I installed the new MS Office 2003 Upgrade yesterday and am glad to say I survived the experience. I know what some people are saying, "Are you crazy, it just came out - at least wait until the second edition is out!"
I know there are a lot of good reasons not to install (much less buy) a new version of software right off the bat (especially Microsoft stuff), but I had a really good reason to ignore that age-old advise. I have been running the Beta of MS Office 2003. It has worked well for the most part (there was that annoying thing where I could only print one envelope, then Word would crash if I tried to print another one to a different address - but at least it would report the problem). My license was set to expire at the end of the month, which would render the software almost useless.
Additionally, using a Beta version means that I can't download critical updates. That really bugged me since I knew that the released version already had a patch out. So I took the plunge and got the Upgrade package (by the way, if you are looking at getting the software, you can get it more cheaply at J&R Music). Actually, installation was fairly easy; it detected and removed the Beta version. My only trouble was when I put in the software key. Office kept telling me that it wasn't a valid key. I kept checking and checking, and it seemed that I had put it in correctly. I went to the MS website and was about to contact tech support, when I decided to check one more time. I discovered that what I swore was an "8", was really a "B" (a common problem for me). After I got that part corrected, everything went smoothly.
After installation and activation (that part really bugs me, but apparently not enough for me to stop buying/using Microsoft product), I promptly downloaded the critical updates. So far, life is good.
Define cheap. Let us know how the new version works. I have had an issue with Outlook Express 6 (the newest version on XP) not working with Office 97,(for spell check). I have been told by several people that it is a known issue.
Posted by: Wichi Dude | November 19, 2003 at 09:22 PM
I didn't say cheap, I said "more cheaply", which I tend to define as "not as expensive". I don't know, I saved about 30 or 50 bucks over what it normally goes for (still not cheap by any means). Go take a look at J&R for yourself.
With the Beta version, the only trouble I had was with the envelope printing in Word - I probably won't get to use the newly installed version until the beginning of next month though, so it will be a while before I know if they fixed it.
Posted by: bogie | November 20, 2003 at 05:38 AM