MS Works Programs Compatible with Word & Excel?

[Guest]

I recently purchased a new computer with Vista Premium Home Version. The
system came with MS Works Word Processor and MS Works Spreadsheet programs.
I cannot open documents sent to me in Word or Excel. Is there a way to do
this or must I purchase MS Word and Excel?

Thanks.

 

[Bruce Chambers]

I recently purchased a new computer with Vista Premium Home Version. The
system came with MS Works Word Processor and MS Works Spreadsheet programs.
I cannot open documents sent to me in Word or Excel.

Correct.


Is there a way to do
this or must I purchase MS Word and Excel?

You could purchase Microsoft Office, if you like, but it's not
necessary, just to view the files. There are Viewers available here:

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/downloads/results.aspx?qu=viewers&av=DCT000

For the budget-minded (who also don't need all of Office's specific
features), there's the free, open source OpenOffice:

http://www.openoffice.org/


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:



They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. -Benjamin Franklin

Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. -Bertrand Russell

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

I recently purchased a new computer with Vista Premium Home Version. The
system came with MS Works Word Processor and MS Works Spreadsheet programs.
I cannot open documents sent to me in Word or Excel.

Of course not. You also can't open files sent to you in hundreds of
other programs. In general you need the correct program to open *any*
file

Is there a way to do
this or must I purchase MS Word and Excel?

If all you want to do is view the files sent to you, you can download
free Word and Excel viewers from Microsoft. However if you want to
modify those files, or create your own, you need to either buy Word
and Excel or get a compatible program such as WordPerfect Office,
OpenOffice, or StarOffice.

Also note that both Word and Excel files can carry macro viruses.
Opening such files, even if they came from your best friend, is a very
risky thing to do. I recommend against doing so.

 

[ray]

I recently purchased a new computer with Vista Premium Home Version. The
system came with MS Works Word Processor and MS Works Spreadsheet programs.
I cannot open documents sent to me in Word or Excel. Is there a way to do
this or must I purchase MS Word and Excel?

Thanks.

You do NOT have to purchase word or excel. IMHO simplest solution is to
install OpenOffice.org - I believe MS also has viewers available, although
as the name implies, all you can do is view.

 

[Guest]

How do you do business if, as you say, you ca't open Word or Excel files due
to macro viruses?
We can scan for viruses you know!

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

How do you do business if, as you say, you ca't open Word or Excel files due
to macro viruses?

There are certainly some people who are in business situations where
they have no choice but to open such attachments. Those people need to
run the risk. But *many* people do *not* have to do so, and every time
they do, they run a needless risk.

We can scan for viruses you know!

This is a very common attitude--"I run a virus checker and I keep it
up-to-date; therefore I am safe from viruses."

Common as that attitude is, it is wrong! Running an anti-virus program
is good to do. It substantially decreases the risk of your getting a
virus. It does not, and *can* not eliminate that risk.

First, note that every anti-virus program on the market protects
against a slightly different set of viruses. All of those sets overlap
to a large degree, but nowhere is there complete overlap. None is
perfect and none protects you against everything. If you run antivirus
A, you are not protected against virus xyx. If you run antivirus B,
you are protected against xyz, but you not protected against zyx. And
so on.

Second, even if every antivirus program provided complete protection
against every virus out there, and even if you upgraded your
anti-virus definitions every day, as soon as the new ones came out,
you could still never be completely protected. That's because all
antivirus companies need to have time to respond to a new virus when
it comes out. Whenever a new virus comes out, one or more people have
to get infected by it, it has to get reported to the antivirus
company, and they need time to research and develop countermeasures
against it. Best case, it takes a few days. During that few days, we
are *all* at risk to getting infected by that virus.

So using an antivirus is good, but relying on it as absolute
protection is foolhardy. Caution and prudence in everything you do
(call it "safe hex," if you like) are still appropriate. Avoiding
opening E-mail attachments is one of the ways to that--at least for
those not required by their jobs to open them.

 

[huwyngr]

You might consider buying MS Works Suite which now contains a full
version of MS WORD in place of the Works word processor together with
the remainder of WORKS -- spreadsheets database and so on -- and comes
with about 5 other CDs including Street & Trips etc. Very good value:

http://www.microsoft.com/products/works/ProductDetails.aspx?pid=001

 

[Guest]

Ken, I am a Tech who builds and repairs computers in my own business.. I am
aware of the pifalls of the Net, and have been for many years.
I appreciate what you are saying, but it does not fit into my circumstances.
As you say, MOST people assume that an anti-virus solves everything; most
people don't even know that their subscription has run out!
And the much touted anti-viruses(SYMANTEC, etc), unfortunately, claim to be
everything to everyone: firewall, anti-vurus, spyware cleaner, spam filter,
etc.
Vigilance is the key to how one protects one's computer; and most people
don't know how to.

Regards
Mick

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

Ken, I am a Tech who builds and repairs computers in my own business.. I am
aware of the pifalls of the Net, and have been for many years.
I appreciate what you are saying, but it does not fit into my circumstances.

