Is It Too Late to Bitch About Microsoft?

[dr_mabeuse]

I won't even talk about Visa, the New Coke of operating systems. What I'm still furious about is Word '07, which I've been using for maybe a year now and still have to struggle with for the most trivial of tasks.

I was an absolute Master in Office 2000, especially in Word 2000, which, after 10 years of use I could just about make tap dance, shout "Hallelujah!" and wave little flags. Then I got this new Vista system and the new MS Office suite 2007, because of course Word 2000 isn't compatible with Vista, and found that the entire application had been radically ripped up and revised in ways that are arcane, counter-intuitive, and simply bizarre, all apparently in an effort to make the everyday drivel of low-level corporate apparatchiks look slick and polished. And of course, make us all buy new versions of MS's office suite and have to learn them from the ground up.

Operations that used to take one click now take 2 or 3 if you even remember in what tab the function is (or longer, requiring a side trip to the oh-so-unhelpful Help button.) Formatting rules have become arcane and bewildering and at times downright willful, dictating to me the kind of things I can put in a header or footer and changing styles behind my back, forcing me to spend hours wrestling with the simplest tasks. "Insert Date" used to be a one-click operation. Now you have to go to INSERT, find DATE, and scroll through their suggested formats and layouts, and then try and figure out how to get the little graphic accents to leave you alone just show the figures.

But my latest bitch is the fact that, no matter how I SAVE things, when i open Word 07 it invariably shows me a side bar containing the names of the most recently-used files and tells me I had to recover them, which you do by opening the document and saving it yet again. Recover them?? I already have auto-save on, and I save my files twice, once by clicking a Save shortcut and then again by selecting SAVE from the drop down whatsis button in the upper left, and still I get this?

Does anyone know what this is or what causes it? Do I really have to start a Word session by saving my already twice-saved project yet again? Is there something wrong with my computer maybe?

I've already downloaded Open Office and tried it, hoping I could leave MS Office for good, but it really doesn't have the power and capabilities of Word 2000. I've talked to some people who're competent on '07 but none of them seem to know what I'm talking about, and they invariably were trained on '07 in a classroom environment, intensively.

It's probably something really trivial and stupid, right? I so love it when a machine makes me feel stupid.

 

[driphoney]

No, you're not stupid. Though not totally Word savvy, I was competent in the things I do with a word processor, and it all went out the window when I made the mistake of signing up for a basic computer class that required the latest, not-so-greatest MSWord. I ended up doing the Open Office thing, too, with similar feelings.

Now I have a Mac. It's not quite as intuitive as everyone says, but I'm hoping the product line stays stable and I don't have to relearn it every two years.

Hang in there.

 

[TxRad]

Uh, Doc, I use Vista (Me2) on my laptop. It came that way and not of my choosing. It also came with a trial offer for Office 07'. I had been warned by several friends that Word 07 was designed to be hell for writers or anyone else stupid enough to use it. So, I flushed the MS Office 7 trial offer without ever opening it.

I loaded my trusty and faithful Office 2000 and it works like always. No glitches, no errors, no nothing. No one ever told me it wouldn't work with Vista.

Maybe it's not working. Maybe this is all a dream. Someone pinch me.

 

[Liar]

Microsoft turned everything upside down and inside out with Office 07. It's not actually worse per se, but nothing is where users expected them to be, from previous versions. And I mean nothing. Except maybe the cursor when you type text.

I'm getting an evaluation license for the new Office 2010 tomorrow. I'll let you know if it's any better for us "vintage word" fans.

 

[trysail]

Unfortunately, it's always going to be this way. As long as Microsoft Office is designed to be "backwards compatible" and to be accessible to a broad swath of users, it is going to have the earmarks of having been designed by a committee.


I was an "ace" with VisiCalc, Lotus 1-2-3 and Excel (2000). It took three-odd years of constant use for me to learn Excel ( 2000 ). Excel 2007 is no improvement and, in many respects, is a step backward— particularly the graphing capabilities.


