Yes, you can install Word 97 in Windows XP even if you already have Office 2003 with Word 2003 installed. However, there may be some conflicts between the two versions of Word, so it's important to be aware of them before proceeding.
One potential conflict is that both versions of Word may try to associate themselves with the same file types, such as .doc or .docx. This could cause confusion and make it difficult to open the files you want in the version of Word you want. To avoid this, you can choose which version of Word is the default for each file type. To do this,
- right-click on a file of the type you want to change,
- select "Open With," and then
- choose the version of Word you want to use.
You can also check the "Always use the selected program to open this kind of file" box to make the change permanent.
Another potential conflict is that some features or formatting options may not be compatible between the two versions of Word. For example, Word 97 may not recognize some of the newer fonts or formatting options that were introduced in Word 2003. This could cause some of your documents to look different or not display properly. To avoid this, you can try saving your documents in a format that is compatible with both versions of Word, such as .rtf or .txt. This will strip out any formatting that is not compatible and preserve the text and basic formatting.
As for freezing spacing, one option you could try is to use the "Keep lines together" and "Keep with next" options in the Paragraph dialog box. These options can help ensure that certain lines or paragraphs stay together and don't break across pages or columns. To access the Paragraph dialog box, click on the small arrow in the bottom right corner of the Paragraph group on the Home tab. From there, you can select the "Line and Page Breaks" tab and check the boxes for "Keep lines together" and "Keep with next" as needed.
Overall, installing Word 97 may be a viable solution to your formatting problems, but it's important to be aware of the potential conflicts and limitations. You may also want to consider other options, such as converting your documents to a different format or using the "Keep lines together" and "Keep with next" options to help preserve spacing.