Downloading Word docs from website

[Lilliesmum]

Hi,

In the members area of my website I have several word documents, letters etc, available for subscribers to download.

One client is experiencing problems when they try to open a document.

I've checked with other clients and no one is experiencing problems and I can see in the analytics that docs are been downloaded. So I think the problem is at their end.

This is the message they are receiving on screen when they try to open a document:

Adobe Reader could not open (file name) because it is either not a supported file type or becuase the file has been damaged (eg it was sent as an email attachment and wasn't correctly decoded).

As you click close on the above message you briefly see the PDF image.


The only difference I can see between this client and my own computer and that of all my other clients is that they are using Open Office and the rest of us all use Microsoft. But my Dad uses Open Office so I asked him to test it and he had no problems.

If they save the document to the desktop and open it from their it is fine, but this is time consuming for them if for instance they are not sure which letter they specifically need.

This suggests to me that their computers are using adobe to open any document.

The client say they spoken to their IT guy and he says everything is fine and has said it's a problem with my site.

Does anyone have any ideas? There subscription is coming up for renewal soon and I'm worried they may go elsewhere if I don't come up with a solution.

 

[Posilan]

Hi,

In the members area of my website I have several word documents, letters etc, available for subscribers to download.

One client is experiencing problems when they try to open a document.

I've checked with other clients and no one is experiencing problems and I can see in the analytics that docs are been downloaded. So I think the problem is at their end.

This is the message they are receiving on screen when they try to open a document:

Adobe Reader could not open (file name) because it is either not a supported file type or becuase the file has been damaged (eg it was sent as an email attachment and wasn't correctly decoded).

As you click close on the above message you briefly see the PDF image.


The only difference I can see between this client and my own computer and that of all my other clients is that they are using Open Office and the rest of us all use Microsoft. But my Dad uses Open Office so I asked him to test it and he had no problems.

If they save the document to the desktop and open it from their it is fine, but this is time consuming for them if for instance they are not sure which letter they specifically need.

This suggests to me that their computers are using adobe to open any document.

The client say they spoken to their IT guy and he says everything is fine and has said it's a problem with my site.

Does anyone have any ideas? There subscription is coming up for renewal soon and I'm worried they may go elsewhere if I don't come up with a solution.

Is it a word document (.doc/.docx) or a PDF (.pdf)?

If it's a word document, it looks like the end user has the wrong program set as default for opening .doc/.docx files (Adobe cannot open word doc, only PDF files). They can change this by clicking on Start > Default programs and change the setting there (Vista/Windows 7) or by saving the file to disk, right click, "Open With" and choose Word or Writer) and tick the "always use this program" box.

If it is a PDF file, get them to upgrade to Adobe Reader X (http://get.adobe.com/uk/reader/) and that should hopefully fix the issue.

Steve

 

[chrishankinson]

not sure if this is the case but I have seen this happen before when trying to view PDF's in IE/Firefox etc. Ask them to right click and hit "save target as" to the local machine, then download the file locally and see if the same thing happens.

 

[Faevilangel]

What browser are they using? Most will ask them what application they want to open the file with so they either need to look for the prompt box or change the settings within the browser.

 

[astutiumRob]

Adobe Reader could not open

They've incorrectly associated the filetype with adobe, rather than allowing the browser to d/load it and open it with the correct application.

Usually solved by telling them to save it locally, then in windows-explorer shift-right click the file, select "open with" pick word, tick the box that says always use this application

You could always put a thumbnail/graphic version of the docs on your site, so the right one can be visualised before download, which would help everyone

 

[Lilliesmum]

Hi Steve,

Yes they .doc and .docx files.

This is what I thought was the problem but didn't know how to correct it.

I'll pass this on and hopefully it will rectify the issue.

Cheers.

 

[JElder]

For the future, I'd advise against using word .doc files for downloads. Not everyone can open them at all, and even if they can differences in versions can really mangle the documents, especially if you have embedded graphics or more complex layouts.

PDFs are generally the way to go for downloads, but I personally prefer just to use HTML pages unless there is a specific reason they will need to make a local copy, as opposed to just viewing or printing it.

 

[Malchy Dorris]

For the future, I'd advise against using word .doc files for downloads. Not everyone can open them at all, and even if they can differences in versions can really mangle the documents, especially if you have embedded graphics or more complex layouts.

PDFs are generally the way to go for downloads, but I personally prefer just to use HTML pages unless there is a specific reason they will need to make a local copy, as opposed to just viewing or printing it.

Sorry to hijack the thread but this may add to it anyway.

JElder, I mainly use pdf's as my downloads but in the near future i will need to send word docs to lots of my clients on an ongoing basis. Each doc will be different for each client and they'll need to be able to change or add to them. Is there any way to overcome the problems you've mentioned such as the different versions of word etc.? I'm a little concerned about the mangling effect i've already seen between 2003 and 2010 even when saving to the respective version.

Cheers.

 

[Posilan]

If they don't have Office installed (tbh, it's becoming rarer these days that a PC does not have at least Word or Word compatible app installed now most new PC's come bundled with Office Starter) they can install OpenOffice or LibreOffice which are free.

Steve

 

[JElder]

The only way I have found is to keep it as simple as possible - using only paragraphs, bold and italic, page breaks, etc.

Even bullet points don't always translate, and document automation like tables of contents are even worse.

One thing to consider is Google Docs - you can share them with anyone for read or read/write control, and as they are always accessed through the web it should be consistent. However, it does require everyone to have a google account and internet connection.

 

For the future, I'd advise against using word .doc files for downloads. Not everyone can open them at all, and even if they can differences in versions can really mangle the documents, especially if you have embedded graphics or more complex layouts.

PDFs are generally the way to go for downloads, but I personally prefer just to use HTML pages unless there is a specific reason they will need to make a local copy, as opposed to just viewing or printing it.

I'd echo this ^^^^

 

[estwig]

Sorry to hijack the thread but this may add to it anyway.

JElder, I mainly use pdf's as my downloads but in the near future i will need to send word docs to lots of my clients on an ongoing basis. Each doc will be different for each client and they'll need to be able to change or add to them. Is there any way to overcome the problems you've mentioned such as the different versions of word etc.? I'm a little concerned about the mangling effect i've already seen between 2003 and 2010 even when saving to the respective version.

Cheers.

Adobe Acrobat Standard will alow you to make PDF docs, which people can then edit and add to, in specific areas of the doc. I'm not very good at explaining what it can do, but I make pdf's all the time to send to clients and planning departments. It does solve all the problems of using different versions of word.doc's.

 

[estwig]

Sorry to hijack the thread but this may add to it anyway.

JElder, I mainly use pdf's as my downloads but in the near future i will need to send word docs to lots of my clients on an ongoing basis. Each doc will be different for each client and they'll need to be able to change or add to them. Is there any way to overcome the problems you've mentioned such as the different versions of word etc.? I'm a little concerned about the mangling effect i've already seen between 2003 and 2010 even when saving to the respective version.

Cheers.

Adobe Acrobat Standard will allow you to make PDF docs, which people can then edit and add to, in specific areas of the doc. I'm not very good at explaining what it can do, but I make pdf's all the time to send to clients and planning departments. It does solve all the problems of using different versions of word.doc's.