Some of my spreadsheets are now 25 years old but have successfully transferred across all the different spreadsheet applications.


I'd be wary of succumbing to the temptation of sticking with Word 2000. The danger of continuing to use Word 2000 is that the day will arrive when Office 2000 isn't supported by an operating system. When that day comes, you'll really be S.O.L.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

The only difficulty I have seen with MSWord 2007 is the went from menu driven selections to context tabs. I have no problem navigating Word '07.

Vista...at first I thought it was horrendous...but after using it for almost a year I the only thing I find annoying are the stupid questions when I started some applications. I clicked on the damn icon so of course I started it and want to continue!

 

[dr_mabeuse]

Uh, Doc, I use Vista (Me2) on my laptop. It came that way and not of my choosing. It also came with a trial offer for Office 07'. I had been warned by several friends that Word 07 was designed to be hell for writers or anyone else stupid enough to use it. So, I flushed the MS Office 7 trial offer without ever opening it.

I loaded my trusty and faithful Office 2000 and it works like always. No glitches, no errors, no nothing. No one ever told me it wouldn't work with Vista.

Maybe it's not working. Maybe this is all a dream. Someone pinch me.

I don't know what version of Vista I have. Where can you find out?

In any case, as I recall, I loaded my Office 2000 pro version into this new computer with no problem and even used it for a few days. But then things started happening, mainly messages suddenly springing up saying that my software "may not be" compatible with Vista, and the app slamming shut. To my dim understanding, it has something to do with 32-bit vs 64-bit architecture? '07 is 64-bit and 2000 is 32, and apparently, never the twain shall meet. I had to shell out for a $100 student version of Office 07.

And it wasn't just Office 2000. My $600 version of Photoshop that worked fine in XP suddenly wouldn't run either, and still won't. Vista has this compatibility app in Control Panel where you can supposedly order the machine to go back-compatible and run 32-bit programs, but it doesn't work for me. Photoshop works until you want to save something or do certain operations, and then it just flops dead. I really don't have the grand or so it takes to buy a new version of Photoshop.

It's a Dell Studio computer. Maybe that has something to do with it.

 

[Liar]

It's a Dell Studio computer. Maybe that has something to do with it.

Nah. thay're all pretty much the same.

You're probably right about the 32 vs 64 bit thing. Microsoft, as well as the developes at Adobe and other places, doesn't always handle that right.

 

[TxRad]

I don't know what version of Vista I have. Where can you find out?

In any case, as I recall, I loaded my Office 2000 pro version into this new computer with no problem and even used it for a few days. But then things started happening, mainly messages suddenly springing up saying that my software "may not be" compatible with Vista, and the app slamming shut. To my dim understanding, it has something to do with 32-bit vs 64-bit architecture? '07 is 64-bit and 2000 is 32, and apparently, never the twain shall meet. I had to shell out for a $100 student version of Office 07.

And it wasn't just Office 2000. My $600 version of Photoshop that worked fine in XP suddenly wouldn't run either, and still won't. Vista has this compatibility app in Control Panel where you can supposedly order the machine to go back-compatible and run 32-bit programs, but it doesn't work for me. Photoshop works until you want to save something or do certain operations, and then it just flops dead. I really don't have the grand or so it takes to buy a new version of Photoshop.

It's a Dell Studio computer. Maybe that has something to do with it.

Sorry to confuse you Doc but there is only one version of Vista. I put the Me2 there as a joke which isn't funny but is true. Vista is a remake of Me, which was junk from the beginning just like Vista. It's a total memory hog and that's one of it's good points.

When i bought my laptop, a Toshiba, I had the Geek Squad gag Windows Defender and set the machine up to run 32 bit and 64 bit apps. Other than a few games, I've never had any problem running my older programs. But then again, I run a 64 bit version of Paintshop Pro and Graphic Workshop Pro.

As for Open Office, I use it on my Linux machines. It lacks some bells and whistles out of the box but there are ways of adding apps in Linux to cover most things I need to do and then some. In fact the spell check and grammar check I use on Open Office is geared to writing instead of business as it is in MS Word.

