Computer Help

[Susan1]

Hi. I don't know how to find old threads, so............

I got a notice that Firefox will no longer support Windows XP (new computer 2008) in August. I know I'm a dinosaur, but I've never seen a need to spend $$ to switch to a new Windows. If I upgrade to a new Windows, or get a new computer (laptop?), how can I keep documents that have been there since 1999 from Office 2000 (first computer)? I can't lose all of my genealogy research (Word and My Pictures) or financial data (Excel)!!!!! Does a laptop hold a lot of stuff? They are cheper than a PC. Can I use my monitor (easier to see), mouse and keyboard (rheumatoid arthritis - can't type on flat surface; I have to push the microwave buttons with the side of my thumb) with a laptop? I can't swipe or touch the screen. I wouldn't need an expensive one that does a bunch of stuff - no watching videos or using a camera or anything. And I wouldn't be moving it anywhere. I would ask at Best Buy or somewhere close, but it's all kids who probably never even used XP.

 

[Lizziebeth]

I am no expert but I got all my files moved when I upgraded from Windows 7 to 10. Biggest challenge was family tree maker old version that worked on Windows 7 and not 10. Had to buy a new version for 10 and transfer files. New laptops hold a lot of stuff. I bought the computer from Best buy and had Geek squad move my files. Worth the money to me.

 

[Simone411]

@Susan1, I still use my old Dell that has Windows XP SP3 on it to make my skating videos because I like the old Movie Maker much better. I've been using Firefox ESR for over a year now. It's made for organizations, etc. that still use Windows XP and it can also be downloaded for personal use.

It doesn't come with some of the latest features that Regular Firefox has, but you will receive security updates and stability fixes. You may see something about Firefox expiring, but with the ESR version, you will still receive security updates. You can simply click on the hamburger in the upper right corner, and then the ? (question mark) when you wish to check for updates. After clicking on the question mark, click on About Firefox and it will automatically check for updates. You can also make a donation to the community (if you wish) to help them with development research.

It's just like regular Firefox to me and it works just as well.

Switch to Firefox Extended Support Release (ESR) for personal use

ETA: If you do decide to get a newer laptop or PC, you can either purchase a flash drive or external hard drive to transfer your photos, documents, videos, etc. to from your XP PC. You can then transfer all of that to your new PC or hard drive. My newer Dell laptop which I purchased in 2013 has a 750 GB hard drive. I also have Windows 10 version 1803 on it, and I don't have a touch screen. It still works perfectly fine without it, and I also use a mouse with my laptop. I can also still draw, etc. using Bamboo Splash which comes with a Splash pen.

I think you will like a newer laptop a lot better because you can do so much more than what you can now with Windows XP. Making the videos is about the only reason I use my XP laptop now, and I transfer the videos using a flash drive to my newer laptop because it's much easier and faster to upload to YouTube with. I have 6 GB of memory compared to the 2 GB of memory with my older laptop. I hope this helps some.

 

[Japanfan]

When we got our latest computer the store (Staples) transferred everything over for us. Simple and easy, and nothing lost.

 

[Simone411]

@Japanfan, that would sure be a better way to do it then. It's a lot easier than what my suggestion was.

 

[Susan1]

Thanks everybody. I thought about this all night. Trying to reply to everything above......Whatever new thing I got, I'd have to buy a new Office Suite, right? What would I get? I know everybody gets new computers and software and stuff so they can do more. I really don't want or need to do more. It irks me that I am going to have to spend a bunch of money and worry about complications of using new things.

I only put personal things in Word (library books list, genealogy, house repair notes, etc.) and Excel (I can definitely get rid of some of the old things that just get updated every month), but I'm always going back and looking for something.

Would I get Publisher? I haven't used that for anything in years, but I have all the old skating dress business pictures and brochure work that nobody else would ever care about. I didn't even get Powerpoint back in the day because I only ever used it at work.

Would I be able to go back to Outlook email? I had to stop using that because of Windows XP. I still have all my old emails. I can open Outlook, I just can't use it.

Would old Excel calcs and formulas work in a new Excel? I only use that a couple times a month. But, I've even got a genealogy page (A-first generation, B staggered-their kids, C-their kids, etc. - easier to organize than word tables) I know basic Word stuff would be o.k. because I emailed genealogy notes to myself to open at the library and typed in those in whatever they have (2007? 2010?) and emailed them back to myself fine.

I hate change. (Funny, how often over the decades have I said I miss wordperfect!) I need to be spending money on house repairs, not a computer that will not improve anything. If I won the computer lottery (?), I would have bought a printer/scanner. I had four printers since 1999 and they pretty much dried up or blew up because I didn't use them enough (no reason to). Waste of money. But I would scan EVERY picture I have.

I'll look up the Firefox ESR. I don't even know what Firefox DOES, that the ESR wouldn't. I used Explorer for years with no problem. Then they didn't support XP anymore.

We do have a Best Buy close, but they are so expensive. Can you just buy a "mini-tower" without the monitor and stuff. When I got this computer in 2008, a guy I worked with told me what I needed and sent me to a place he knew that would custom build it. I kept my monitor (got a flat one about 5 years ago), keyboard (still have) and mouse (only the second one since 1999 - stuff does not last anymore). Then the work guy came over on a Saturday and transferred all my stuff. He's not around anymore (10 years!). Now I would have to take the old tower to someplace to be transferred.

