I have sent forummers a file of some extracts I typed out. Two have now said they can't open it.
I have Windows XP and typed it in the word processor that came with the pc.
Is there anything I can do to make it possible for others to open it?

that's odd

it's usually a vista problem that

what word processor is it?

What are the letters after the dot in the file names?

How can I find the file name?
Its just the Microsoft works package that includes word processor, spreadsheet, etc that came already on the pc.

Works has its own format for saving files, which other packages stupidly can't open (Ahhh, Microsoft....) - is it possible to save it as a word document (.doc) from Works?

Save it as RTF - Rich Text Format.

Some PC users get left mystified because Windows doesn't display the file extensions for known file types.

Microsoft Works documents can be viewed on Windows based PCs using the free download of the MS Word Viewer (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=3657ce88-7cfa-457a-9aec-f4f827f20cac&displaylang=en). Adding the Compatibility Pack (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=941b3470-3ae9-4aee-8f43-c6bb74cd1466&displaylang=en) means that it will also open the latest .docx files. You can both copy and print using this reader, but not edit.

Your friends are unlikely to want to install software simply because you are sending files in an unusual format. Get yourself the excellent (and free) office suite Open Office (http://download.openoffice.org/), and save your documents in the most widely used formats.

but don't put pics into your open office docs as those tend to move all over the place when you open them in word

Well I downloaded the OPENOFFICE programme, but couldn't work out what to with it. I couldn't even close it, it just kept giving a loud beep so I had to ctrl alt delete to get shut of it.
So I tried resaving the file in RTF and that does work although I'm told it comes out a bit funny with all the typing down the left hand side (readable though)
Oh I do wish I wasn't such a numpty when it comes to pcs

Or convert the file online, for free, into a PDF.

http://www.freepdfconvert.com/

http://www.pdfonline.com/doc2pdf/

.

Hi, thanks all. I converted to RTF and that worked except the document 'looked a bit funny' as I was told.

I also used the pdf converter, that came back this am. Openoffice didn't seem to work for me but that's probably me rather than the programme.

I would guess that the default "save as" in your version of Word is .docx Those receiving the file had older versions of MS Office which can only read files saved as .doc To save everyone a lot of trouble, I suggest you set your default "save as" to .doc