Office 2007 & Windows Vista Q&A

Office 2007 Q&A

I have Office 2000, XP or 2003... how can I read those screwy Office 07 "docx", "pptx" "xclx" files?
I have Office 2007 and my instructor/students can't read my files... what do I do???
How can I change my Office 2007 to automatically save my documents in the older/standard Office formats?
When will Office 2007 be available in the NC State computer labs/office computers?
What does Office 2007 look like?
Why does Office 2007 look and work so weird?
What are the "docx" "pptx" etc things and why is Microsoft making my life such a pain?
Should I upgrade/buy Office 2007?
Can NC State faculty/staff purchase Office 2007?

Windows Vista Q&A

I have Windows Vista and when I am in Blackboard I don't have any place I can enter text... what do I do?
When will Windows Vista be in NC State computer labs/office computers?
What does Vista look like?
What software is compatible with Vista?
What hardware is compatible with Vista?
Can I upgrade my current PC to Windows Vista?
Should I buy Windows Vista (and/or a new PC with it on it)?

I have Office 2000, XP or 2003... how can I read those screwy Office 07 "docx", "pptx" "xclx" files?

Download and install the free "File Format Converter" from Microsoft.
Once you do that your older version of Office will "recognize" and be able to open the newer file formats without a hitch.

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I have Office 2007 and my instructor/students can't read my files... what do I do???

Do a "Save As..." and select the older file formats.
In any of the Office 2007 programs:
1.Go to the "File" menu & select "Save As..."
2.Click the rectangle to the right of the "Save as type:"
3.From the drop-down list, select the desired "xx 97-2003" Document format.
(The screenshot below illustrates the finished Save as selection in Word 2007)

4.Click "Save"

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How can I change my Office 2007 to automatically save my documents in the older/standard Office formats?

Change the program's Options Settings.
1.Click the Office button
2.Click the desired programs "Options" button
3.Click "Save" from the left-hand column.
4.Click and select the desired xx 97-2003 Document option in the "Save files in this format" area.

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When will Office 2007 be available in the NC State computer labs/office computers?

When equipment has been upgraded to ensure a high quality experience.
Office 2007 and Windows Vista require beefier hardware to run. NC State wants to ensure the highest quality computing experience possible in our labs and offices. As hardware is upgraded over the 2007-2008, Office 2007 and Vista will begin to be deployed on lab and office computers.

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What does Office 2007 look like?

Compared to Office 97-2003... weird.
Check out the Microsoft "Office Fluent user interface interactive demo." (Flash required)

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Why does Office 2007 look and work so weird?

To try and make office easier to use... eventually.
From the Microsoft Office 2007 FAQ:
"As we've added more and more features and functionality to the applications, it has become more challenging for people to find the software capabilities. For example, Word 1.0 had about 100 commands, and by using the menus you could see everything you could do. In comparison, Office Word 2007 has more than 1,500 commands. One of the things the Office Fluent user interface does is help make those commands easier to find."
Watch the Office Interface Manager's explanation.

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What are the "docx" "pptx" etc things and why is Microsoft making my life such a pain?

They are more portable and universal "XML" files.
The old Office file formats were very limited in what you could do with them and how they could be shared. This was especially painful for upgrading between versions of Office and "reusing" parts and pieces of one office document for say a web page. The shiny new office file formats are like smarter, little databases that allow for much more flexibility of how the info in the files can be shared, published, tweaked, updated etc. This will also almost eliminate future compatibility/upgrade hassles for these documents.
For the lengthier, official yada yada, see the official Office File Formats FAQ.

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Should I upgrade/buy Office 2007?

Depends on your hardware, budget & needs.
Do some research before you buy or run away. Some good starting points:
PC Magazine's Review of Office 2007
CNET's Office 2007 reviews & info
Computerworld's Review

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Can NC State faculty/staff purchase Office 2007?

Yes.
See the Employee Software Purchase Program.

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I have Windows Vista and when I am in Blackboard I don't have any place I can enter text... what do I do?

Download and install the Firefox Web Browser.
See the Downloading/Installing Firefox document (PDF file).

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When will Windows Vista be in NC State computer labs/office computers?

When equipment has been upgraded to ensure a high quality experience.
Office 2007 and Windows Vista require beefier hardware to run. NC State wants to ensure the highest quality computing experience possible in our labs and offices. As hardware is upgraded over the 2007-2008, Office 2007 and Vista will begin to be deployed on lab and office computers.

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What does Vista look like?

A bit different than Windows XP.
Microsoft has a collection of Vista demos to give you a peek.

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What software is compatible with Vista?

Your mileage will vary.
Most software vendors have Vista patches or updates for existing programs, although some companies are simply saying you will have to buy a new version of their stuff to use it with Vista. Most vendors have official Vista compatibility statements on their websites that detail their specific policies. In general, there are two levels of certified Vista compatibility:
The lesser "Works with Windows Vista" certified software listing (it will work with Vista... mostly.)
Or the greater "Certified for Windows Vista" software listing (totally kosher with Vista-ness)
For checking out potential software issues on your current computer, you may want to download and run Microsoft's Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor which generates a report of potentially incompatible software.

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What hardware is compatible with Vista?

Not all hardware, but most newer hardware and an increasing amount of older stuff.
Check out Microsoft's latest greatest official listing.
Additionally/alternately, you may want to download and run Microsoft's Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor which generates a report of potentially incompatible hardware on your current PC.

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Can I upgrade my current PC to Windows Vista?

Depends...
Older/slower or cheaper PCs may not be able to run any flavor of Vista, period. Some newer, cheaper PCs may be in this same boat as well. Otherwise, you may be able to only run one of the lesser editions of Vista which don't have all the whistles and bells. In general, new PCs that are optimized for Vista may give you a much better computing experience than your current beater. To get the skinny, download and run Microsoft's Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor which generates a report of what the prospects are for your current PC.

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Should I buy Windows Vista (and/or a new PC with it on it)?

Depends on your budget & needs.
Do some research before you buy or run away. Some good starting points:
PC Magazine's Review of Vista
PC Magazine's Vista Resource Site
CNET's Vista reviews & info

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Last Updated: November 14, 2007
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