Ask The Computer Lady » Microsoft http://askthecomputerlady.com/questions If you have computer questions, this is the place for you Wed, 23 May 2012 14:00:58 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 Buying MS Office http://askthecomputerlady.com/questions/2009/04/buying-ms-office/ http://askthecomputerlady.com/questions/2009/04/buying-ms-office/#comments Tue, 21 Apr 2009 19:14:41 +0000 Computer Lady http://askthecomputerlady.com/questions/?p=1416 Dear Computer Lady,

Is it possible to buy a computer that is loaded with MS Office instead of taking home MS Works and having to buy MS Office and remove Works and load Office.

Thanks, Sharon

PS: (I now have Office 2007, trying to get the nerve to remove the Works and load Office!  ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh wish I had known before I bought this laptop!)

 

Dear Sharon,

It is possible to purchase a new computer with MS Office already loaded on it. I recently purchased a laptop from HP with office loaded on it.

There are some advantages to purchasing Office with your computer, and some disadvantages.

The first advantage is that you don’t have to install Office yourself. It will come already loaded on your computer, and you should also get a CD (or DVD) in case you need to install it again.

Another advantage to purchasing Office with your computer is that it will usually cost less than purchasing it in a store. I just checked today, and the price of Office 2007 bundled with a new HP computer is about the same as purchasing the same version of Office 2007 at amazon.com. Back when I bought my laptop with Office included, it was about $50 less expensive.

One of the disadvantages of buying Office 2007 bundled with your new computer is that it will usually only work with that computer. When you purchase the program in the store, you will be able to install it on any computer that you own (only one at a time of course). This is a real advantage because If you purchase a home and student version of Office, it will say right on the box that you can install it on up to three computers in your household.

 Imagine for a moment that you purchase a new computer, and for some reason it crashes or becomes damaged in a couple of years, If you replace the computer, your Office CD that came with the first computer will probably not run on the new one. I have tried this in the past, and the Office CD that came with my HP laptop would not work when I tried to install it on a desktop computer.

Another difficulty you might find is actually finding a computer with Office pre-loaded. I bought mine online at HP’s website, but most retail stores don’t carry computers with office pre-loaded. Many of them have a 60 day trial of office (and some less than honest sales people will tell you the computer comes with Office when in reality it is only a 60 day trial) but none come with a licensed version of the program. You might be able to purchase both the computer, and Office in a retail store and have them install it for you. Some places will do this for a fee, others might do it as a free service.

By the way, you don’t really have to remove Works before you install Office. Both programs will work together fine on the same computer, and if someone sends you a document that they created in Works, you will be able to open it.

Elizabeth

 


]]> http://askthecomputerlady.com/questions/2009/04/buying-ms-office/feed/ 1 Why People Hate Vista http://askthecomputerlady.com/questions/2009/01/why-people-hate-vista/ http://askthecomputerlady.com/questions/2009/01/why-people-hate-vista/#comments Thu, 22 Jan 2009 21:15:34 +0000 Computer Lady http://askthecomputerlady.com/questions/?p=397  

Dear Computer Lady,

I love your newsletter. You make things very easy to understand. Brief to the point and simple! I have passed it on to so many of my friends.

You always rave about Vista. Every single one of my friends that has Vista has had many, many problems with it and hate it. It’s not just a few people either, it’s several. Lots of them.

I would like a new computer but I won’t get one until I’m forced to because it only comes with Vista. I shudder every time I think about having to have it. I wish I could have the confidence in it that you have, but I’m surrounded by Vista problems and computer techs that also hate it. How did you get to love it so much?

Thanks for a great newsletter, Meg


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Dear Meg,

 

In light of your friends experiences, I understand your hesitation to embrace Vista.

Let me share a few things that might ease your mind.

1. Vista computers can be very slow if they don’t have enough RAM. This is an easy problem to avoid, when you get your new computer, make sure it has at least 4 gigs of RAM. A computer running Vista with 2 or less Gigs of RAM will be extremely slow, and more prone to errors. 

2. Very few people that I have talked to have had the problems with Vista themselves. Usually when someone tells me how horrible vista is, I ask them where they are getting their information from.  Most of the time, their opinion is based on someone that a friend of theirs knows, not someone that they have met themselves. 

3. When people do have problems with their new computer, they automatically blame it on Vista. I’m not saying that Vista does not have any problems, I have come across a few irritating things that seem to be common problems with Vista. I have, however, seen many problems that people have automatically blamed on Vista that really were issues with other programs or hardware. Let me give you a few examples.

New Game Releases - For Your PC

 

One person, purchased a new Vista computer and was plagued from the beginning with a problem of the computer rebooting several times an hour. At first she thought that it was a “Vista problem” but when the problem persisted she took it back to the store. At first, the store told her that Vista could not run her antivirus program. In the end, it was determined to be a hardware problem with the computer, and it was replaced. It was not a Vista problem.

Many people have been upset with Vista because their printers and scanners or other equipment don’t work with Vista. While I must admit this is frustrating, it is not a problem with Vista. Microsoft has given hardware companies the information they need to create new driver software for their product to work with Vista. Many companies have figured out that if they don’t invest the time and money into creating the new driver software, people will have to purchase a new printer or scanner which will increase their sales.

I have had customers tell me that they were on the phone with tech support for problems with their computer, and the tech support people have told them that the problem was with Vista when really, the problem turned out to be something entirely different.

How did I get to love Vista so much? I don’t know that I am in love with Vista, but on the computers that I have personal experience with, it runs with much more stability and much more security than any previous Microsoft operating system. In addition to that, it comes with security features that you used to have to pay extra for, and parental controls that were long overdue. 

Microsoft will soon be coming out with yet another new operating system. Will it be better than Vista? Probably it will be better. I have read that it is really just a makeover so that they can market it better than Vista was marketed. I have also read that many of the features that are now included in Vista, will not be part of the next operating system, and you will have to find your own email programs, photo programs, and parental control programs. This would make the operating system smaller and less complex, but it will mean that you, the consumer will need to spend more money on extra software.

Elizabeth

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