Word cannot start the converter mswrd632.wpc error

Last Updated on Thursday, 15 April 2010 09:36

You may receive the following error:

Word cannot start the converter mswrd632.wpc

This error is cause because of f the security update for Windows XP, Windows 2000, and Windows Server 2003 on December 8, 2009.

You may experience mail merge issues write files are parsed but no message is shown.

To resolve this issue, an affected user can unregister the mswrd632 converter by editing the registry as follows:

Click Start, click Run, type regedit, and then click OK.

Locate and then click the following registry subkey:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Shared Tools\Text Converters\Import\MSWord6.wpc
On the Edit menu, click Delete.
Click Yes.
Exit Registry Editor.

NOTE: For x64 systems above path is slightly changed:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\ CurrentVersion\Applets\Wordpad

This change will effectively unregister the converter and disable it for third-party applications and for Microsoft Office. Microsoft Office will use its own text converters to open these kinds of files.

You can also fix this issue with applying the registry fix, but that is a less secure way according to Microsoft, as this fix actually creates 'AllowConversion' key in the new 'Wordpad' subfolder. (HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Applets\Wordpad)

Download REG fix

There is another way to solve this issue by copying the MSWrd632.wpc file from another computer that doesn't have this issue. Make sure that this file comes from a trusted source on your network. This file can be found on the following path:

C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\TextConv

UPDATE: Above fix was not helpful to some of our readers, so Thomas Lewis offered another suggestion which should help.

Go to Tools > Options > General (Tab) in Word 2003
And check “Confirm Conversion at Open”
When you next try to open the document it will prompt you with a list to convert from. Choose Word 2007 and your document will open.
Have in mind that you will have to unregister mswrd632 first, which is noted above, before you make this changes.

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Comments (205)

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It works, Thanks smilies/grin.gif

Cesar Rojo , December 16, 2009

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Thank you very much, this solved a friends issue.

netmon1 , December 16, 2009

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There's no wordpad under Applets on my laptop. I just created the AllowConversion under it and set bit to 1, but unable still to open the doc. Help. This is my school project I need to submit tomorrow.

dummy , December 16, 2009

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This worked great for me, thanks for the help.

Marc , December 17, 2009

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Repaired all issues we were having with our mail merge, great thanks.

?? , December 17, 2009

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@dummy
Please download the registry script provided and try to import it.

Nik , December 17, 2009

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With the registry script everything was solved. thank you

@fabio , December 17, 2009

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thanks,
problemfixed

Huubbie , December 17, 2009

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I just clicked on the download link and found that it won't let me download the file without becoming a premium member of Rapid Share.

Marconi , December 17, 2009

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I've removed the rapidshare download link and set the download directly from this site.
Please try again.

Nik , December 17, 2009

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This was very helpful!

I'd have been totally unable to print of a long Christmas list without the information given here.

All done! Thanks!

DT , December 17, 2009

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Thanks!!!!!!! Reg add works!

... , December 17, 2009

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Having received the mswrd632.wpc error I downloaded the Registry Entry. The document now opens but it seems to have been corrupted somewhere along the way. The document is full of 'y's with two dots on top.

Not to worry. The document is not that important.

I appreciate very much the excellent service you are providing.

Peter , December 18, 2009

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Thanks it worked fine

Uffe , December 18, 2009

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my problem remains unsolved. Your solution has completely failed to rectify my problem. Kindly give another solution.

farhan qureshi , December 18, 2009

-2

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@farhan,
have you tried to use the registry script provided in the bottom of this article?

Nik , December 18, 2009

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It works fine !! Many thanks

Nicos , December 18, 2009

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My documents still don't open correctly unfortunately. smilies/cry.gif

G8crasha , December 18, 2009

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Thanks for the fix --- Word docs within Calyx POINT now open!

DParrott , December 18, 2009

-1

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I tried both the KB973904 instructions listed above, and the link provided, both to no avail. My docs will open, and they look fine to me, but the error message pops up each time I try to open one, and I have to click OK twice for the message to go away! It's more of an annoyance for me...it's really slowing down my productivity. Any other suggestions?

Uzoras , December 19, 2009

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@Uzoras
Try to import registry fix once again. It should solve your issue.

Nik , December 19, 2009

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I tried it a 3rd time with no luck. The computer I'm using is actually at work, and we have a closed-circuit type of driver/server...I don't know if that makes a difference. The MSWord registry looks fine when I locate it following the directions above. Also, my MS programs (only on my computer) run on Citrix.

