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*Details: File format summary

   
 

 

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Summary

Name Microsoft Word Document (Password Protected)
Version 97-2003
Other names  
Identifiers MIME:  application/msword
PUID:  fmt/754
Family  
Classification Word Processor
Disclosure  
Description With the release of Word 97, Microsoft revised the native binary word processing format, which is based on its generic OLE2 Compound Document Format. A Word document is stored as a ‘WordDocument’ stream within a Compound Document Format file. The format remained unchanged with the releases of Word 2000, 2002 and 2003. An alternative extension of .wbk refers to a backup file of a Word document, however there is no material or structural difference between a .wbk file and the .doc file it is a backup of. Within the 'WordDocument' stream, the byte at position 0x0B deals with encryption/obfuscation, as per the MS FibBase description page - https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd944620(v=office.12).aspx. The first bit (Least Significant Bit (LSB) ordering) specifies whether the file is encrypted, meaning that if the byte at 0x0B is an 'odd' byte (e.g. 01, 03, 05, 07, 09, 0B, 0D, 0F, 11, 13 etc.) then this indicates obfuscation/encryption is present.
Orientation  
Byte order  
Related file formats Has lower priority than Microsoft Word Document Template (Password Protected) (97-2003)
Has priority over Microsoft Word Document (97-2003)
Has priority over OLE2 Compound Document Format  
Has priority over Microsoft Word (Generic) (6.0-2003)
Is subsequent version of Microsoft Word Document (6.0/95)
Is subtype of OLE2 Compound Document Format  
Technical Environment  
Released  
Supported until  
Format Risk  
Developed by Microsoft Corporation
Supported by Microsoft Corporation
Source Archives New Zealand / Archives New Zealand
Source date 07 Aug 2015
Source description This format can be identified via a container signature in DROID version 6 or later. The PRONOM database cannot currently represent container signatures.
Last updated 07 Aug 2015
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