Office 2003 SP3 blocks old files

11th January 2008

Microsoft unexpectedly occurred in the center of the scandal involving upgrading of the Service Pack 3 for Office 2003. It turned out that after the update the office package`s programs block opening files created with older versions of Word, Excel and PowerPoint, as well as CorelDraw files (. Cdr). According to the official information, these types of files are blocked by default because of the fact that they are not safe. To get the opportunity to work with blocked types of files, users should manually make changes to the registry or use ready-made files .reg, which are available at the Microsoft site.
Many users expressed bewilderment at the decision of Microsoft to block opening of old files, and expressed concern that it was connected not with care about security, but with the desire the corporation to push users to switch to a more modern program. As for CorelDraw files, it looks like the situation is even more bizarre. Gerard Metrallier, a director of the Corel unit, who is responsible for graphic programs, has already managed to report that failed to understand why the format .Cdr was recognized unsafe. He also said that Corel is already working with Microsoft, eager to get more information about it.