Uzoras , December 19, 2009

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@Uzoras,
Ah that explains it. If you run MS applications on Citrix, you should pass this registry key to your Citrix administrator.
This registry key has to be applied on a Citrix server where this applications are published.

Regards,
Nik

Nik , December 19, 2009

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Thank you Nik! I will talk to our admin...of course, he's clueless, so it may not help. I appreciate your help!

Uzoras , December 19, 2009

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It should definitely help, after all I'm Citrix admin smilies/wink.gif

This patch is working when you apply it on client machine. Citrix just passes over picture to your PC from the server, so if you're using MS Word which is published on Citrix, there's nothing you can do on your local PC to fix this issue.

Regards,
Nik

Nik , December 19, 2009

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Re-enabling a vulnerable WordPad converter is not the appropriate fix to prevent this error in Word. Instead, just unregister the converter following the instructions on http:support.microsoft.com/kb/973904.

Jeanne Sheldon , December 19, 2009

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Thanks Jeanne,
I will update my first post, but Microsoft released this update (more secure) yesterday. First given fix was provided in the original post.

Nik , December 19, 2009

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'tworks!

tony , December 21, 2009

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Great fix. Thanks

bortset , December 21, 2009

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Thanks It worked

Aun Ali , December 22, 2009

-2

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Gracias, Thanks, Grazas. llevo dos dias intentando solucionar este tema. smilies/grin.gif

Jose Acebedo , December 23, 2009

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Many thanks for this fix. The registry key delete worked for me. Now have MS Word mail merge working again along with MS Office Accounting. Thanks again. Russell.

Russell Broad , December 23, 2009

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dah m sory the problem which was reported to the solver hv the sam e bt total m fail to solve by the way of learning

nyihirani , December 24, 2009

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The converter warning doesn't come up anymore but here is what my word document looks ike any suggestions, Thanks,

N76N$OA;@$ ±‰¼”—Ã•Ÿ¿’™¯s»’x±‡³ˆ{v
©ˆYûëâÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ2$6BLQWL>BL ÐÕáÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ;4(==5?K3J9)ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ 7 %.,HM3CJHHO1JMJ=Q#8WB3L7 ÔÞÝÿÿÿÿÿÿñóû @F94:1|‚yÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ
ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ»ÂÀ DFJ °±±ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿþÿ

Here is what my word document looks like now , December 24, 2009

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ACCURATE ANSWER. THANKS A LOT

BOB , December 26, 2009

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thanks alot, that has been bugging me for days, all fixed

janette , December 27, 2009

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Thanks your suggestion solved the problem..

HNCCK , December 28, 2009

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i have this problem but i couldn't solve it by what you suggested

please help i realy need to open the file smilies/cry.gif

nona , December 29, 2009

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Have you run the registry key or did you do steps to delete the registry key?

Nik , December 29, 2009

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yes i did but nothing happen

could i emil my file to you to see what is going on ! Please !

nona , December 29, 2009

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i will cry , i need the file tomorrow smilies/cry.gif

nona , December 29, 2009

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Thank you , i have sent it to you and i hope it will work with you

nona , December 29, 2009

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Someone in a microsoft news group suggested the file might be Word 2007 (...docx) but named as an earlier version (.doc). I renamed the file in question and it opened properly.

Neither registry change worked for me... BUT... , December 29, 2009

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Mistook "Name" for "Title"

DUH , December 29, 2009

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I did change the version from (docx) to (doc) but still not open !!

nona , December 29, 2009

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I just had this problem with two Word 2003 .doc files on a thumb drive. Other Word test files open fine. The registry fix in the KB mentioned above got rid of the error message but then the files just open as untranslated gobbledegook, as also mentioned above. I suspect I actually just hosed these two files (I pulled the thumb drive off without using its "eject" menu) and this is just the response Word has to files that aren't quite right. So, solution may be, don't corrupt your files... smilies/cry.gif

ann , December 31, 2009

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Registry changes did not work for me. The suggestion of changing the name from .doc to .docx DID work! Thanks--IT Tech on vacation, am sure I will need it upon return.

Tech , December 31, 2009

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Thanks! i had an important document that i wasn't able to read because of this problem. =)

Writer , January 03, 2010

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Glad it's working for you

Nik , January 03, 2010

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Thank you so much,that's OK for me.

