Opening old Power Point files

>> but I don't accept the Microsoft policy.

That's not a very useful soapbox to stand on.  You may not accept MS' policies, but that won't change them.  It might be better to accept reality and figure out how to make your peace with it?

For example, as Lucy's mentioned, there's free code you can run to convert your older presentations into a format that newer versions of PPT can read.

There are free programs you could use to set up a virtual computer; you could install one of your older versions of Office into that and use it to run the code/convert your existing presentations.

As to prezi ... switching to that is, of course, up to you.  But consider whether IT will read your old presentations any better than current versions of PowerPoint will. Perhaps so, but it's worth looking into before switching.  And will it be around to read your old prezi presentations in five or ten years?  You might find yourself in a similar situation but with no solutions whatever, rather than just solutions that are more trouble than you'd like them to be.

I have a large number of Power Point files that were created in 1995, 1996, 1997, and later using then current versions of Power Point (3.0 and earlier versions I think they were ... and since these were federal governement computers the operating system was probably whatever was before Windows 95).  I upgraded to Windows Vista 64 anad a new computer in August 2009, with Office 2007 and recently needed to open a Power Point presentation from 1997 and use it the historical data in a new presentation.  My computer wouldn't open the file and said that my current Power Point doesn't support earlier versions.  I then tried to open the 1997 file one of my other computers that has Windows XP and Office 2003.  The file wouldn't open on that computer either giving a similar message.  I also have an antique computer with Windows 98 that isn't very reliable, some of these old Power Point files can open on that computer with a little animation of pages flying through the air saying it is updating from an older version of Power Point.  I have hundreds of old Power Point files and some of them still have relevant historical information that I need to use occasionally without having to remember the details of what I put on them then.  How can I open these old Power Point files on my new computer?

>> but I don't accept the Microsoft policy.

That's not a very useful soapbox to stand on.  You may not accept MS' policies, but that won't change them.  It might be better to accept reality and figure out how to make your peace with it?

:-)

Yes, I can't change the policies of MS.

Conclusions?

1. If I'm already in such a situation, I'm trying to find workarounds. (E.g. I write this in an VBOX virtual mashine, in XP.) Try to find third party programs to solve my problem. (In this case Zamzar solved my problem, thanks.)
2. In future try to avoid MS (and other closed, not futureproof) software. Eg. I make my presantation in pdf (or in prezi).
3. I can't change the policies of MS, but enough people can change. I'm only one of the billion of powerpoint user. But, if enough user are complaining and do not buy the newest version, MS must think.

Because this is the microsoft.com domain, I hope microsoft take care of feedbacks from users. I take my one part of a billion note.

If you have 2003 it may be possible to make it open older files.

Go here

http://support2.microsoft.com/kb/938810

And scroll down to method 1

Download the file to enable PowerPoint and the double click it to run with PowerPoint closed. You will get a massage about the Registry. Say this is OK.

Open and see if the files will open.

This will only work with 2003 not 2007 onwards.