Transferring Microsoft Word files from IBM/PC to Power Macintosh

If you compose a Microsoft Word document on your IBM/PC computer at home and you want to continue working on your document in the Ellis Mac lab or if you simply need to print your document using the Mac lab's printer, you can do this using a Power Macintosh computer and by following a few short steps.

Before we begin, however, we need to clarify which types of formatted disks are interchangeable between IBMs and Power Macs. The rule is simple:

you can use an IBM formatted disk in a Power Mac, but you cannot use a Mac formatted disk in a IBM. IBMs cannot read Mac formatted disks; and, only Power Macs (not older Macs) can read IBM formatted disks.

---

How to Transfer Microsoft Word Documents:

After you are finished composing your document on your IBM using Microsoft Word and have save your document to your hard drive, save your document to an IBM formatted disk using the following process:

1. Select SAVE AS under the file menu

2. Under SAVE FILE AS TYPE, select TEXT ONLY or RTF (rich textual format). It is important that you save your file as Text Only or RTF (also known as an extension, e.g., mypaper.RTF); otherwise, you will not be able to open it in Microsoft Word using a Power Mac.

Opening your document on a Power Mac:

1. Insert you disk into the Power Mac's hard drive (also known as mounting a disk)

2. Open Microsoft Word (located on the desktop or under the colored apple pull-down menu in the upper left hand corner of the computer screen.)

3. Select OPEN under the File menu, find your disk and open your document

Abra Cadabra--your document should be appear exactly as it did on the IBM.

---

Starting a MS Word document on a Power Mac

If you want to start a MS Word document using a Power PC and save the document so you can take it to a IBM and work on it, simply follow the same process mentioned above. Make sure, however, that you save your document on an IBM formatted disk as a Text only or RTF file.

Home

Help