Babeta , January 04, 2010

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I have tried both options, but still no joy for me. Any other options??? smilies/sad.gif

THANKS

Del , January 04, 2010

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You solved my problem,thank you so much.
you're kinda orator v.v

Necessary Evil , January 04, 2010

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WELL WELL THANX IT REALLY HELP US , there is dead line for filing a suit and word doc showe said error , thanxthis is great save lot of our time
smilies/kiss.gif

syed manzar abbas advocate , January 05, 2010

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Registry change worked for me!!!! Thanks.

DCM , January 05, 2010

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thanking you for saving me manually doing word docs!
cheers

Will , January 06, 2010

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谢谢你，非常感谢。

long , January 06, 2010

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I have done every thing sugested here and my doc look like a lot of small boxes

JDavidson , January 06, 2010

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I've tried both suggestions and this is what I get:

ÐŸ à¹± ñ€ kÃ $š $ >@
’þÿ 0‹ Bà‚ !€ˆ Ö Â ˆ _ ¹š €þÿï¿ @€UP ÿþÿÿ¿ÿÿ¾•ÿÿ¿ÿÿú÷ÿÛÿÿýïÏÿÿþÿ
ÿßÿþÿÿÿÿÿÿÿûëÿÿÿmÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ
ÿßÿþÿýÿ¿ÿýÿûÿÿÿÿÿ
Any others?

Liz , January 06, 2010

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If are are renaming the file the docx and trying to open with 2003 don't forget you need to have the 2007 document converter installed. http://download.microsoft.com/...erters.exe

Tech , January 07, 2010

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Thanks so much. That worked! smilies/grin.gif

Carla , January 07, 2010

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Registry fixes did not work.
Prompt for converter no longer appears, but documents now opening with cryptic characters
users all are running Window XP, SP3
users all are running MS Office 2003 ( we have not yet converted)
users all have the MS Office 2007 Compatability Patch.
Documents were never created with Office 2007...all original 2003 files.
Documents were accessible and readable Before Dec 2009.
System Restore did not resolve the problem.

Dave , January 07, 2010

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Hello Dave, have you tried with using this?
http://download.microsoft.com/download/9/2/2/9222d67f-7630-4f49-bd26-476b51517fc1/FileFormatConverters.exe

Nik , January 07, 2010

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It worked on all three workstations that were getting that error. Thanks so much. smilies/wink.gif

cir , January 08, 2010

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reinstalled the compatibility pack and ran the REG fix. still can't open the doc.

mike , January 08, 2010

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this did not work for me for some reason. i am still gettig the error....yikes! i hope i have not lost all of the stuff i've done...

slw , January 08, 2010

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I am having same problem. Have tried regedit and reg fix. Three word 2003 docs that I have been working on for a month open as gobbledy gook. Tried renaming as .docx. Same problem with all my backups of these docs. help - so much work has gone into these docs and I don't know what to do

j , January 11, 2010

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THANK U VERY VERY VERY MUCH.

I hope this does not effect my system on the long run. smilies/cry.gif

Sai Praveen Manchiraju , January 11, 2010

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Regfix was a temporary solution.
Although, safer solution is to delete the following registry key.

Locate and then click the following registry subkey:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftShared ToolsText ConvertersImportMSWord6.wpc
On the Edit menu, click Delete.
Click Yes.
Exit Registry Editor.

j, have you tried to install file converters?
http://download.microsoft.com/download/9/2/2/9222d67f-7630-4f49-bd26-476b51517fc1/FileFormatConverters.exe

Nik , January 11, 2010

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Good work !! Your fix worked, thanks heaps smilies/grin.gif

Mr Happy , January 11, 2010

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Большое спасибо.

Snu-Smumrick , January 12, 2010

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No meu caso, eu recebi um arquivo word 2007 que estava salvo com ".doc"
Renomeei o arquivo corretamente para ".docx" e o conversor abriu corretamente o arquivo no meu office 2003.

Arthur Nascimento , January 13, 2010

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Thanks a lot!
It work at the first try^^

Kobe , January 15, 2010

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i tried to delete the file but it wouldnt let me smilies/cry.gif

rachel , January 16, 2010

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rachel, do you have administrative permissions?
can you try to run regedit in as Administrator?

Nik , January 16, 2010

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I DIDNT GOT FULL PATH IN MY SYSTEM.
(TEXT CONVERTER IMPORT MSWRD6.WPC

GJ , January 18, 2010

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Found another work-around when using Office 2003 with converters installed for Office 2007, and trying to open embedded .docx objects inside a .docx document:

Right click on the embedded > Package Object > Edit Package

Pop-up window appears

File > Save Contents > enter file with same extension to local folder (no feedback that it saved)

Go to local folder > Open doc, installed converter runs > Save As a 2003 type doc (ie: .doc instead of .docx)

Now you can reopen the doc and it will not go through the conversion process.

