should I use Office 2003 or activate 2007

I just got my fiancee's x61s up and running, trying to clean things up a bit. I have a question about installing Microsoft Office.

I have one activation left on a Office 2003 disk. I also purchased Office 2007 Home and Student from Newegg, coming shortly in the mail, because I forgot I had one activation left on my old 2003 disk. And i also have the 2007 trial version on the new x61s.

What would be best? Removing the Office 2007 trial with the activation assistant and SQL 2005 crapware, then loading 2003 from the disk, and returning 2007 to Newegg to get my 120 bucks back?

What is involved in activating the trial version and how much would that cost?

 

I would uninstall the trial now. install your office 2007. 2003 is ugly and outdated compared to 2007, imo. find something else to use that office 03 on, old comp., give to family or something. activating the trial is free.

 

There reallly arent many major additions on the 2003. Pretty much the GUI was redesigined and some minor tweaks. If i were you i would return 07 and keep 2003

 

I actually like 03 better because you don't have to switch from home to Page layout to Review and back to home it's all on the task bar. Ditch 07 and keep 03.

 

Multiple activations does not mean you are allowed to install it on multiple computers.

 

I would think NewEgg would take it back as long as it's unopened. You may wish to try that route.

 

activating the trial is free, but once the trial period is over, how much does it cost and will there be extra processes running vs new install of 2003 or 2007? eg. Activation Assistant, etc? (I'm trying to minimize processes without doing a clean install.)

she will mainly be using Word, and has been using 2003 on my desktop without any complaints. Is there that much of a difference between 03 and 07?

 

Can you explain further?

I installed it on my desktop a few years ago, just installed it today on my R61 without any trouble, so I'm assuming I can install it on the new x61s without a hitch?

 

Id keep the 03 and get the money back.

 

It's not that you can't take the disc and install it on multiple computers... it's usually against the license agreement to take the software and install it on multiple computers.

 

incidentally, after doing a factory restore to the new x61s, i noticed the Microsoft Office trial version was gone.

 

I may get trashed for this, but why are some people so insistent on keeping old, outdated stuff. Office 2007 is the future. Pretty soon, that will be all anyone uses. My university has already implemented Office 2007 in all of the computer labs. Keep 2007 and ditch 2003. You may even be able to sell your license on Ebay (sorry, it's the capitalist in me talking).

 

After years of using MS office, I've switched to Open Office - small footprint and works almost identically. I'm pretty happy with it.

 

Keep 2007. THAANSA3 is right, it's the way to go in the future. Plus Office 2007 is overall easier and nicer to use than 2003. Be warned that it takes a little bit to get used to it; I think it took me about a week of medium use.

 

Ugly? I'd argue that that's an opinion statement. I'd also say that usability matters far more than ugly vs. pretty --IMO, function outweighs form for something you may use every day.

To the original poster --how familiar are you with Office 2003 and earlier versions? If you've been working with Office for the better part of a decade, you may find Office 2007 a real pain to work with for a few months. Try and take a look at the Office 2007 UI and see if it "works for you". If it looks like a pain, Office 2003 works very well, and you can install a free compatibility pack that lets you open and save to Office 2007 formatted documents.

If you've never used Office before, 2007 was designed in an attempt to make things easier for the new user, and to simplify things. I can't say for sure whether it really achieved this goal, but many people who are using Office 2007 as their first version seem to like it.

I would try and take both for a spin and see which you like best.

 

Two things I've found very good with 2007 versus 2000 or XP (not sure re 2003, I didn't have it)...seems small but made a big difference for me:
1) The ability in Outlook to have Emailed appointments show up automatically in the calendar (once ok'd) even if from outside any corporate network/Exchange server. Saves a huge amount of time for me not having to enter this stuff.
2) In Power Point 07 you can paste slides from one show to another and have the option of keeping source formatting - slides don't get all screwed up with colours and fonts and makes popping a few slides into a presentation immensely easier.

I've noticed no real benefit for Word for my use. I think the advice of trying is sound if you have the option.

 

Office 2007 is excellent, I use mainly Excel and I've noticed some great improvements with Filters, dramaticaly increased large file support (I work with 60-80MB Excel Sheets quite often). In my opinion once you get used to the interface you'll never go back to an earlier version

 

Agree. And I think they will be releasing an E-mail client in their next major release.

I have both Office 2007 and 2003. 2007 is eye candy for all but the most complex tasks. And I can't stand having to save my docs. in 2003 format before sending them to someone who doesn't have 2007. Keep 2003 or go with Open Office.

 

I would activate Office 2003. It's better than 2007 from a Corporate standpoint. I am a Consultant-Financial Analyst. All of the companies that I consult with only use Office 2003 at this time.

I prefer & use 2003 Excel (2007 has to many Icons in the way from a Productivity standpoint)/Access/PowerPoint!

Just my .02 cents. Get what makes you feel good!!! That's all that matters!

Sircas

 

ppl love to hate on microsoft...and i've been using office for over a decade...but i must say i love 2007. I feel it's more streamlined for not only new users...but for advanced users. What i mean by that is that the most used functions are in the new ribbon (which i find myself using all the time)...but most of the old menus still exist via right click or somewhere in the ribbon. Overall I feel like i use less clicking then i used to.

 

I agree. I really have no interest in going back to earlier versions.