Computer/Internet Issues & TroubleshootingAnyone with questions about the terribly complex world of computers or the internet should try here. We will also try and help with troubleshooting any technical problems you may have with the forums.
I removed Office 2007 from my machine and went back to Office 2003. Will I like 2010, or does it have those inordinately complicated toolbars that change as you go like 2007 does? I got lost in those!
I've got 2003 set up with tailored toolbars that a) stay put and b) have all the things I want on them.
Location: A Whilom nimble brain. With 31 million posts.
Age: 73
Posts: 3,387
EDIT.. CURIOSITY GOT THE BETTER OF ME. I've just downloaded the whole shebang. I'll have to strip my disk anyway when W7 RC expires.
I've often posted about hanging onto my old dealer's copy of Word Perfect. It's 15 years old I would think and all I want. Except: I have to shut it down via Task Manager now I'm on W7. Several copies will (almost) co-exist if I don't, and this causes chaos. But mostly, the spell checker is finally failing to meet modern standards. Even Firefox is out-performing it sometimes!
I keep a copy of Open Office's WP going so that I can read other folks Word docs.
At first, I thought it was rather nice, but there are some things which are so different that I can't get my old brain cells around them. I guess if I had time, I could get to know it, but I just can't afford the delay.
I'm needing to go to Word. I hate to do this, but so many people are cross-reviewing with me, that I just have to.
If I load the new beta, will I be able to read old - 03 ish - .doc files? Most of the writers are still on that. My look at 07 was like Keef's, very short lived.
Last edited by Loose rivets; 20th Nov 2009 at 04:51.
Location: A Whilom nimble brain. With 31 million posts.
Age: 73
Posts: 3,387
As per my EDIT which for some reason I stuck at the top of the post:
It's up and running, and at first glance is so good that I might even part with some money for it.
There's no doubt that I've let myself get waaaaaaaaaay behind. WPerfect is like a comfy jumper . . . I live in it.
The install was a bit tedious, due to the drunk writing and a MAK key which wouldn't paste, and when typed in started the install procedure over a good install. The sheet you have to print out clearly states Open the Word Processor and Bla bla bla. If you can open it, one would think they'd know that the user had installed the thing already.
Anyway, it's reading the 03 files from my mate in Ireland. I don't know if this is new, but when I go to open his .doc file from Explorer, it offers EDIT. This is all you can do on the quick menu. When you go into this presumably safe reading mode, it then tells you it came via the internet and might be dodgy. Click to let it pass, and Bob's yer uncle. Sensible, that.
It's full of toys, and some of them I love already. Very quick change to book format, and the right click offers a pair of menus that have things I use all the time.
It runs the old files, but offers you the chance to upgrade them. Oo,er. It might not let you read the result on an 03 copy after that. I'll have to send my mate one and see if it runs and looks Okay.
Well, it's gone 1 am and I still haven't reviewed his chapter. Back to my new toy.
Wordperfect, Rivets: I only finally ditched my copy of Multimate a couple of years ago. Wow! got that off my chest.
Keef: Same as you; I played for a couple of days then re-formatted the old drive I'd installed '07 on. It has a very different 'look-feel' and as for the dreadful .docx ... the devil's spawn. And yes, '10 looks similar.
I don't know. I may find some time to do some serious training & convert. I certainly like some of the bells and whistles - but, hey, Multimate tells you about the sort of bloke I am.
There is very good download available (free) which gives a toolbar for Word 07 that looks exactly like the 2003 version. The other ribbons remain available if you need them.
Like you, I could not get on with the ribbons but am now happy with 07.
Location: Dublin, Ireland. (No, I just live here.)
Posts: 654
If there's one thing that would get me back to Office full-time, it would be OneNote: I had it on a work Tablet PC a few years ago, and it was a pleasure. It even syncs with a Windows Mobile phone, though what you can do there is obviously limited by the phone. Yon don't need a Tablet PC to use it, but it can take advantage if you do.
I would second getting the 03 skin for 07 and if it works for 10...