DJ - Cincinnati OH , January 18, 2010

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Worked for me! thanks!

SVK, Pune , January 19, 2010

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Hi.I`m having a problem that when i try to convert the file it still shows hieroglifs and no text that was in there. What should i Do?

VM , January 19, 2010

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Great fix. My first time doing this.

Jane , January 19, 2010

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Nik, Help! I tried all 3 suggestions you made: registry change, registry fix & downloading the converters. Nothing has worked. Thank you.

paul , January 20, 2010

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Yeahh, I've tried all this, Including the reg fix etc,

Seems to work for others but not all. I open the file and get just boxes. Looks like the file might be corrupted?

duder , January 20, 2010

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Hello Paul,
have you tried solution from other visitor?

Found another work-around when using Office 2003 with converters installed for Office 2007, and trying to open embedded .docx objects inside a .docx document:

Right click on the embedded > Package Object > Edit Package

Pop-up window appears

File > Save Contents > enter file with same extension to local folder (no feedback that it saved)

Go to local folder > Open doc, installed converter runs > Save As a 2003 type doc (ie: .doc instead of .docx)

Now you can reopen the doc and it will not go through the conversion process.

It could be that your document is corrupted. You can try to search online for some free applications which can fix corrupted office documents.

Nik , January 20, 2010

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This Registry fix is a permanent solution and you are not deleting anything.
When using Office 2007 and opening a *.PPTX file with embedded text from an earlier Word version do the following:

Locate the following registry subkey:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftShared ToolsText ConvertersImportMSWord6.wpc
Right click the Extensions string value and choose Modify.
Make sure the Value Data field has the following: doc docx
Click, OK
Exit Registry Editor.

Enjoy,

Ken B

Ken Burton , January 22, 2010

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Sorry, I typed too fast. The problem just surfaced on another machine and the only way around it was to rename or delete the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftShared ToolsText ConvertersImportMSWord6.wpc registry key.

Hope this helps,

Ken B , January 22, 2010

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Thankyou very much. There are some answers to this issue, but only yours resolve the problem! smilies/cheesy.gif

Gelu , January 23, 2010

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No, this didn't work for me

Lara , January 26, 2010

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Nik:
"have you tried solution from other visitor?"
Which solution?

"Right click on the embedded > Package Object > Edit Package"
What is embedded?

paul , January 27, 2010

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And suggestions on how to convert "recovered" files?

Tabby , January 27, 2010

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Tnx Worked 100% smilies/cool.gif

Aleksandar Radenkovic , January 28, 2010

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OOOO Thanks, this solution saved VCojocaru

guesswho , January 29, 2010

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I can not get this to work with deletion. Yes-I have 97 and living in the past.
Can you help me? smilies/shocked.gif

97 MS , January 29, 2010

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It worked well, thank you very much!

Ilya , February 02, 2010

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Worked ! Thanks for the help

Michael , February 02, 2010

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cant find textconverters part?

dianne , February 02, 2010

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thanks its worked immidiate.

gireesh kudav , February 03, 2010

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Thanks to the post from Dec 29th - resave the file as a Office 2007 (docx) and it opens fine. Otherwise the regedit solution will still delivery an ASCII file.

rich , February 04, 2010

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yes, it works, thank you smilies/grin.gif

kay , February 05, 2010

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No change, waste of time. Still can't open / convert / import text to Word. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it '> This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Christopher , February 05, 2010

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I accidentally deleted a bunch of files and had to use a data recovery program. Music files and photos came back fine but now none of the Word, Excel, or Power Point files will open without looking like a jumbled mess. I reinstalled Microsoft Office 2003 and I've tried all these fixes. Any other suggestions for me?

Suzie , February 07, 2010

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There are a lot of suggestions in comments of this article. Have you tried all of this suggestions?

Nik , February 07, 2010

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I just could not install registry as message appears that same has been blocked by adminstrator. Pl help.

Ashoutosh , February 08, 2010

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Unfortunately, you need administrative privileges to modify registry.

Nik , February 08, 2010

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I followed the instructions, but when I click Delete I get the following message: "Unable to delete all specified values" HELP!!!..Thanks

Confused , February 08, 2010

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I cannot make labels with office 2000 and windows XP I recieve error

tiny , February 10, 2010

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Ok I tried the registry fix it didn't work for me. But by just renaming the word document from .doc to .docx then opened the file it worked. This was a pc with MS Office 2003 also. Hopefully this will help someone.

