Vista & Word 2007

[John Dirks Jr]

I got a laptop. I snagged it in haste because of a sale but the box is still sealed. I can return it within 14 days for a full refund if I dont open it.

It has Windows Vista which will be new to me. It does not have MS Word so I will have to buy the newest 2007 version of that program since that is what I intend to use for my inspection report writing.

Are any of you using Vista with MS Word 2007 for report writing and if so, its everything ok with it? I am not committed to this approach yet so that is why I am asking. I could return this one and buy a refurbished one with XP that already has MS Word loaded on it.

What to do? Open the box and proceed by buying Word 2007 or return this machine and get a refurbished one with older versions?

[jon_ran]

You don't have to have the 2007 version of MS word. If you have a copy of a previous version, try to install it. I installed MS Word 2003 as a part of the MS Office 2003 package and had no problems.

Computers used to come with all of these programs included and ready to use with no free trial period. It kind of ticks me offf that to use a brand new computer for it's intended purpose, you have to purchase all of these programs.

By the way, several people are not happy with Vista. I would recommend that you find someone who has Vista already and play around with their computer for a while before deciding to keep and opening yours. I reformatted my hard drive after about 2 weeks and installed XP on a brand new lap top because I didn't like it.

Also, check out your existing software to ensure that it is compatible with Vista or has an upgrade available. Most software (including my inspection software) were not compatible when I bought mine, which helped in the decision to "downgrade" to XP.

[Phillip]

After six months I had Vista taking off. It was having problems.

None of the printer I had(3) would not work properly with vista so I had to by new printers.

I had word 2000 and it loaded and done alright on it.

When I got a new inspection software, it is word based and I bought word 2007 as part of office home and student 2007 which only has word, excel, powerpoint and onenote. which is cheaper than a full office 2007. Word 2007 is a whole different ballgame then the word I was using.

[Terence McCann]

Originally posted by jon_ran

I reformatted my hard drive after about 2 weeks and installed XP on a brand new lap top because I didn't like it.

My wifes new desktop came with Vista. After 20 minutes with it I reformatted the hd and promptly installed XP Pro.

Vista reminds me of Windows ME - another pos.

[charlieb]

You don not have to buy a refurbished pc to get xp. I just bought a new dell with XP. You can also go to Tiger direct but I would advise against it if you intend to purchase an extended warranty. 7 weeks for an extended warranty repair. UPS must have broken it was their response when I finally got it back and it would not power up. 7 WEEKS! I use my wife's laptop as needed for a back up computer. As you can imagine, she was not happy. Dell's service was great on the predecessor to the TD laptop.

[ozofprev]

As you know, I installed Vista on the machine I built. I also have Office Professional 2007. I like both better than their previous versions and have not had a problem with either. The interfaces are slightly different.

If you don't like change, keep sending your old stuff in for repair and never buy new. The rest of the world will continue to move - somewhat awkwardly - forward.

[charlieb]

Originally posted by ozofprev

awkwardly - forward.

Yes it will. In software, like automobiles, I prefer not to purchase the first generation. I'd rather let them work the bugs out on someone else.

[carle3]

I have Vista and Office 2007. Vista is stable and a good operating system, I have had no problems with its reliability. The issues you will face is that most of the manufacturers have choosen not to issue updated drivers for older products. You may need to upgrade equipment that lack any drivers support. I was very dissapointed in HP, my printer on my network is not that old and they chhose not to support it with an updated driver. This caused me to loose my ability to print to my network printer. This also holds true for software. For me Quickbooks 2005 lost some of its functionality, I had to upgrade to Quickbooks 2007. I really like the new look and feel to Office 2007. Some of the main application like Word 2007 have new file formats that are incompatible with the older versions. There is an option to save a file in a compatible format.

[SonOfSwamp]

I run Vista, and MS Office 2007. With the exception of the can't-find-some-drivers problem, my system works just fine.

That said, if you want something simple, stable and essentially bug-free, get a good brand-name laptop, install XP pro and Office 2003. Should be fine for HI work.

I've had Vista from the get-go. To this day, I have to convert most of my Word 2007 docs to 2003-emulation docs. Even the paper I write for doesn't use the docx format.

As many computer pundits say, "Upgrade to XP."

WJ

[ozofprev]

Yeah, all of you who write for a newspaper might want to stick with XP.

[sepefrio]

I've been able to live with Vista, but office 2007 just blows. Unlike previous upgrades, 2007 is a completely new product. I've spent hours just trying to find buttons to do common pre-2007 tasks. I finally removed 2007 and re-installed 2003 office pro.

