retain a history of all changes to a Memo field. You can then view a history of those changes. This feature also supports the versioning feature in Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 so that you can use Access to track changes in a multiple lines of text field stored in a SharePoint list (provided that the field has the Append Changes to Existing Text option set to Yes).

New file extensions

File extension	Description
ACCDB	The file extension for the new Office Access 2007 file format. This takes the place of the MDB file extension.
ACCDE	The file extension for Office Access 2007 files that are in "execute only" mode. ACCDE files have all Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) source code removed. A user of an ACCDE file can only execute VBA code, not modify it. ACCDE takes the place of the MDE file extension.
ACCDT	The file extension for Access Database Templates.
ACCDR	A new file extension that enables you to open a database in runtime mode. By simply changing a database's file extension from .accdb to .accdr, you can create a "locked-down" version of your Office Access 2007 database. You can change the file extension back to .accdb to restore full functionality.

Workgroup Information Files (MDW)

Workgroup Information Files store information for secured databases. No changes have been made to the .mdw file format for Office Access 2007. The Office Access 2007 Workgroup Manager will create .mdw files that are identical to those created in Access 2000 through Access 2003, and .mdw files created in those earlier versions can be used by Office Access 2007 databases.

Locking files

When a database is opened, file locking is controlled by a locking file. When you open an .mdb file, Access creates and opens an .ldb locking file. This is true even if you use Office Access 2007 to open an .mdb database file. For example, if you open the file Db1.mdb, Access creates and opens a file named Db1.ldb — this .ldb file controls locking. For files created in the Office Access 2007 file format (.accdb files), Access controls locking by creating and opening a file with a file name extension of .laccdb. For example, if you open Db1.accdb, Access creates and opens a locking file named Db1.laccdb. As with .ldb files, .laccdb files are deleted automatically when the database has been closed by all users.

By maintaining separate locking files for Office Access 2007 files and for files created in earlier versions of Access, it is possible to have both Db1.mdb and Db1.accdb open in Office Access 2007 at the same time without creating any conflicts in the locking file, because two different locking files are created. It is possible to have the same .mdb file open in Office Access 2007 and in an earlier version of Access at the same time, with both versions using the same .ldb locking file.

ACCDE files

An .accde file is the Office Access 2007 version of the .mde file in earlier versions of Access. It is a locked-down version of the original .accdb file. If the .accdb file contained any VBA code, only the compiled code is included in the .accde file. As a result, the VBA code cannot be viewed or modified by the user. Also, .accde file users do not have permissions to make design changes to forms or reports. You create .accde files from .accdb files by using the following procedure.

Create an ACCDE file in Office Access 2007

1. In Office Access 2007, open the database that you want to save as an .accde file.

2. On the Database Tools tab, in the Database Tools group, click Make ACCDE.

3. In the Save As dialog box, browse to the folder in which you want to save the file, type a name for the file in the File name box, and then click Save.

Linked tables

You can link a table from an earlier Access format to a database in a later version of Access, but you cannot link a table from a later version of Access to a database in an earlier version of Access. For example, you can link from an .accdb database to tables in another .accdb database, or to tables in an .mdb database; however, you cannot link from an .mdb database to tables in an .accdb database.

Replication

Replication is not supported in the Office Access 2007 file format. You can use Office Access 2007 to replicate a database that was created in older file format, but not one that was created in the Office Access 2007 format.

Additional file format information

This section provides information — which applies to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Access — about pasting data from the Microsoft Office Clipboard, and finding a solution when the file format you want to use is not supported in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, or Access.

Microsoft Office Clipboard file formats

You can paste data from the Microsoft Office Clipboard into Word, Excel, PowerPoint, or Access by using the Paste or Paste Special command (Home tab, Clipboard group, Paste button) if the Office Clipboard data is in one of the formats shown in the following table.

File format	File extension	Description
Picture	.wmf or .emf	Pictures in Windows Metafile Format (WMF) or Windows Enhanced Metafile Format (EMF). Note   If you copy a Windows metafile picture from another program, Excel pastes the picture as an enhanced metafile.
Bitmap	.bmp	Pictures stored in Bitmap format (BMP).
Microsoft Excel file formats	.xls	Binary file formats for Excel versions 5.0/95 (BIFF5), Excel 97-2003 (BIFF8), and Office Access 2007 (BIFF12).
SYLK	.slk	Symbolic Link Format.
DIF	.dif	Data Interchange Format.
Text (tab-delimited)	.txt	Tab-separated text format.
CSV (Comma-delimited)	.csv	Comma-separated values format.
Formatted text (Space-delimited)	.rtf	Rich Text Format (RTF). Only from Excel.
Embedded object	.gif, .jpg, .doc, .xls, or .bmp	Microsoft Excel objects, objects from properly registered programs that support OLE 2.0 (OwnerLink), and Picture or another presentation format.
Linked object	.gif, .jpg, .doc, .xls, or .bmp	OwnerLink, ObjectLink , Link, Picture, or other format.
Office drawing object	.emf	Office drawing object format or Picture (Windows enhanced metafile format, EMF).
Text	.txt	Display Text, OEM Text.
HTML	.htm	Hypertext Markup Language. When you copy text from another program, Excel pastes the text in HTML format, regardless of the format of the original text.

File formats that are not supported in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, or Access 2007

If the file format that you want to use is not supported in Office Word 2007, Office Excel 2007, Office PowerPoint 2007, or Office Access 2007, you can try the following methods.

