Dear Computer Lady,

My computer came with Microsoft Works not Word so there are many things I cannot read, they are all scrambled. Do I have to go out and buy Word or is there another option for me? 

Someone sent me a poem through my e-mail and it was written with Word and I was unable to read it. There has to be a solution to my problem. Thank you for all your valuable information.

Ellie

Dear Ellie,

No, you don’t have to go out and buy Microsoft Word. You actually have a couple of options.

First, you can go to the Microsoft website and download the free Word Reader. This will allow you to open read Word files, but not make any changes to them. You will also be able to copy text from the Word files and paste them into your Works program. You can download the free Word Reader here:

A second option, would be to purchase a less expensive Word alternative and use that with Word Documents. Some of these programs have a free version that you can use as well. 

The most popular office alternative is OpenOffice, which you can download free of charge at www.openoffice.org 

Elizabeth