Could use some IT help

jlmarta

Could one of you guys who's knowledgeable in the IT realm give me a little help with a problem? I have a spreadsheet I've done that I'd like to send to someone as an attachment to an email and I'd like for it to be capable of being modified, added-to, etc. by the person I send it to. The software I'm using is an old version of MS Works. I assume that, to be usable by the recipient, they would have to have the same software on their PC - am I correct?

Or is there a better way of transferring this file to someone? FTP comes to mind but I'm completely ignorant regarding that aspect. I've located FTP software available as a free download called FileZilla that looks interesting. If I download software of that type, would that be a vehicle for solving my problem? Any guidance along these lines would sure be appreciated. Thanks in advance. You can answer by PM if you prefer so as not to take up a lot of forum time/space.

Teege

Actually most newer versions of office or even open office will read older versions of works so if they have any newer program it should be fine. Also google docs is a great way to share and collaborate on projects. And based on the spreadsheet size regular email should be fine. Do you know how big the file is?

jlmarta

Offhand, I don't know its size but will look when I'm back on my PC. Also, I'll look into google docs. Thanks for the lead to follow. I'll check it out and may have more questions later.

Krieg

If they're using office 2003 or newer shouldn't have a problem. Spreadsheets unless gigantic, can be sent through email.

CvilleE

Teege:

Actually most newer versions of office or even open office will read older versions of works so if they have any newer program it should be fine. Also google docs is a great way to share and collaborate on projects. And based on the spreadsheet size regular email should be fine. Do you know how big the file is?

+1...new versions of office will read it all..I have an earlier version at home, send it to myself in an email at work to edit all the time...u should be fine...if u go that route.

jr_p951

teege and CvillE steered ya right. MS Works or Excel are good spreadsheets but I find that Access is an amazing program. It works great for a business as a database. If someone was gonna use Access, I'd suggest some training before to get the full potential from the program.

ShotgunJohn

if your spreadsheet is to large for attachment 5mb+ (some ISP's limit email attachments) you can also compress the file; Windows has native compression from XP and later. I agree about Access if you have to maintain a datasource.
Access would require a bit of training in SQL and also VBA (Visual Basic for Applications).

beatnic

MS Works? Wow thats a bit old. Just open your document in Google Docs and save it in that format. The recipient can translate it back to what ever software they have.

jlmarta

Teege:

Actually most newer versions of office or even open office will read older versions of works so if they have any newer program it should be fine. Also google docs is a great way to share and collaborate on projects. And based on the spreadsheet size regular email should be fine. Do you know how big the file is?

The file size is just a tad more tham 1mb (1.024 to be exact) and I've gotten to the point of uploading the spreadsheet to Google Docs - it says it's uploading but after 15 or 20 minutes it still says 0% uploaded and the progress bar shows zilch. I can't seem to figure out what's happening at this point. It says it's uploading but nothing seems to be happening. I must've missed something somewhere.

jlmarta

jlmarta:

Teege:

Actually most newer versions of office or even open office will read older versions of works so if they have any newer program it should be fine. Also google docs is a great way to share and collaborate on projects. And based on the spreadsheet size regular email should be fine. Do you know how big the file is?

The file size is just a tad more tham 1mb (1.024 to be exact) and I've gotten to the point of uploading the spreadsheet to Google Docs - it says it's uploading but after 15 or 20 minutes it still says 0% uploaded and the progress bar shows zilch. I can't seem to figure out what's happening at this point. It says it's uploading but nothing seems to be happening. I must've missed something somewhere.

I just noticed that the file name for the spreadsheet has a .wks suffix. Shouldn't that be changed to a .doc suffix? Can that be done without **** something up?

Teege

Im not sure whats happening to you with google docs I just uploaded one to test it and it worked NP. That being said youll be fine emailing the file at that size. Another option if you cant get it uploaded to google docs but you still want to do that you can just copy and paste it into an empty doc.

beatnic

Try to copy the contents of your document in MS word. Select all>copy. . Open a new google doc and then paste the contents. There might be some formatting issues but it should work. Also, you can go to MS and download a trail copy of Excel for 30 days. You'll want it after that. Good luck

jlmarta

Krieg:

If they're using office 2003 or newer shouldn't have a problem. Spreadsheets unless gigantic, can be sent through email.

And that's what I ended up doing, Krieg. I really liked the sound of the google Docs thing but I couldn't seem to get it to do its thing so, in the interest of time, I just attached it to an e-mail. Thanks very much for your input.

And thanks, too, to the rest of you guys who jumped in there to try to help me out. The generosity and camaraderie of the BORKs never ceases to amaze me. I asked a question that was beyond my knowledge and within minutes a number of you were there for me. Thanks a million, guys.