Upgrade to 2007?

I'm still reading up on the upgrade posts here. I need outlook to replace express on my laptop and don't really want office 2007 given the "learning curve" and other situational issues.

Some have alluded to using the same version of office on a laptop and desktop. I was not aware that this is an option, and one reason why the upgrade appeared too pricey. Are there any special steps? Or can it just be installed on each with the same key?

I understand the learning curve of a new product so I guess a trial version would be the best and use it before I upgrade both machines so I can see for myself.

Does anyone have any non-emotional comments as to the upgrade? It seems 2003 is going to die out and, as accurately depicted and history shows, MS will force the new version upon us. I need to stay fully compatible with the rest of my clients so this transition is likely inevitable.

On Sun, 9 Mar 2008 22:12:24 +0000, zxc
wrote:
I'm still reading up on the upgrade posts here. I need outlook to
replace express on my laptop and don't really want office 2007 given
the "learning curve" and other situational issues.

Some have alluded to using the same version of office on a laptop and
desktop. I was not aware that this is an option, and one reason why
the upgrade appeared too pricey. Are there any special steps? Or can
it just be installed on each with the same key?

I understand the learning curve of a new product so I guess a trial
version would be the best and use it before I upgrade both machines so
I can see for myself.

Does anyone have any non-emotional comments as to the upgrade? It
seems 2003 is going to die out and, as accurately depicted and history
shows, MS will force the new version upon us. I need to stay fully
compatible with the rest of my clients so this transition is likely
inevitable.

First let me answer the last comment, about Office 2003 "dying out". Officially,
the answer is at http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/pr...294401033.aspx
which says that if you purchased a retail copy of Office 2003, Microsoft will
provide mainstream support (defined in the article) until 13 January 2009, and
paid support and security fixes until 14 January 2014. (Copies that were bundled
with computers are subject to whatever contract you have with the vendor.)

Unofficially, as long as the software continues to run, there's nothing stopping
you from using it. There are still people constructively using Word 97 (and even
older versions, although they won't run on current versions of Windows). In
other words, there's no way Microsoft can "force" the new version on you if you
don't want it.

In fact, if you download the Compatibility Pack from
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/d...3-C6BB74CD1466
you can open and edit documents in the new format, although obviously there are
some new features that you won't have access to.

Regarding using the same copy of Office 2007 on a desktop and a laptop, you can
do that with a retail-purchased copy of most of the editions. [An OEM "bundled"
copy cannot legally be installed on any other computer.] The Home & Student
edition allows three installations
(http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/su...35841033.aspx). Yes, you use the
same key for both/all installations. The number of installations is checked when
you _activate_ the software, which could be some time after installation
(http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/he...33401033.aspx).

With respect to the learning curve, I think that depends on how you learn, how
you use the Office programs, and how familiar you are with previous versions.
There are a number of aids, such as the shortcut tags that pop up when you tap
the Alt key, and the interactive 2003-to-2007 command guide
(http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/wo...44321033.aspx). Unfortunately, the
online help in this version seems inordinately hard to use, with a nearly
useless search feature and not enough crosslinks. But the newsgroups have the
answers, and we're only a click away: http://groups.google.com/advanced_search

--
Regards,
Jay Freedman
Microsoft Word MVP FAQ: http://word.mvps.org
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so all may benefit.

Originally Posted by Jay Freedman

On Sun, 9 Mar 2008 22:12:24 +0000, zxc
wrote:
I'm still reading up on the upgrade posts here. I need outlook to
replace express on my laptop and don't really want office 2007 given
the "learning curve" and other situational issues.

Some have alluded to using the same version of office on a laptop and
desktop. I was not aware that this is an option, and one reason why
the upgrade appeared too pricey. Are there any special steps? Or can
it just be installed on each with the same key?

I understand the learning curve of a new product so I guess a trial
version would be the best and use it before I upgrade both machines so
I can see for myself.

Does anyone have any non-emotional comments as to the upgrade? It
seems 2003 is going to die out and, as accurately depicted and history
shows, MS will force the new version upon us. I need to stay fully
compatible with the rest of my clients so this transition is likely
inevitable.

First let me answer the last comment, about Office 2003 "dying out". Officially,
the answer is at http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/pr...294401033.aspx
which says that if you purchased a retail copy of Office 2003, Microsoft will
provide mainstream support (defined in the article) until 13 January 2009, and
paid support and security fixes until 14 January 2014. (Copies that were bundled
with computers are subject to whatever contract you have with the vendor.)

Unofficially, as long as the software continues to run, there's nothing stopping
you from using it. There are still people constructively using Word 97 (and even
older versions, although they won't run on current versions of Windows). In
other words, there's no way Microsoft can "force" the new version on you if you
don't want it.

In fact, if you download the Compatibility Pack from
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/d...3-C6BB74CD1466
you can open and edit documents in the new format, although obviously there are
some new features that you won't have access to.

Regarding using the same copy of Office 2007 on a desktop and a laptop, you can
do that with a retail-purchased copy of most of the editions. [An OEM "bundled"
copy cannot legally be installed on any other computer.] The Home & Student
edition allows three installations
(http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/su...35841033.aspx). Yes, you use the
same key for both/all installations. The number of installations is checked when
you _activate_ the software, which could be some time after installation
(http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/he...33401033.aspx).

With respect to the learning curve, I think that depends on how you learn, how
you use the Office programs, and how familiar you are with previous versions.
There are a number of aids, such as the shortcut tags that pop up when you tap
the Alt key, and the interactive 2003-to-2007 command guide
(http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/wo...44321033.aspx). Unfortunately, the
online help in this version seems inordinately hard to use, with a nearly
useless search feature and not enough crosslinks. But the newsgroups have the
answers, and we're only a click away: http://groups.google.com/advanced_search

--
Regards,
Jay Freedman
Microsoft Word MVP FAQ: http://word.mvps.org
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so all may benefit.

Thanks Jay

I am not adverse to change (new) and downloaded the "trial" to check it out. On the surface, I don't see anything that unusual other than the obvious layout change. The bit I've played with seems to be quite manageable. I do understand the concerns of some who use office extensively, as I have the luxury of learning over a period of time.

I recently started my own business and have always had someone else to keep up with the IT issues and upgades. I appreciate your timely and pointed rsponse.

Cya