I learned that Microshaft sucked a long time ago.

 

[TxRad]

Nah. thay're all pretty much the same.

You're probably right about the 32 vs 64 bit thing. Microsoft, as well as the developes at Adobe and other places, doesn't always handle that right.

There are ways of changing Vista's 32/64 bit settings but they are not for the novice or the faint of heart.

 

[R. Richard]

I don't know what version of Vista I have. Where can you find out?

In any case, as I recall, I loaded my Office 2000 pro version into this new computer with no problem and even used it for a few days. But then things started happening, mainly messages suddenly springing up saying that my software "may not be" compatible with Vista, and the app slamming shut. To my dim understanding, it has something to do with 32-bit vs 64-bit architecture? '07 is 64-bit and 2000 is 32, and apparently, never the twain shall meet. I had to shell out for a $100 student version of Office 07.

And it wasn't just Office 2000. My $600 version of Photoshop that worked fine in XP suddenly wouldn't run either, and still won't. Vista has this compatibility app in Control Panel where you can supposedly order the machine to go back-compatible and run 32-bit programs, but it doesn't work for me. Photoshop works until you want to save something or do certain operations, and then it just flops dead. I really don't have the grand or so it takes to buy a new version of Photoshop.

It's a Dell Studio computer. Maybe that has something to do with it.

You'll find that Dell stuff basically works only with Dell equipment and vice versa. There was a recent thread where someone threw the Dell printer away, because they could buy a new printer with cartridge, for less than the cost to replace the Dell cartridge.

 

[D_K_Moon]

The only difficulty I have seen with MSWord 2007 is the went from menu driven selections to context tabs. I have no problem navigating Word '07.

Vista...at first I thought it was horrendous...but after using it for almost a year I the only thing I find annoying are the stupid questions when I started some applications. I clicked on the damn icon so of course I started it and want to continue!

I liked Vista, I had no problems with it. And if you liked Vista, then you'll love Windows 7.

Office 2007, I dont care for the interface, but it's what we have to use for work. For my home computer, Ive gone to OpenOffice.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

According to Microsoft the Chinese steal everything that isnt on fire and THIS is the cause of the frequent upgrades. The Chinks sell the stolen software to 3rd world buyers, and the upgrades toss a wrench into the works for the Chinks.

But the Chinks have always stolen intellectual property and marketed it. Back in the 60s it was pop music albums. Then DVDs.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

I don't know what version of Vista I have. Where can you find out?

In any case, as I recall, I loaded my Office 2000 pro version into this new computer with no problem and even used it for a few days. But then things started happening, mainly messages suddenly springing up saying that my software "may not be" compatible with Vista, and the app slamming shut. To my dim understanding, it has something to do with 32-bit vs 64-bit architecture? '07 is 64-bit and 2000 is 32, and apparently, never the twain shall meet. I had to shell out for a $100 student version of Office 07.

And it wasn't just Office 2000. My $600 version of Photoshop that worked fine in XP suddenly wouldn't run either, and still won't. Vista has this compatibility app in Control Panel where you can supposedly order the machine to go back-compatible and run 32-bit programs, but it doesn't work for me. Photoshop works until you want to save something or do certain operations, and then it just flops dead. I really don't have the grand or so it takes to buy a new version of Photoshop.

It's a Dell Studio computer. Maybe that has something to do with it.

Right click on MyComputer...

You'll get an window like this...

As you notice I have Vista 64bit also and have had no problems with any program I have loaded.

 

[sdsioux]

This is such a difficult question to answer. Are you saying it doesn't work with Vista at all? I'm not sure what area you live in but I would go to the library, Borders, or Barnes and Noble and check out the book Vista inside out, a publication from Microsoft. I believe Bott is the author. All of my programs from XP are fine with Windows 7. Or get on one of the geek boards and start asking questions. I'm sure there is a way. There is a way to make it compatible. I can even read Windows 95 material and probably 3.1, which I haven't tried.