Jeeper , February 11, 2010

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THANK YOU!! I have been trying to fix this for a week with no luck. Problem solved!!

Peggy , February 12, 2010

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Thanks.
This fix worked great.

mickie , February 12, 2010

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Hi, My computer was hit by virus. Then i used bit-defender to remove it when(ESET couldn't). But in the process i lost a lot of my data. Movies, pics, doc files. When i recovered them using Tune-up utilities.My word (doc.) files won't open. They showed "Word cannot start the converter mswrd632.wpc" error.

I unregistered the mswrd632 converter by editing the registry by following the steps suggested by admin. But the files till show gibberish data.

Pls help !
Sato
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Satvinder , February 14, 2010

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Please read through the comments. There are several useful suggestions on what you can do.

Nik , February 14, 2010

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My recovered pics also do not open. When i recoverd them the condition status shown in Tune-Up utilities was: "Bad". But even the good status files don't open.

Satvinder , February 14, 2010

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I have gone through the regedit method to fix this problem and I no longer get the error message, however, MSWord is now trying to install another converter to open the file, but I don't have the disk and I'm not sure what it is that needs to be installed.
Any suggestions?

Emmy , February 14, 2010

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Which type of file you're trying to open. Which office version are you using?

Nik , February 15, 2010

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I have tried the suggested fixes including the REG fix, now all that happens is that I don't get the Word message when I open the file, but I still end up with squares instead of texts...I even tried labelling it do .docx but still the same...I have been working on Word 2003. Any ideas??

Adam , February 15, 2010

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Nik I even tried installing the convertors but I get the message "installation of this package failed". Any other ideas? I'm screwed aren't I? smilies/cry.gif

Adam , February 15, 2010

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I ended up giving the File Format Converters compatability pack a go and it worked. I'm using 2002 Word, and I'm still not sure what type of file it is because I downloaded it off a website. Thanks so much for your help!!

Emmy , February 15, 2010

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hye,

i already try both of that way...delete the msword6.wpc n import the registry that i download.
the error gone but contain of the file all is converted
to symbol (like boxs).
Can give me the another way to solve this problem. tq

boyak , February 17, 2010

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Thank you!

The first steps didn;t work for me, I just got another error, but the script worked like a charm!

Roy , February 17, 2010

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FYI, we got this error when the files were actually Word TEMPLATES named wrong.

i.e. Renamed the ".DOC" to ".DOTX", error went away.

So, if renaming the ".DOC" to ".DOCX" doesn't work, try ".DOTX"

TRAVISasdfasfasdfsdfs , February 17, 2010

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This totally Worked...

Thank you totally saved me today

Joey , February 19, 2010

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I clicked the download link, but when I click "run" it doesn't give me a chance to type anything in. A dialogue box comes up that says "Are you sure you want to add the information in C smilies/cheesy.gif

ocuments and Settings... to the registry?" Then you choose yes or no, and then it just closes. I clicked "yes" hoping it would allow me to follow your instructions, but it just closed and I still can't open word files.

JK , February 23, 2010

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Thanks a lot for the help. smilies/grin.gif

Prue , February 23, 2010

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Fabulous! I had to unregister the converter as instructed and install the REG fix. Problem solved, thanks!!

Christina , February 23, 2010

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Hi!
Thanks a lot!
I've just used the RegFix, which worked very nice indeed.

Ricardo , February 25, 2010

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Hi,

I have a problem with .doc file: when i'm opening the file, i see a lot of strange characters.
I have Windows Vista and Office 2007. Is there someone who can help me ( with some tips or with opening the file for me ) ?

Thanks in advance!

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Adrian Nutu , February 27, 2010

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Deleting the registrty key seems to have worked fine. I hope. THANKS!!!

martysberg , February 28, 2010

-1

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Easy fix with REGEDIT, as described above.
Thanks

Mark , March 04, 2010

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Super. Easy to Understand Instructions. Works.

Wordster , March 05, 2010

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Ohhh Your are intelegent...
Thanks

Nisar Ahmed Abbasi , March 08, 2010

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yeah i got absolutely nothing. i SERIOUSLY need help, i tried everything. my paper is due like yesterday.

asdfasdf , March 08, 2010

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I lost the dialogue box, but text still won't appear smilies/cry.gif

sam , March 09, 2010

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tank you

kevin , March 09, 2010

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I tried both suggestions above but cannot get my files read. For about 6 months I've used the same thumbdrive and I switch it back and forth between a Mac and PC for my documents. Up until now it worked fine on each. Now it doesn't. Help me Rhonda.

