Newsletter

[Dieseltech]

The tractor clubs I belong to always sent my newsletter for years by PDF. Lately they have been coming by DOCX which I can't get opened to read them and as I'm an old geezer I have NO IDEA what DOCX is as I'm NOT computer literate. What should be done? I've complained and a couple has recent them by PDF, but others have not, and I'm tempted to drop the dues if I can't get them. I THOUGHT I was doing them a favor in going the E-mail route but might have to go back the snail mail route.

 

[rrlund]

The tractor clubs I belong to always sent my newsletter for years by PDF. Lately they have been coming by DOCX which I can't get opened to read them and as I'm an old geezer I have NO IDEA what DOCX is as I'm NOT computer literate. What should be done? I've complained and a couple has recent them by PDF, but others have not, and I'm tempted to drop the dues if I can't get them. I THOUGHT I was doing them a favor in going the E-mail route but might have to go back the snail mail route.

Can't help you with the computer thing, but our club tried an email newsletter for a year. They gave it up and went back to mailing them on paper.

 

[soupkid]

The tractor clubs I belong to always sent my newsletter for years by PDF. Lately they have been coming by DOCX which I can't get opened to read them and as I'm an old geezer I have NO IDEA what DOCX is as I'm NOT computer literate. What should be done? I've complained and a couple has recent them by PDF, but others have not, and I'm tempted to drop the dues if I can't get them. I THOUGHT I was doing them a favor inr going the E-mail route but might have to go back the snail mail route.

DOCX is a Microsoft word document file type

 

[Mule Meat]

It's been awhile. So I am not sure if you will lose the original if it doesn't work or not..

Change the file name to PDF
EXAMPLE...
Yadayada.DOCX
To
Yadayada.pdf

Or

Right click
File > Save As -- PDF

You should be able to open the file by opening it with Microsoft Word.

 

[Dieseltech]

It's been awhile. So I am not sure if you will lose the original if it doesn't work or not..

Change the file name to PDF
EXAMPLE...
Yadayada.DOCX
To
Yadayada.pdf

Or

Right click
File > Save As -- PDF

You should be able to open the file by opening it with Microsoft Word.

What the heck is Microsoft Word?

 

[Tx Jim]

I also am computer illiterate. MS Word has the icon shown in photo below. It should be in MS programs. I thought MS Word was for creating documents/letters

 

[MarkB_MI]

Most word processing programs can open MS Word files. I'm surprised you don't have a word processor of some sort on your computer, but you can always install a freeware program. LibreOffice is the most obvious choice, although it's a bit bloated. Another selection is Abiword. LibreOffice is a complete suite of applications including spreadsheet and presentation programs. Abiword only does word processing.

If you already have a word processor, start it and then try to open the docx from within the word processor.

Your clubs' unwillingness to convert their newsletters to PDF is just plain laziness. PDF is the standard for document publication; MS Word is not.

 

[MarkB_MI]

It's been awhile. So I am not sure if you will lose the original if it doesn't work or not..

Change the file name to PDF
EXAMPLE...
Yadayada.DOCX
To
Yadayada.pdf

Or

Right click
File > Save As -- PDF

You should be able to open the file by opening it with Microsoft Word.

Renaming a file from .docx to .pdf does not convert its content from MS Word to PDF. It's possible that a given document viewer might recognize the MS Word format and be able to open it, even though it's mis-named, but that's not a given. It's better to launch the document viewer first, then try to open the .docx file.

 

[SweetFeet]

The tractor clubs I belong to always sent my newsletter for years by PDF. Lately they have been coming by DOCX which I can't get opened to read them and as I'm an old geezer I have NO IDEA what DOCX is as I'm NOT computer literate. What should be done? I've complained and a couple has recent them by PDF, but others have not, and I'm tempted to drop the dues if I can't get them. I THOUGHT I was doing them a favor in going the E-mail route but might have to go back the snail mail route.

Docx is a Word document.
Last week or some reason, I could download them from emails...BUT could NOT open them.

In aggravation or maybe desparation (LOL), I did a computer shutdown, then after a couple minutes I restarted.... and voila, I could open the docs.

Annoying to be sure.

 

[rrlund]

Hand me my patching trowel boy.

 

[DPittman]

Wait a minute…….something Dieseltech doesn’t know?!? I’m marking this one down after I recover from shock. (Just teasing, wish I knew what you’ve forgotten)

 

[1948CaseVAI]

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Download the free Word viewer from Micro$oft.

 

[JohnRowehl]

I THOUGHT I was doing them a favor in going the E-mail route but might have to go back the snail mail route.

As the saying goes, no good deed goes without punishment.

I can’t think of a good reason for them not to send the newsletter in .pdf format. It takes a second or two to convert a Word document to pdf.

I’d ask for it again by surface mail.

 

[SweetFeet]

Most word processing programs can open MS Word files. I'm surprised you don't have a word processor of some sort on your computer, but you can always install a freeware program. LibreOffice is the most obvious choice, although it's a bit bloated. Another selection is Abiword. LibreOffice is a complete suite of applications including spreadsheet and presentation programs. Abiword only does word processing.

If you already have a word processor, start it and then try to open the docx from within the word processor.

Your clubs' unwillingness to convert their newsletters to PDF is just plain laziness. PDF is the standard for document publication; MS Word is not.

And once your newsletter set up is completed - it is as easy as clicking Save As... then choosing PDF from the dropdown menu.

 

[Dieseltech]

Word processor? I have NO idea what you are talking about as I'm computer illiterate...

 

[used red MN]

Word processor? I have NO idea what you are talking about as I'm computer illiterate...

A word processing program in basic terms allows your PC to turn into a type writer. It allows you to type out words in a “letter” format with sentences and paragraphs as if you are typing on sheets of paper. Then you save the document file and send it to your printer to be printed or emailed as is the case with the news letter. As said above that is what it does in the “simplest terms”. However, at this point it has been developed to include many other features and formats. One you might be familiar with is the ability to create a “tree chart” such as you find in a manual for troubleshooting a problem. With the Yes/No arrows from one box to the other that has a diagnosis descriptions in them. Any printed machine manual put out since the mid 80’s was probably written on some type of word processing program.
“Microsoft WORD” that is probably the most well know, word processing program was first introduced in 1985 available for a DOS computer system. DOS was the computer operating system prior to the now common Windows. In a DOS system you had to enter a short line of basically computer code to tell it what to do. Such as access a program such as your word processor. Or such as task like “copy” or “delete” would be commands that followed some command characters and symbols. This would be done in place of clicking the “mouse cursor” like you do now. Then you did not have a mouse, they were of no use until Windows came out.

 

[Jaden]

If you can convince the newsletter editor to do it, they can make up the newsletter in MS Word (Docx) as they are doing, then Save as PDF in one easy step before they E-mail it to you and others. PDF's are actually more compact than Docx files.

 

[MarkB_MI]

Word processor? I have NO idea what you are talking about as I'm computer illiterate...

Are you saying you've never typed up a letter or even a list on your computer? Before the advent of the world wide web and web browsers, that was the main thing (other than games) that PCs were used for.

 

[Dieseltech]

No, I mainly use this laptop for reading/sending E-mails or planning road trips with google maps.

 

[GChief]

Are you saying you've never typed up a letter or even a list on your computer? Before the advent of the world wide web and web browsers, that was the main thing (other than games) that PCs were used for.

It baffles me that in 2026 people that use a computer daily fail to learn the basics. They are a part of daily life and are not going away.

They are a tool, no different than a tractor or any other tool that people take the time to learn how to use.