How can i open windows vista file on windows xp

I'm guessing the attachment ends with an extension like .docx or .xlsx or .pptx

This has nothing to do with the version of Windows but has to do with the version of MS Office. They likely have Office 2007 and you likely have something older.

As heintron says, Microsoft offers a plug-in to open the newer type of file. Another option is to ask them to send you a version of the file saved in 'compatibility mode'. This will save it as a .doc or .xls or .ppt and so on.

i have the same problems. a powerpoint presentation created on vista saves automatically as .pptx. this cannot be opened by powerpoint in windows xp which is really annoying - especially when people come in to do presentations!

the fact that it was "created on vista" is irrelevant. It was created by a program.

To open it on XP (or any operating system) you need a program that can read it.

If it is a Word document, the latest Word file formats cannot be read by old versions of word.

When you create a file in word, the file save window has a field: "Save as type" or similar. There are dozens of file formats you can choose, including old Word formats. Your friend can save a copy of the file in a format you can read.

My preferred format for simple documents is RTF - rich text format - almost every word processor can read it.

If it's not a word file you'll have to tell us what type it is before anyone can say how to open it

You probably have an old version of office and your friend has a newer one. For example you might have office 2003 and your friend office 2007. For example .doc files cannot be opened in older versions of office if they are made in newer ones without a plugin that can be downloaded from windows update.

my problem is that I have been sent an attachment from someone that has windows vista and i cannot open it as i have windows xp. Do i need to download a programme that will allow my computer to open anything coming from windows vista and if so what programme do i need.

Not an answer but another related question, I've just fitted a new hard drive to a friend's computer and installed Win XP (His machine had the Win XP Key Code sticker on the back) however, it had previously had Win Vista installed & I'm trying to recover his files from his old drive. Can I do this in XP or should I find a machine with Vista installed from which to open all his files & re-save them in the XP format?

What is the extension of that file?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filename_extension


For instance, the file "my_text.txt" has the extension "txt", it is a text file.

Some in-build applications from Vista could eventually not be in-built in XP, so that if you want to open a file created with those applications, you have to install those applications first (if possible) or find some viewer program.