Currently using a turn of the century pc with xp (I'm a bit of a luddite :yes: ), so I thought I would come up to date and get a new pc with windows 7.

My question is....

will I be able to use my MS office 2003 professional with windows 7?

Yes you will

also Windows 8 is not far off if you fancy holding out

also Windows 8 is not far off if you fancy holding out

Yes you will probably get some good deals on computers with Windows 7 on as they try and shift them to make way for the ones pre-loaded with Windows 8. Just like the Vista ones when Windows 7 came out.

Phil

also Windows 8 is not far off if you fancy holding out

If you mean "9 months" as not far off

Q3/Q4 2012!

Windows 8 maybe a bit controversial too. At the moment it's looking to be heavily 'Touchscreen' based rather than mouse and keyboard. I've not been impressed with what I've seen of the development version and with what Microsoft are saying about how it will be. At the moment I believe MS is about to make a massive mistake. Stick with Windows 7 or better still, make the move to Linux Ubuntu or one of the other very good versions of Linux. They are free too and offer massive extra security!

Unless you want to do any actual work or play games

Win8 has the mobile-style "splash screen", but it also has a normal desktop - just like how Media Centre sits on top of the desktop.

Currently using a turn of the century pc with xp (I'm a bit of a luddite :yes: ), so I thought I would come up to date and get a new pc with windows 7.

My question is....

will I be able to use my MS office 2003 professional with windows 7?

Windows 7 has been a breath of fresh air in comparison to previous MS offerings!

If you cant find youR product key for Office 2003 you can use a freeware utility called 'Magicjellybean' to recover it from existing XP pc and re-register in new PC.

http://www.magicalje....com/keyfinder/

Windows 7 has been a breath of fresh air in comparison to previous MS offerings!

If you cant find youR product key for Office 2003 you can use a freeware utility called 'Magicjellybean' to recover it from existing XP pc and re-register in new PC.

http://www.magicalje....com/keyfinder/

Useful, thank you.

<br />Unless you want to do any actual work or play games <img src='http://ww1.briskoda.net/forums/public/style_emoticons/default/emoticon-0100-smile.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='<img src='http://ww1.briskoda.net/forums/public/style_emoticons/default/emoticon-0100-smile.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />' /><br /><br />Win8 has the mobile-style "splash screen", but it also has a normal desktop - just like how Media Centre sits on top of the desktop.<br />

<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />

Hi Babs, we actually use Linux Ubuntu at work as well as Windows (various versions on various networks). They talk to each other no problem. Linux easily outstrips Windows for speed and just about everything else (read some of the reviews on Ubuntu in the mags), and along with the software it comes with you can easily match the things you can do in Windows, and more. And I'm not just saying that. There are a lot of uninformed views about Linux still left over from the old days especially about compatibility with Windows and ease of use. A fresh look will impress I'm sure. For example, I am regularly sent Word Docs from various offices but Linux along with Libre Office handles them fine, saving them as word docs (or whatever format you want), editing them and returning them so that Word can open them ok at the other end. Libre reads just about anything and can easily create PDF too. Same with Powerpoint presentations, full compatibility there too and also with spreadsheets, even saving and running macros correctly. You get the fantastic professional level GIMP (photoshop equiv) as well for handling the most demanding tasks. You are right though about games. Linux will run a large array of games and that includes some older 3-4years old microsoft first person shooter types but you have to wait a while for the newer versions to be released and that can take some time. In fact Linux is so good that my department (like many now) is fully converting to Linux in the next accademic year and dumping the rather expensive Windows 7 which costs us tens of thousands of pounds to buy licenses for. The learning curve for Linux is not very great either, but there is some learning to do obviously depending on what you want to do.

I've been told by the MS rep the normal desktop may not be present on the release version of Windows 8 at least not to start with as MS doesn't believe it will be needed! It's only there to aid development and testing, most of which is not being carried out on touch screen machines funnily enough. This may mean it isn't being aimed at the common everyday user to start with. Seems a bit strange to me.

Edited 22 January, 201214 yr by Estate Man

That MS rep is full of crap then! I've seen it

I use Ubuntu here at home, for a general use PC, Linux is fine and Ubuntu is really slick but most Linux distros are too far removed from Windows to be of any use in a work environment.

Office just works - it all works together with each component and Windows itself. I don't believe that Adobe support Linux, either.

We've actually got the development version on a desktop at work in the IT dept as we are taking part in the evaluation process before it goes to beta. I'm not involved in that process but whilst it looks impressive it isn't anywhere near the finished version. It has the desktop for conventional use at the moment for evaluation but there are many online reports to back up what we have been told about the desktop perhaps not being present on all versions and perhaps not on any versions. Our rep has always been right in the past so I give him credibility for what he says, but I guess we will just have to wait and see. MS often do about turns. I don't think you actually know much about Linux to make the statements you have made, but that's ok as most people still don't come into contact much or at all with it. Although some distributions are better than others at doing some things. You choose the one for you needs and there is a lot advice for anyone who needs it. But Ubuntu is the biggest, best, most versatile, and most popular and is directly equiv to Window 7 and scored well in the Pc Pro Window7 vs Ubuntu shootout. In Linux Ubuntu everything just works and is compatible with just about everything. I've run it on hundreds of different machines of all ages and it's nearly always problem free, and I have to say much less trouble than our Windows installations. ADOBE fully supports Linux (I have it on my machine). Just about all hardware manufacturers now fully support Linux of every type too. So it's good news and gives everyone choices! Can't be bad as whatever Trev2 chooses he will be fine I'm sure.

