* Dr. Internet columnist Steve Blass discusses how to work with Office 2007 files in Office 2003 * Help Desk columnist Ron Nutter discusses remote database connectivity across a WAN
* Working with Office 2007 files in Office 2003
By Steve Blass
Q: I use Office 2003 and am having trouble with attachments people send me that were created in Office 2007. Is there a way I can read the Office 2007 files with Office 2003?
A: Microsoft provides a file format converter that you can install which will give Office 2003 the ability to open and even save files in the Office 2007 formats. A Knowledge Base article describes the file format converter and the updates you need to install first.
To read Steve’s response in its entirety, please click here.
* Remote database connectivity across a WAN
By Ron Nutter
Q: We have a small office that runs on Citrix connected to our HQ via a Megastream service (1Mb) connection. The remote office needs to connect to a database that contains a 16-Gb database. My problem is this remote office has grown and the 1Mb service is no longer any good as there are over 20 users. We have had prices for increasing the link speed and unfortunately they are approaching prohibitive levels e.g 2 Mb is twice the price, 10 Mb is 120% and 100 Mb is 200%. What would you recommend: Increasing the link speed or making the remote office independent with the disadvantages of having two databases to administer?
A: Since adding additional bandwidth may be more costly than you may prefer to spend, let’s look at the options for handling the database. I will assume that both offices need to make changes to the database for the purposes of our conversation. There are several things to think about with the configuration you are evaluating.
To read Ron’s response in its entirety, please click here.
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