TH , March 10, 2010

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Thanks, this was very annoying until I applied your fix

Dave Kwiatkowski , March 12, 2010

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Thanks! It worked perfectly

Chuck , March 12, 2010

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Solved a corporate wide issue -May Thanks

The Rose , March 17, 2010

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Tried everything here w/o succcess. You indicated the downloadable registry fix (AllowConversion.reg) could cause a security problem. I'd like to remove the registry change that AllowConversion.reg made. Can you provide any instructions to go into regedit and undo the changes made by AllowConversion.reg?

Steve , March 17, 2010

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@Steve,
Open registry editor and navigate to the following folder:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVe
rsionAppletsWordpad

Delete the following key:
"AllowConversion"=dword:00000001

That's it. You shouldn't have any issues by deleting this key, but try it first on a test pc if possible.

Regards

Nik , March 17, 2010

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If after applying the registry fix (repeated numerous times above) Word 2003 still opens the file in random characters try this:
Go to Tools > Options > General (Tab)
And check “Confirm Conversion at Open”
When you next try to open the document it will prompt you with a list to convert from. Choose Word 2007 and your document will open.
but you must unregister mswrd632 first as stated above

Thomas Lewis , March 17, 2010

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The error doesn't come up anymore, and i've read through all the comments, yet nothing seems to help. I have xp, latest edition. And everytime i open it up it comes up with cryptic symbols, the squares and lines.

If anyone knows how to convert it to proper writing? It is quite important.
thanks.

Maria , March 18, 2010

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Dacia , March 22, 2010

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Thank you!!! The error desapeared.

Destro - Brazil , March 22, 2010

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Changing the extension of the file from .doc to .docx wor as long as it was a 2007 file orginally. thanks for your help.

strongs , March 23, 2010

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Many word files were fixed. But some, I'm left with a file that tells me I have to chose "File Conversion - (filename)". Choices include Windows, MS-DOS or Other. What should I do now? Windows , other choices do not work. My computer now is responding very slowly. MSWord error no program response. Typing this comment is very slow going.

Michael , March 24, 2010

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Thanks Thomas Lewis. This is what finally fixed it for me after trying all the other things above. I did the following in Word 2003 and now I get a "Convert File" window when opening these weird .doc files and I can pick Word 2007 as an option and the document finally opens normal.

Go to Tools > Options > General (Tab) in Word 2003
And check “Confirm Conversion at Open”
When you next try to open the document it will prompt you with a list to convert from. Choose Word 2007 and your document will open.

Shelly Page , March 26, 2010

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Hey i am getting the Word cannot start the converter mswrd632.wpc error message and my document is opening as pages and pages of little boxes. I followed all your instructions and now the error message doesnt come up but i still cant read my text! i have Microsoft office professional with frontpage 2003. When i try the Thomas lewis solution there is no word 2007 option and none of the other options will work... Help! Important document!

Nicola , March 29, 2010

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im using ms word2007. i cant open the document located on my usb.it has the same error so i used your steps but still...theres nothing happened...help pls

Julius de Venecia , April 07, 2010

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Registry fix did not work; however, changing the options to prompt for conversion when opening a document did the trick. Thanks so much!!! smilies/grin.gif

KMingle , April 08, 2010

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Helped great, thanks! Just the regfix did it.

Marc , April 09, 2010

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voila! like magic, my problem (using ProWrite label mail merge from Outlook to word ... which is a great time saver for me) is gone. thank you. (i was hesitant to edit the registry entry at first.)

dana , April 12, 2010

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after all of the above, i still cant open my document.
It returns : error opening the file.

It appears i started experiencing this on all word documents i copeied with a particulr pend drive.

Any more options:::???

Saint , April 14, 2010

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Try to read through comments. There are some other suggestions that might help you.

Nik , April 14, 2010

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Grazie del consiglio funziona pefettamente.
Adriano

Adriano Cella , April 16, 2010

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I have the same problem. It still not work.. The file can't open. I have delete the following key 00000001 from my computer, but without no luck. I need all my documents for my school. Is there any other opyions??

Thanks...

Nana , April 19, 2010

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Actually I can't get it.. Because I have save all my documents after this new security update on December 8, 2009. Why can't it not work now?? Thats strange.