That's fine, Mick. My original comments weren't directed at you (not
that I would known your background anyway), but at Ginnie, who I
assumed to be the average person. Most comments that I, or others,
make here are directed at the average person, and there are always
those to whom they don't apply.

As you say, MOST people assume that an anti-virus solves everything; most
people don't even know that their subscription has run out!
And the much touted anti-viruses(SYMANTEC, etc), unfortunately, claim to be
everything to everyone: firewall, anti-vurus, spyware cleaner, spam filter,
etc.
Vigilance is the key to how one protects one's computer; and most people
don't know how to.

Regards
Mick

 

[Guest]

I recently purchased a new computer with Vista Premium Home Version. The
system came with MS Works Word Processor and MS Works Spreadsheet programs.
I cannot open documents sent to me in Word or Excel. Is there a way to do
this or must I purchase MS Word and Excel?

Thanks.

 

[Guest]

I am in the same position. It's rather annoying to find you cannot access
your word documents having carefully copied from your old computer! I would
have expected vista to accommodate both word and works in the (expensive)
purchase price. Also you cannot read works documents copied into email! Is
the openoffice really ok?

 

[Richard Urban]

You have got to learn the difference between an operating system and an
application - which runs on TOP OF the operating system.

The operating system has rudimentary utilities for writing letters. It can
view what it writes.

If you want to view what is written by other "applications" (Microsoft Word
being the most common) you need either the other application/Microsoft Word
on your computer or a reasonable substitute. Open Office does the job for
some people if they are not too picky.

--


Regards,

Richard Urban
Microsoft MVP Windows Shell/User
(For email, remove the obvious from my address)

 

[Merle]

I have been using open office for several months now and have had no
problems. Try it it's free..

 

[Peter Foldes]

You need to install to compatibility file and you will be able to read your Word files

Here's a link to the Compatibility Pack:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...70-3ae9-4aee-8f43-c6bb74cd1466&displaylang=en

 

[Kelli]

I too recently purchased a Vista system and I am furious that MS has
developed 2 systems that are not compatable, so that I have to purchase yet
another expensive item so I can do some work from home. Most of the planet
uses Word, Excel etc. had I known my brand new expensive system would not
allow me to work at home from emails rec'd from colleagues I would not have
purchased it. I am disappointed. I also should not have to scramble to try
to figure out how to put the two together. That is why I bought the
computer!

 

[Gordon]

I too recently purchased a Vista system and I am furious that MS has
developed 2 systems that are not compatable, so that I have to purchase
yet
another expensive item so I can do some work from home. Most of the
planet
uses Word, Excel etc. had I known my brand new expensive system would not
allow me to work at home from emails rec'd from colleagues I would not
have
purchased it. I am disappointed. I also should not have to scramble to
try
to figure out how to put the two together. That is why I bought the
computer!

As long as your colleagues are using Office 2003 or earlier, use this:
www.openoffice.org - it's free. The next version, out soon will open Office
2007 files...the Beta already does.

 

[Nonny]

I too recently purchased a Vista system and I am furious that MS has
developed 2 systems that are not compatable, so that I have to purchase yet
another expensive item so I can do some work from home. Most of the planet
uses Word, Excel etc. had I known my brand new expensive system would not
allow me to work at home from emails rec'd from colleagues I would not have
purchased it. I am disappointed. I also should not have to scramble to try
to figure out how to put the two together. That is why I bought the
computer!

I'm not sure what it is that you're bitching/whining about. Surely
you didn't buy the system from Microsoft.

You think that the manufacturer shoulda lumped MS Office in for FREE
along with other programs on your system?

Why didn't you bring Office along from your OLD system??

 

[Bruce Chambers]

I too recently purchased a Vista system and I am furious that MS has
developed 2 systems that are not compatable, so that I have to purchase yet
another expensive item so I can do some work from home.

Microsoft, like any other business, makes different products to meet
differing consumer needs. Do you also expect your sub-compact car to be
able to tow a 30-foot travel trailer when you want to go on vacation?

Most of the planet
uses Word, Excel etc.

Questionable statistics, but even so, that begs the question as to why,
if you knew you needed Word and Excel, you deliberately bought something
else.

had I known my brand new expensive system would not
allow me to work at home from emails rec'd from colleagues I would not have
purchased it.

That's why an adult consumer looks into such things *before* making a
purchasing decision. (And it's not the "new expensive system" that's
incapable of reading the files, it's the software package that *you*
chose that's incompatible.)

I am disappointed.

In yourself? I should certainly hope so. After all, *you're* the one
who decided to buy a computer with Works, rather than getting what you
actually needed.

I also should not have to scramble to try
to figure out how to put the two together. That is why I bought the
computer!

So, just whose responsibility is it to see that you make intelligent
purchasing decisions? Your Mommy's?






--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:


http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/555375

They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. ~Benjamin Franklin

Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. ~Bertrand Russell

The philosopher has never killed any priests, whereas the priest has
killed a great many philosophers.
~ Denis Diderot