I've seen the saving on the left hand side of 2007. Just ignore it. In case you forget to save it does it for you.

I also believe there is a publication called Office 2007 for Dummies. I purchased a book on Wordpress and found it was well worth the $20.00 I invested on it.

You could also keep your eyes open for an inexpensive XP. I've seen them on e-bay for next to nothing. Save your important work and erase your drive and reload the XP and reload your Photoshop and Word 2000.

Hope this helps

 

[Verdad]

No idea what's causing your problem, Doc, but I can testify to running Word 2000 on a Vista machine for a few years now without a single glitch.

 

[Handley_Page]

Doc, I know how you feel. I could make Word97 do everything I needed. I now have Office 2003 and Word is counter-intuitive.

I suggest you think about either Win XP64, or Windows 7.
Vista was a clunker of no serious significance; Apparently Win 7 is a great deal better.

 

[TE999]

You'll find that Dell stuff basically works only with Dell equipment and vice versa. There was a recent thread where someone threw the Dell printer away, because they could buy a new printer with cartridge, for less than the cost to replace the Dell cartridge.

That would be me. Actually I donated it. I use M$Worst '07 (It was bundled with M$ Office '07) and have had some trouble with it using either the XP OS or the Vista OS... when I do have trouble it's a PITA. Doc's disappear, doc's won't open, Worst freezes up and locks...weird random gremlins that my computer geek bud cannot explain.

I think Billy's boffins put glitches in the programs just to goof on people.

 

[Pure]

note

i don't agree about compatibility;

i have:
vista home premium 2007
32 bit operating system computer is HP a1730n {processor: AMD Athlon, 64x2--4600--2.4 GHertz}

microsoft office word 2003.

no problems.

i agree Word 2007 is unnecessarily complicated and have put off installing or using it. i think you were stampeded into getting it.

 

[BoomerP]

I think they made 2007 the way they did so that the people who had taken office lessons before would have to take them again.

No I don't really think they are that mischevious. But it's basicly the result. When you upgraded to 2007 on your workplace it was more expensive then just paying for a license

 

[vitro13]

I gave up Winblowz years ago. Linux is the proverbial shizznit.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

What frosts my cake with dung is how Microsoft dumps support for its older platforms. And once they dump a platform you cant update crap. I run IE6 on this Model T, every site screams at me to update to IE8, but I cant cuz Me2000 isnt supported.

Its like if you bought a car and they changed the gasoline formula every 3 years.

 

[driphoney]

What frosts my cake with dung is how Microsoft dumps support for its older platforms. And once they dump a platform you cant update crap. I run IE6 on this Model T, every site screams at me to update to IE8, but I cant cuz Me2000 isnt supported.

Its like if you bought a car and they changed the gasoline formula every 3 years.

You do have such a way with words.

I have to chuckle. On my school's student-side home page there's a permanent announcement: DO NOT use Internet Explorer 8. The poor network people on campus can't even keep up with their own stuff, let alone deal with Microsoft's mess.

 

[TxRad]

What frosts my cake with dung is how Microsoft dumps support for its older platforms. And once they dump a platform you cant update crap. I run IE6 on this Model T, every site screams at me to update to IE8, but I cant cuz Me2000 isnt supported.

Its like if you bought a car and they changed the gasoline formula every 3 years.

Switch to Linux and you don't even have to buy the car and you can make your own gas.

 

[sdsioux]

What frosts my cake with dung is how Microsoft dumps support for its older platforms. And once they dump a platform you cant update crap. I run IE6 on this Model T, every site screams at me to update to IE8, but I cant cuz Me2000 isnt supported.

Its like if you bought a car and they changed the gasoline formula every 3 years.

We should continue with 20's technology like gasoline. I'm sorry that your tube radio has a tube you can't afford to replace anymore. Be grateful your machine has lasted as long as it has. I'm using Windows 7 now and loving every minute of it. I can download a 400mg audio file in less than 20 minutes something that use to take overnight. And it cost $400.00. Bite the bullet and upgrade and you'll say why did I wait so long.