Solved MDI files

I cannot open photos which I transferred from my old PC as MDI files. I have downloaded an MDI viewer but it is only free for 7 days and cannot get it to print in the right format. I have downloaded an MDI converter which gets the photos on the screen ready to print but won't print unless I pay for a license which costs £18.00. Anyone know of any other way?

Thanks but these cost money! That should not be necessary.

The Microsoft program I linked to is free.

Not quite. It is free only to view. If you want to print you have to buy a licence for £18.00. Nice try though.

I figured once you got the file into .tif format with the free Microsoft program I linked to, you could take it from there. The Windows Photo Viewer built in to Windows 7 (dunno about 8) can view and print multi-page .tif files, and there is probably other free software that can do this. I don't know why you keep referring to some £18.00 program and saying "Nice try though" as if I'm trying to get you to buy it. I've pointed you to free software, and a proper reply would be, "Thanks for the help!" Do you not understand that I linked to a free Microsoft converter program in my first message? I find your replies quite puzzling.

There are more suggestions on how to get it (still for free) on this Microsoft Page here:
Install MODI for use with Microsoft Office 2010

I would not install the components from Sharepoint 2007 or even Office 2007, assuming you have them. I do from 10+ years of MSDN, and I actually did install from Office 2007 media per that article on a prior build. ISTR having lots of Office 2007 updates being installed when I would go to Windows Update, which was not really a problem, but I'm using Office 2013 and would just as soon not have earlier versions around. I guess it would be OK in a VM. The bigger issue is that the format is dead, and it's better to move away from it rather that continue to rely on hacky solutions like installing bits and pieces of old Office versions.

Sorry Crawfish. I genuinely meant nice try. I'll have another look. Maybe I'm opening the wrong thing. Thanks DavidY.

This viewer is free . I do not see a print option in it . But it allows you to save the mdi file as tiff , jpeg , etc . I installed it on my pc . It has no trashware . Clean nice program .

Free MDI Image Viewer

It might help you out .
j

Crawfish - I downloaded this converter and it seemed to install but then I can't access it. I've checked and it does not work with Windows 8. Thanks very much for your efforts though. I must have clicked on the wrong one before - they have very similar names. Jetroho - thanks I'll try it.

Jetroho - yes it works! Thank you very much! Thanks everyone.

Jetroho - yes it works! Thank you very much. Thanks everyone.

Sweet , glad it worked for you !
j

hjsaxby said:

Crawfish - I downloaded this converter and it seemed to install but then I can't access it. I've checked and it does not work with Windows 8. Thanks very much for your efforts though. I must have clicked on the wrong one before - they have very similar names. Jetroho - thanks I'll try it.

Click to expand...

The Microsoft converter definitely works in Windows 8, and the Windows Photo Viewer for viewing and printing multi-page .tif files is also provided in Windows 8. It is a console program, so you do have to run it from a command prompt and type in the command line to use it.

I just ran MDI2TIFConverter.exe (the "installer") in my Windows 8 VM, and it installed to C:\Program Files\modiconv. That's where you'll find the actual converter program mdi2tif.exe. On my real system (Windows 7), I moved the folder to C:\bin, which is where I keep all my programs that don't require "installation". (Microsoft could've just distributed the modiconv folder as a zip file, but that would be too easy.) I copy C:\bin to all my machines, so I always have the same set of mostly utility programs instantly available in a known location.

Anyway, if you found something easier to use that works, great! The Microsoft converter can be a fallback, and it has one possibly unique option in that it can recursively convert all the .mdi files in a folder with one simple command.

Yes you are right - it is there. I didn't recognise it as modiconv. I don't have a clue how to do command prompt. Clearly not as technical as you!

My bad. I had forgotten how difficult this program is to use. You really do have to read the instructions at the download page to have a fighting chance, because the installer doesn't tell you where it's installing the program or install a Start menu item for it, which is just terrible. The installer program can be opened in WinRAR (and probably any zip program), and while it contains a EULA text file, there's no readme. The main documentation is obtained by typing "mdi2tif /?". So yeah, it's pretty unfriendly. On the plus side, it is an official program from Microsoft, and it has that recursive option. Anyway, I'm glad you found something you can use.

Thanks crawfish that's very helpful.