Edited 22 January, 201214 yr by Estate Man

Get a Mac

Get a Mac

I'd rather have AIDS :wonder:

I'd rather have AIDS :wonder:

With a Mac you'll last longer

But with AIDS I wouldn't own a Mac

Thank you all for your input, certainly food for thought. As I said in my OP, I'm a bit of a luddite, so am happy with what I'm familier with. If I go with windows 7, that in itself will be a big step for me, the thought of Linux, Macs and windows 8 scares me, must be an age thing :( .

In my ideal world I'd get a new computer with with xp on it, but I don't think that's feasible, nor very intelligent. My main concern, whatever I get, is that I would still be able use my MSoffice as I maintain a club membership database(Access) and use Publisher for the club newsletter, the club doesn't have the finances to shell out £400+ for an MSoffice2010Pro, and neither do I, that's more than the new base unit will cost. Thanks again folks.

Yeah, Office 2003 will be fine

<br />Thank you all for your input, certainly food for thought.  As I said in my OP, I'm a bit of a luddite, so am happy with what I'm familier with.  If I go with windows 7, that in itself will be a big step for me, the thought of Linux, Macs and windows 8   scares me, must be an age thing <img src='http://ww1.briskoda.net/forums/public/style_emoticons/default/emoticon-0101-sadsmile.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':(' /> . <br />In my ideal world I'd get a new computer with with xp on it, but I don't think that's feasible, nor very intelligent.  My main concern, whatever I get, is that I would still be able use my MSoffice as I maintain a club membership database(Access) and use Publisher for the club newsletter, the club doesn't have the finances to shell out £400+ for an MSoffice2010Pro, and neither do I, that's more than the new base unit will cost. Thanks again folks.<br />

<br /><br /><br />

Hi Trev, you've actually just made the case for Linux as Libre Office is completely compatible with everything and no cost involved. But the choice of course is yours, as it should be. Good luck. Let us all know what you get.

I actually really like Windows 7, I think it's a pretty good product. It's very user friendly and far more secure than XP and a massive step forwards from the dreadful Vista. I have a dual boot installed for Ubuntu but there is no reason for me to ever use it other than novelty factor, it's getting better all the time but it's not quite there yet in terms of intuitive useability.

Macs have always been way too expensive in my opinion, they're very slick but I can't see how they can justify it given that they use the same components as PCs these days. Every time they buy a new Mac at work I'm absolutely shocked by the price -I think that the last desktop was about eight grand!!! -an equally specced PC would have been around three

Estate Man - you seem to have issues posting with quotes? Linux issue by any chance?

Hi Babs, no...I'm running a new version of 'no-scripts' in Firefox which I think is the cause. I haven't configured it yet. But you're quick, very quick! :yes: Nice to talk to you...

Oh...and I'm not anti Windows. I love Windows 7 but I can't honestly trust it for the work I do even using all the latest router and software security. I won't tell you what the MS rep uses for doing all his high security stuff, but you'd be surprised!

Edited to add some stuff!

Edited 22 January, 201214 yr by Estate Man

I run an internal network of 100 Windows PC's, and an external remote one of nearly 5000, mostly XP!

We've got a few 7 PC's (mine included), one Vista ()...

What about 7 can't you trust?

Intrigued myself!

Think W7 is pretty secure so long as you manage it properly.

Amongst other projects, I work part time in a secure environment. It's been an eye opener in the departments I work in. Our systems run mostly XP and Windows 7, but I run a small network of about 40 machines with Linux as my main base software. All of our machines, Windows and Linux are targeted regularly by just about every low life you can think of using every known script and malware prog going. We have the most heavily protected servers you can imagine and run all the most secure protocols and high grade protection on our servers and desktops. Yet...our Windows machines are reasonably often still hit with a security problem. Because of how we have the networks configured, they don't usually get far but we have to be on constant alert and take steps each time this happens...as you do. Sometimes our network goes down because of the intensity of the attacks. Interestingly, my Linux network, in spite of everyone trying to get in, goes completely unscathed. Until I switched it to Linux it was under continuous threat. Under Windows, no information was ever gleaned by anyone but it would only be a matter of time before someone would get in.

My point is Windows networks can be hard work. I guess it depends on many things and how valuable the information on your servers is as to how often you are targeted. But PRETTY SECURE isn't good enough for us. We are targeted constantly 24/7. It's usually only a matter of time before someone gets in and does something bad if you are in the business of keeping high grade info on your machines. In contrast, hacking a Linux network or machine is much harder to do and installing malware even harder as nothing will install without your permission, as maybe you know. Nearly all hacking attacks on Linux servers or desktops have been carried out by an insider who has access to the passwords and protocols to get information from the machine/s. That's the most used way as it's very very difficult (virtually impossible) for an outsider to hack in and install code due to the way Linux is put together. And of course, it's immune to Windows viruses and malware, and there are no known Linux threats in the wild and that's how it's been for 20 year or more and that's not expected to change even if Linux become much much more popular (currently running on 13% of the world's computers at home). That's in direct contrast to how Windows is built. Compared to Linux, security in Windows seems almost an afterthought. It's no mistake that 6 out of 10 banks now say NOT to use any Windows operating system to even access your bank account details as they have found it not to be safe. Instead they recommend using Linux. Indeed all big servers in industry, Banking and government run Linux as it is the most secure system, and using Windows at office level maybe on less important machines, or as is now happening, Linux Ubuntu.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying a Linux network is completely secure, it cannot be. But it is a lot more secure than any Windows network that's for sure and has been proven time and time again by the mags, and industry. On my last ethical hacking course we attacked Linux machines without success. Oh we managed to get in to a browser on one remote machine, but that was it, couldn't do anything so a waste of time.The Windows machines were easy in spite of all the heavy security. It 's the reason our whole environment is switching to Linux in a few months with the bonus of no licensing costs involved.

Edited 22 January, 201214 yr by Estate Man