Nana , April 19, 2010

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i really need help with this because my coursework is due in tomorrow and my file isn't opening after the steps i followed at the top of this page, can any please, please, please help me i am in urgent need of help, i can send the file through to you through email if u can get it fixed for me some how. i am in desperate need of help thank you.

Sukhjinder , April 19, 2010

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We are using Word 97 at the office with the Compatibility Pack installed. Up until a few months ago, we had no problems opening Word 2007 (.docx) documents. We started receiving the "Word cannot start the converter mswrd632.wpc" error. We used the Microsoft fix and the error went away but now Word 2007 documents just show a bunch of special characters when opening.

Interestingly, there is another computer in the office with the same setup (Word 97 w/ Compatibility Pack) and Word 2007 documents open just fine and without any errors.

I've can't seem to find a solution except for maybe reinstalling Word 97. I know that others have had the problem with Word 2007 documents opening as gibberish with other versions of Word. Has anyone found a solution for that problem with any version of Word?

Thanks

Ryan , April 21, 2010

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Thomas Lewis' solution worked! Thanks.

Angela , April 22, 2010

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Thanx it works really....... smilies/grin.gif

Hem Shailabh Sahu , April 29, 2010

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Characters still look like symbols. I need more help to change symbols back to characters to be able to read.

Hamegh , April 30, 2010

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Thanks! Worked like a charm!

Laura , May 04, 2010

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The registry file fixed the problem with Word 2K/Excel 2K on my XP64 system. I was originally looking to see why Word hung when opening a Mail Merge Template.

Robert Lee , May 12, 2010

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thanks alot. its working...!

vinod bamaniya , May 21, 2010

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I have an important assignment due, (it's actually overdue due to crashes and this issue) whenever i try and open up my document, all it has are boxes, like squares, which i think mean that the symbols aren't supported. also, when i copy paste these boxes it just comes up with...

...nothing.
please help me.

TeamTactical , May 22, 2010

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Hello there,
try to read through comments and see if some of the suggested solutions help.

Nik , May 22, 2010

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Working like a charm smilies/wink.gif

Guillermo , May 26, 2010

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tried everything. nothing works. I just can't open my file. smilies/cry.gif

ms , May 30, 2010

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I did all what is suggested above but the list of suggested covnersions doesan't include word 2007. what can i do?
thanks

ofer , May 31, 2010

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I am now getting black word documents.....any help?

omie , June 01, 2010

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sorry, meant blank (no content)

omie , June 01, 2010

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Try this, launch the document. You will receive error msg, just click to continue. The document will eventually launch, now you save (SAVE AS) the document in .docm format. Works for me this morning.

xinpore , June 03, 2010

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It works. Thank you Thomas Lewis smilies/cool.gif

Michael , June 06, 2010

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nothings working! pls help!

amanda , June 07, 2010

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Maestraso, muchas gracias

REM , June 16, 2010

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thanks i am very happy for this help

Raza Khan , June 18, 2010

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not only have I not been able to open the document after trying the various fixes, I clearly did something wrong as now ALL my previously saved Word docs have transformed to WordPad. Is there a way to covert those back to Word. At this point I don't care about the original document that I still can't open.. Thanks.

smartone , June 18, 2010

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Try the following:

Open the document using MS Word. To do so, select File/Open and in the window that opens choose All Files in the Files of Type dropdown. Select the Wordpad document you wish to open. Then, to save as a MS Word document, select File/Save As and select Word Document in the Save as Type dropdown. Enter a name, and you are good to go.

Nik , June 18, 2010

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Thanks Nik. I did all of the above before but had not changed the document name. I will try that. Otherwise, it did not work. All the docs kept showing "A" icon meaning WordPad as opposed to the blue "W". .doc is the common extension for both. So, when I go to a folder and open I get a list of "A"s .. not Ws.. even when I select show all Word files.