• Search the Internet for a company that makes file format converters for file formats that are not supported in the application.
  
  
• Save to a file format that another program supports. For example, you might want to import your Word, Excel, PowerPoint, or Access file into another program that does not support the Word, Excel, PowerPoint or Access file format. But the other program might be able to import another supported file format, such as a text file format. In this case, you can save your work in text file format, and then from the other program, import the text file.
  
  

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Cumulative update packages for the 2007 Microsoft Office core suite applications and for 2007 Microsoft Office servers: February, 2009

Office 2007 and Windows Vista: Better Together

Office 2007 takes advantage of many of the new features in Windows Vista that are not available in Windows XP. These features include improved search, preview, and responsiveness enhancements that allow users to be even more productive when working with Office 2007 documents.

Improved search experience

Outlook 2007 includes a fast search experience that functions just fine without Windows Vista. When Outlook 2007 is running on Windows Vista, however, it defaults to the Vista search engine (instead of having two indexers running at once). Vista search is fully supported by Office metadata for both the binary and Office Open XML file formats.

With Windows Vista, you can search for text contained within documents. You can also use the Save As feature of Office 2007 applications to add keyword tags to your documents so that you can find them even more easily.

Document previews and thumbnails

When you hover over documents on the taskbar in Windows Vista, you can see previews of the document to help you to more quickly find the document you want to work on.

For a larger and easily navigable view of the documents you are working on, click the Switch between windows button on the taskbar in Windows Vista. This pulls up your documents in Windows Flip 3-D, a view of all the windows that you can navigate with the scroll wheel of your mouse.

Use the Switch between Windows button:

To show your documents in Flip 3-D:

You can also use the Save As feature of Office 2007 applications to save a thumbnail version of the document so you can see a preview of it in Windows Vista Explorer (if you don’t click the Save Thumbnail check box, the document will appear as a generic icon).

If you want to see more than just one page of a document in Windows Vista Explorer, you can use the document preview pane by clicking Organize, Layout, Preview Pane. Use the scroll bar on the right to scroll through the document. Within the preview pane, you can select and copy items from the document.

For more information about document previews and thumbnails in Windows Vista, see Demo: Windows Vista and the 2007 Office system — better together.

Common file dialog

Office 2007 uses the new open, save, and insert dialog boxes that are included in Windows Vista. This experience supports search, rich document previews, and metadata tagging.

Restored application state

After updating and rebooting, Windows Vista restores a user’s Office application state to where it was before the applied updates.

Auxiliary displays, or Sideshow

Some laptops and other devices are equipped with a display on the outside cover. With Windows Vista, users can view Outlook items on this display even while the laptop lid is closed. This is especially useful when on the way to a meeting and trying to remember the location.

RSS feeds

RSS feeds that are subscribed to in Internet Explorer 7.0 or Internet Explorer 8.0 and Outlook 2007 will remain in sync.

XPS document viewing

Windows Vista has the ability to natively read XML Paper Specification (XPS) documents, one of two fixed-file formats that Office 2007 supports.

International domain name support

Windows Vista includes support for International domain names.

Improved application responsiveness

Windows Vista includes improved anti-hang features that improve application responsiveness.

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Tips for using the Outlook 2007 Security Hash Generator Tool

The Outlook 2007 Security Hash Generator Tool is used to generate a hash value to identify your Outlook COM add-in for Group Policy.  If you are customizing security settings by using Group Policy, you’d need to enter the add-in name and hash value to identify that add-in as trusted by Outlook.  The ORK article Manage trusted add-ins for Outlook 2007 covers how to get the tool, run the Hash Tool and how to specify the trusted add-in in Group Policy. 

I’ve seen some feedback that people were having problems getting the Hash Tool to run.  There is an update to the article coming to address the feedback…but in the meantime here are some tips to help if you’re having issues:

·         Make sure you register the Hash Tool after installing (which is step 5 in the Manage trusted add-ins for Outlook 2007 article).

·         The Hash Tool doesn’t like spaces in file paths or names! 

·         Say for example your add-in DLL is under Programs Files, make a copy of it and put it in a folder with no spaces in the name.  Something like C:\temp\AddInDll.dll would work.  The hash is based on the registered DLL and not the location of the DLL.

·         If you’re a techie smarty pants, you could also determine the short file path/name of the file (8.3 path) and use that.  That isn’t hard but my eyes glaze over when I read instructions for that - so I’ll spare you. 

·         If all else fails and CreateHash.bat isn’t working for you, try using the AddinHash.vbs with three sets of double quotes for your file path:

C:\Tools\OutlookHashGenerator> cscript addinhash.vbs """c:\Program Files\My Folder With Spaces\ AddInDll.dll """

The output should look something like this:

Microsoft (R) Windows Script Host Version 5.8

Copyright (C) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Generating trusted add-in settings...

Please copy and paste the following information into the group policy editor:

Value Name: c:\Program Files\My Folder With Spaces\AddInDll.dll

Value     : JKKEPIFOMMBLLJGKMBMEIADHDNBJJOHIIJPCLLDN

Hope this helps!

-          Cat

Documentation resources for Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac

If you are looking for resources for Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac, check the Mactopia Web site at http://www.microsoft.com/mac/itpros/default.mspx. It provides great resources for Mac Office administrators, including the Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac Administrator’s Guide, and Messenger Deployment Guide which you can download. It also provides information about top IT Pro topics and support issues.