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Help please with Microsoft Works

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oldbean

oldbean Report 12 Jun 2010 12:14

Would any kind soul help me out here. I am being pressured to purchase 'word' as I need to send documents to someone for editing, it is an expensive option and in the meantime wondered if this would work with Microsoft? I would be grateful if computer buffs have got an answer for me as my knowledge is fairly limited!
Thanks in advance

Researching:
Brett, Sparkes, Stock, Bourne, Hulse, Doyle

Neil

Neil Report 12 Jun 2010 12:36

I may be out of date, but my copy of Microsoft Works Suite 2005 incorporated Word. Later versions may not have done so. If yours doesn't then I suggest you consider Open Office, which is fully compatible with Microsoft Office and is free of charge. If you Google Open Office Suite you can read much more about its compatibility and where to download it from.

FRANK06

FRANK06 Report 12 Jun 2010 12:48

Hi Oldbean,

You can download Open Office from Filehippo which contains lots of free software and is quite safe to use.

http://www.filehippo.com/download_openoffice/

As pointed out by Neil, it may not have all the bells & whistles of Word but it is free and does the job.

I would certainly baulk at buying Microsoft Word unless you really need it as I bought ours in 2000 for our daughters at university and it's not cheap.

Good luck

Jonesey

Jonesey Report 12 Jun 2010 13:24

If you already have the files which were originally created using Microsoft Works then you can easily convert them to Microsoft Word which is part of the Microsoft Office suite of programs,

Open your file using "Works", then click"Save as". You will see "Save as Type?" Click the down arrow by the side of that and a drop down menu will appear. Find "Word" and check that then click "Save" You will find that you have saved the document in Word format which will have the suffix "Doc" after it. N.B. your original file .wps will still be there unaltered on your computer as well as the one marked .doc

The document that you then send via email to whoever is the one with the suffix "Doc" and if they have Microsoft Word on their computer they will be able to open and edit the file.

Researching:
Don't put off until tomorrow doing what you can do today. If you like doing it today you can do it again tomorrow. Be kind to your children for it is they who will decide which care home you end up in.

oldbean

oldbean Report 12 Jun 2010 18:16

Thank you all who have really helped with this. I have been out and trolling the web today to see what deals can be done, basic price just under £100.00!! Now I needn't worry I am sure I can get to grips with all your advice, worth a million for sure. Thank you again for taking the time to reply, I am really grateful!

olbean

Researching:
Brett, Sparkes, Stock, Bourne, Hulse, Doyle

Madmeg

Madmeg Report 13 Jun 2010 02:07

I have a similar query. I purchased a new laptop last November, which has Microsoft Office Student Edition on it. I didn't need it, as I also had a very old Microsoft Office Professional version that I installed. However, more modern people are sending files in more modern formats, and my laptop is telling me I must enter my 16-digit product code to access them. I have no such code. What can I do?

TWhits

TWhits Report 13 Jun 2010 09:19

There may be an expert along soon, but, in the meantime, ...
Are you saying that your old MS Office asks for the code? If so, try opening the file with your newer student edition. As a previous poster mentioned, you can always "save as" a type that your favoured Office software can read.

FRANK06

FRANK06 Report 13 Jun 2010 13:58

Hi Madmeg,

Did you uninstall the Microsoft Office Student Edition before installing your Microsoft Office Professional as the student version may have been a trial version which is trying to work on your files.
If so, it will search for the code that would have been sent if you had purchased it.
Your old Microsoft Office Professional would also have come with a code which is usually on the back of the CD or on the intruction manual.
I have Microsoft Word from 2000 and it also has a code.

Tim

Tim Report 13 Jun 2010 14:48

Hi Madmeg

Don't know if this is the same but people send me files to open in office and am asked to enter the code. I find that if i "cancel" you can read the message but you will not be able to print it

Regards....Tim

Researching:
Garrard, Bir, Kent

Madmeg

Madmeg Report 14 Jun 2010 21:48

Tim, I think we can do that. Yes, it is a trial version, but says it is only a trial for 6 weeks, and we've had the laptop for 6 months.

It is the new Student and Home Edition that is asking for the product key.

I don't mind uninstalling it, but I can't determine what needs uninstalling. There are individual programs for each application, but also loads of other things like Help Files, and Notepad stuff. How do I just get rid of it?