[ozofprev]

Yes, Office 2007 is a completely redesigned product. If you expect a new product to be just like an older product, then you are bound to conclude that the new product "blows" and you shouldn't have purchased it to begin with.

If you buy Office 2007, get a book that explains it's new interface and feature set (Like Que's Using Office 2007 by Bott Leonhard.)

Same with Vista (Windows Vista Inside Out by Bott, Siechert, Stinson is pretty good.)

Same with Linux, OS X, or any new technology. Books are good.

[Chris Bernhardt]

Are any of you using Vista with MS Word 2007 for report writing and if so, its everything ok with it? I am not committed to this approach yet so that is why I am asking. I could return this one and buy a refurbished one with XP that already has MS Word loaded on it.

While my computer was in the shop a while back the loner came with Vista. I had to upgrade to office 2007, and the latest version of Adobe and buy a new printer to get things working. Word 2003 will work but it didn't work right.

I hated Vista initially and the new MS office but after a few weeks started enjoying some of the new bells and whistles.

I have my old XP box back but I am running office 2007. I found I liked it better then Word 2003 after all the initial cussing at it ended.

If you open the box be prepared to buy everything and I mean everything all over again. But eventually, after all that frustration passes I think you will like Vista and Office 2007.

Chris, Oregon

[Ken Meyer]

You might try Open Office, it is a suite of office programs with all the features of MS Office, but it's open source, and free (donations are accepted). It uses unique file formats, but also works seamlessly with MS Office documents, you can save in formats compatible with MS Office. I'm not sure if it's compatible with the 2007 version yet.

I've been using it for a couple of years, and could not be happier.

Just Google OpenOffice.org

[hausdok]

Hi,

I've got vista on the wife's machine upstairs and XP on this one. I've installed my HI program on the vista box just in case I need to use it when this one is down. I don't see much difference. Initially, it seemed a little glitchy, but I set it up to automatically go to MS Updates once a week and get whatever it needs, and to automatically dump all of the temp files and other garbage, as well as defrag the hard drive once a week, and it seems to be ticking like a Swiss watch now.

You guys think you've got problems with vista? Ha, I've got NT on my laptop and I might just as well have a couple of cans and a piece of string. Nobody supports it anymore. Guess I need to load a new operating system on it. So, what's everyone recommending for that - windows, linux, or Ubantu or whatever it's called?

OT - OF!!!

M.

[carle3]

Might I suggest using it for a door stop [:-idea]

[John Dirks Jr]

The new one is unopened and it's going back. I just ordered a refurb directly from Dell. Vostro 1000 with 15.4" screen. It has XP, 2 gig processor, 1 gig ram, 60 gig hd, CD RW/DVD. It may already have an older version of Word on it too. That's all I really need. $359

[hausdok]

Originally posted by carle3

Might I suggest using it for a door stop [:-idea]

Well,

I've been doing that. I thought I might reformat it and upload one of these alternative systems on it just to see what all the chatter is about.

OT - OF!!!

M.

[traderpats]

You might try installing a Linux distro called Ubuntu. It works great with older hardware as well as the newest multi-core chips. There is a learning curve but the OS is VERY resource friendly. There are a ton of free programs available for just about anything you want to do. I've used Open Office for the last six months and I see no reason to spend $100's of dollars on MS equivalents. If you want a machine to just surf, email, word process and is also very virus resistant that would be the way to go. If a piece of hardware is not supported there's a great online community there too. I don't run any AV or spyware on my Ubuntu computer and haven't had any problems whatsoever.

[ozofprev]

You do not have a large selection of operating systems for a home desktop computer. Off the top of my head, I can think of six:

Microsoft's versions

Apple's versions

Linux variants and OpenBSD

Amiga OS

OS/2 (not a serious contender today)

Zeta (BeOS)

They all have their pros and cons, but that's not as important as you might think. Computers are tools and the important question is, "What do you want?"

If it is important to you to have access to the largest selection of current software as well as brand new programs as they are released, then you should get Windows.

If you just hate the monopolistic practices of Microsoft, but want the fancy MS Office applications, then you will probably be very happy with Apple.

If you have older hardware, you are technically competent, comfortable working with file systems and OpenOffice applications, then a Linux variant can make you happy.

Security is misunderstood. If you are online, then you are at risk no matter which OS you use. Hackers seek stardom! The most widely used OS is the one they want to break. Security is a dual-edged sword. MS is the biggest target, but it is also the OS with the most experience fighting hackers.

So, what do you want?