From your answer, it appears I am going to have to resave ALL the documents in my computer as there is no way to do a batch conversion back to Word on all those documents. Understand, every single Word document in every single folder and subfolder turned into a WordPad document after I attmpted all those fixes. The next time I see this error message, I am going to delete the document.

smartone , June 18, 2010

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Hmm, you can try to change the default application for the .doc file type. That should do it.
I've made an article for you, although I'm guessing your already know how to achieve this.
http://www.wincert.net/tips/microsoft-windows/2142-how-to-set-the-default-application-for-a-file-type-or-extension.html

Nik , June 18, 2010

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Thank You again. I wasn't exactly sure how to do it..but I followed the instructions. Thank You very much for taking the time to write the article. The files still aren't converting. Very weird is that there are a couple of files with the W but the "type" in that column of My Documents says its an RTF file. If only I knew what I did??!?! So frustrating! Thanks again. s

smartone , June 19, 2010

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OK Nik - get this...I went to browse history and deleted everything, Hx, temp files, cookies...just about everything converted back to Word. They have the W and are identified under Type as Word docs..no longer WordPad! Those couple that were typed as RTF still are, but I can live with that as they open and close fine, even though I keep trying to save them as Word docs. This is soooo beyond me!!!

smartoone , June 19, 2010

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No use. cant find the edit ref to delet it smilies/cry.gif

Harry , June 21, 2010

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Have you tried all of the suggested solutions. Have you read through comments?
Can you please explain your issue more throughly.

Nik , June 21, 2010

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This worked out great for me.
I had an issue of opening interaction templates in Navision (NAV 5.0).

This procedure solved my problem:

Click Start, click Run, type regedit, and then click OK.

Locate and then click the following registry subkey:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftShared ToolsText ConvertersImportMSWord6.wpc
On the Edit menu, click Delete.
Click Yes.
Exit Registry Editor.

Thanks a lot!

Mats , June 21, 2010

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The REG fix worked

Terry , June 21, 2010

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The fix got rid of the message but still cant cut/paste from an already saved word file, only from a new one before it is saved.

phil storey , June 30, 2010

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worked..first time..!

Linda melbourne australia , July 01, 2010

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thank you...

lugh , July 09, 2010

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Tried the suggestions with no luck. Am angry that I cannot the work I brought home on an external drive. Microsoft created this problem--they should fix it!

Tillie , July 14, 2010

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Xie Xie! Great!
The bottom of the article works!
Word 2003->word 2007!

King Lear , July 16, 2010

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Thanks a lot...its working great...

sk , July 19, 2010

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Using XP, Office 2003. Had a recent hard drive crash. Only one IMPORTANT document didn't make it to new hard drive--it's the only corrupted file.

Tried just about everything listed here. Now I get a message that "There was an error opening the file." Trying some online fixes, to no avail.

Anyone have a suggestion about this particular turn?

NyteSkye , July 22, 2010

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i doesn't work for me smilies/sad.gif

heero , July 24, 2010

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Thanks!!!! You best "WORDer")))

Don , July 29, 2010

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Obrigado cara....Brasil!!!!!

... , August 04, 2010

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Thank you. Needed to complete both parts and was able to open file. Thank you.

JTG - Chicago , August 06, 2010

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Sorry it doesn't work....i tried.

Arsalan , August 07, 2010

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Thank you so much, after following both instructions all documents now open successfully!

Eliz , August 09, 2010

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I tried the registry, and the patch, but... it still didn't work.

fhill , August 11, 2010

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is there any other way to resolve that problem?

fhill , August 11, 2010

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using Word 2003 / Firefox
Trying to recover deleted files.
Says I can't open; need msowrd632.wp
Followed instructions above to delete it from registry.
Went into Tools/Options in Word to convert to Word 2007 (don't have Word 2007)
Downloaded the Word 2007 converter
Pop Up box now comes up to Convert File From: (choose Word 2007)
Pop Up box - "There was an error opening the file"

The Tools/Option is now grayed out.

Now what????

jan , August 14, 2010

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In my case, renaming the file from *.doc to *.pdf worked. Whoever put it up on this website had used the wrong file-type. Grrrr!

Chris, KDC , August 16, 2010

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HELP!!!!
i wrote my bachelorthesis - and now its gone
i have windows xp and word 2003
the last document i made with 9 sites text has now suddenly 0 byte and when i try to open it shows that the mswrd632 is missing - but i have the installation cd not with me in vienna to install it
it was a little bit strange cause when i saved my document a notice popped up that i cannot save it cause ists alredady used or something like that so i saved as new document

love lene
who has no knowlegde about pc and doesnt want to experiment because its her bachelorwork

lene , August 17, 2010

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yes, it worked, made me be the coolest guy in the office today smilies/cool.gif

daneeeh , August 24, 2010

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Tried setting specified in the end. It works. Thanks

Shelendra , August 25, 2010

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Hi all,

Didn't have regedit powers, but found a damn simple solution. Right click on the document in question, and click "Save As...". Choose something like .docx and save, open and voila. Worked a charm without having to use regedit.