How to Open Office Word 97 With WordPad

Opening with WordPad XP or Earlier
1. Choose the 'File' menu in WordPad XP or earlier. Click 'Open' to display the Open dialog box.
2. Navigate to the Word 97 file that you want to open. To limit the display only to Word files, choose 'Word for Windows' in the Files of Type drop-down.
3. Double-click the Word 97 file. It opens in WordPad.
Alternatives to WordPad Vista or Greater
4. Download, install and run Word Viewer, if your operating system is Vista or later.
5. Choose the 'File' meanu and select 'Open' to display the Open dialog box.
6. Navigate to the Word 97 file that you want to open. Double-click the file to load it into the Viewer.