You receive an error message when you try to open a Binder 2000 file

When you try to open a Microsoft Binder file, you may receive an error message that is similar to the following: To determine the unique number that is associated with the message that you receive, press CTRL+SHIFT+I. The following number appears in the lower-right corner of this message: The file does not open.

This behavior occurs because Microsoft Binder is not included as part of Microsoft Office 2007 and Microsoft Office 2003.

Note Microsoft Binder was included with Microsoft Office 97 and Microsoft Office 2000.

To resolve this issue, Office 2003 includes a program named Microsoft Unbind. To install Microsoft Unbind, follow the steps in the "More Information" section of this article. You can use Microsoft Unbind to extract sections from the binder file that you want to use with an Office 2003 program. To unbind a binder file, follow these steps:

1. Locate and double-click the Microsoft Binder file that you want to use.
   
   Note Microsoft Binder files have the file name extension of .obd or .obt. This starts the Microsoft Unbind program.
2. In the Unbind dialog box, select the folder that you want to save the unbound files in.
3. Click OK.

This saves the files in their native format.

Microsoft Unbind is not installed as part of a typical Office 2003 installation. To install Microsoft Unbind, follow these steps:

1. Insert the Office 2003 installation CD-ROM.
2. Click Start, and then click Control Panel.
3. Double-click Add or Remove Programs.
4. In the list of currently installed programs, select your Office installation, and then click Change.
5. Click Add or Remove Features, and then click Next.
6. Click to select the Choose advanced customization of applications check box, and then click Next.
7. Expand Office Tools.
8. Click the arrow next to Microsoft Office Binder Support.
   
   Note If the icon next to Microsoft Office Binder Support is unavailable, Unbind is not installed. If the icon is white, Unbind is already installed, and you can click Cancel to quit the installation program.
9. Click Run from My Computer, and then click Update
10. Follow the instructions of the installation wizard to finish installing Microsoft Unbind.