I am stuck in my ways, and using office since, well around 2006, i have got used to the ways it works and has evolved. 07 comes along and it seems i have missed a few releases as its just changed way too much for me. I went back to 03 (waste of money on 07) and when i found that 03 skin, i installed 07 again and slowly i am getting used to 07 when its for non-critical work, and using the skin when i need to work efficient.
Just downloading 10 now, see how different it is to 07, my guess is not very...
I like that there is no "Groove" never used it, never really understood the advantages of using it either...
Location: A Whilom nimble brain. With 31 million posts.
Age: 73
Posts: 3,387
I managed to find Auto Correct last night. I use that all the time for long and capitalized names. Two letters often is enough for a double name that has to be repeated dozens of times.
The Auto Correct was a maker or breaker for me. But seems okay. Phew!
Spelling and immediate Thesaurus on the right click is better than WPerfect. Good list of suggestions. Things have moved on, cos my old Thesaurus was very good.
The Grammar however, is no use at all. It makes no allowance for Dialog - He's and They're etc., trip it up. Miles of green lines.
Transferring an 03 file in did not allow any contractions in spelling. One had to simply go to the word, apply exactly the same spelling and it seemed to change it. But not 'globally', so every instance had to be changed.
Maybe find and replace will do the job.
This weekend, I'm hoping to take the plunge and put my entire book on it - well, the amount that's been finished. Quite scary after 15 years on W Perfect.
This weekend, I'm hoping to take the plunge and put my entire book on it - well, the amount that's been finished. Quite scary after 15 years on W Perfect.
Grandma - egg-sucking - backup... Of course you will!
(Thinks: 'If I hadn't told LR he perhaps wouldn't be going this route. Hope it works, or my name will be mud in LR-land')
Location: A Whilom nimble brain. With 31 million posts.
Age: 73
Posts: 3,387
Two hard-drives, three sticks, DVDs in both son's houses. But wait! I havn't thought of tempest. Tempest could get them all . . . DVD on its way to England. Oh, no, that's no good. It'll get washed away.
Tell you what about sticks. I have two, totally disparate structure, yet each has come asunder in a potentially disastrous way. My mate has one, and it hangs by a string to his neck. When I told him that the innards sometimes fall out - leaving just the string and half the case - he went a bit quiet. Horrible thought.
Hmmm. Thing is, Office 2003 does everything I can think I'd ever need, and lots more. I have problems with it trying to second-guess me when I'm formatting a page - it always gets it totally wrong.
Office 2007 has vastly more stuff - all those ribbon things, and menus that change every time you look at them. It drove me to distraction within minutes. I could install the 03 toolbar, but then why bother with 07?
I do have the plugin that allows 03 to handle .docx and .xlsx files, so I'm not stuck if someone sends me those.
I've installed the release version of Win 7 on both machines now, and zapped the multi-boot facility, so I can't experiment with Office 2010 unless I do more faffing with hard drives.
It does everything that a bloke could want in respect of word processing and every other imaginable document creation tool.
New format comes out and low and behold 2 days later some little nerd in poland has created the new package. My linux box tells me there is an upgrade and it deals with any dependency's and I am good to go.
When I got involved in first line support I learned very very quickly to never get involved with anything to do with office. In fact I managed to invent helpdesk workshops for common problems which funny enough always were run when there was a hint of a mail merge in the offing. Took the boss 3 months to suss that one out. Thankfully the CEO's front office were of similar view of mail merges and the associated phone calls and kicked up a stink when I was told to stop doing them.
90% of people use barely 10% of the features of Office 97, let alone Office 2010. For the average user OpenOffice is more than enough to suit their needs and costs absolutely nothing. It'll even do all those nasty VB macros for you these days.
The vast majority want to do a bit of word processing, tit around with the odd spreadsheet and that's about all.
Going thru the nightmare of trying to get to grips with office 2007, loaded on the new company machine, where may I find the 2003 skin you mentioned. Also started looking at the Open Office, but trying to decide where to spend the time most usefully as a new position and now require to do more office works.