We have an Office Depot/Office Max. That's where I've been getting my Christmas card labels printed since the last printer died. Should I trust them? I suppose computers won't go on back-to-school sale till August and it will be too late to switch.

Typing while I'm thinking. I'm going to stop typing for now, but still thinking.

 

[Susan1]

Simone411:
Well, I looked up Firefox ESR and the first thing was the same as the notice I got:

"Important - Firefox is ending support for Windows XP and Vista

Firefox version 52.9.0esr was the last scheduled release for Windows XP and Windows Vista. No further security updates will be provided after August 2018." And it goes on........

And, Mozilla article from December 2016 -
" "In approximately March, 2017, Windows XP and Vista users will automatically be moved to the Firefox Extended Support Release (ESR).

Firefox is one of the few browsers that continues to support Windows XP and Vista, and we expect to continue to provide security updates for users until September 2017. Users do not need to take additional action to receive those updates. In mid-2017, user numbers on Windows XP and Vista will be reassessed and a final support end date will be announced.

In the meantime, we strongly encourage our users to upgrade to a version of Windows that is supported by Microsoft. Unsupported operating systems receive no security updates, have known exploits, and are dangerous for you to use. For planning purposes, enterprises using Firefox should consider September 2017 as the support end date for Windows XP and Vista." "

So support went an extra year from what they said?

 

[Justlooking]

What is your budget for your old computer ?

Normally you can use your mouse, monitor and keyboard with your new computer.

What you must check
- Are your mouse and keyboard usb ? Or ps2 ? ( just check on google images if you don't know what it means , it's the type of plug)
- Is your monitor hdmi ?

It doesn't seem to be complex data for excel or word.
Try using LibreOffice or OpenOffice ( it's free). Open your files, it they open well don't bother buying Microsoft.


__________________

If you don't want to buy another Windows. Do you know someone who knows a little bit about computers around you ?
You could install Linux ( an open source operating system)

There are many linux that are easy for beginners and that look like windows.
https://itsfoss.com/windows-like-linux-distributions/


If you don't know anybody, I don't know where you live, but if you live a big city, sometime there are linux events. Usually, you can bring your computer and they'll install Linux for free.

____________

Do you need some other programs except for Word and Excel ?

( for outlook, i don't know if they are easy way to copy mails, etc.. I'll tell you later)

 

[Simone411]

Simone411:
Well, I looked up Firefox ESR and the first thing was the same as the notice I got:

"Important - Firefox is ending support for Windows XP and Vista

Firefox version 52.9.0esr was the last scheduled release for Windows XP and Windows Vista. No further security updates will be provided after August 2018." And it goes on........

And, Mozilla article from December 2016 -
" "In approximately March, 2017, Windows XP and Vista users will automatically be moved to the Firefox Extended Support Release (ESR).

Firefox is one of the few browsers that continues to support Windows XP and Vista, and we expect to continue to provide security updates for users until September 2017. Users do not need to take additional action to receive those updates. In mid-2017, user numbers on Windows XP and Vista will be reassessed and a final support end date will be announced.

In the meantime, we strongly encourage our users to upgrade to a version of Windows that is supported by Microsoft. Unsupported operating systems receive no security updates, have known exploits, and are dangerous for you to use. For planning purposes, enterprises using Firefox should consider September 2017 as the support end date for Windows XP and Vista." "

So support went an extra year from what they said?

Yes, it did. I just received another update yesterday before I posted. I opened up my browser and clicked on "About Firefox ESR". As soon as I did that, it gave me an update.

I can't remember where I read about it, but it mentioned that Firefox ESR would still give security updates even though it was expiring. I know it mentioned September 2017, but I'm still receiving the security updates and it is now near the end of June 2018.

 

[Simone411]

There are also free alternatives to Microsoft Office that might interest you. According to PC World, there are at least 6 alternatives:

Best free Microsoft Office alternatives. I had heard of Open Office as an alternative a long time ago.

Since I still can use Office 2010, on my laptop, I really didn't need anything on my older laptop. If I should need it, I can use Word Pad or a free word processor that's actually better than Word Pad called Jarte. I discovered it several years ago, I love it. Of course Jarte is only a word processor. So you still could download one of the free office alternatives.

Here'a a link to Jarte if you wish to check it out - Jarte - Unlock the hidden power behind Microsoft's Word Pad

 

[Susan1]

What is your budget for your old computer ?

Normally you can use your mouse, monitor and keyboard with your new computer.

What you must check
- Are your mouse and keyboard usb ? Or ps2 ? ( just check on google images if you don't know what it means , it's the type of plug)
- Is your monitor hdmi ?

It doesn't seem to be complex data for excel or word.
Try using LibreOffice or OpenOffice ( it's free). Open your files, it they open well don't bother buying Microsoft.


__________________

If you don't want to buy another Windows. Do you know someone who knows a little bit about computers around you ?
You could install Linux ( an open source operating system)

There are many linux that are easy for beginners and that look like windows.
https://itsfoss.com/windows-like-linux-distributions/


If you don't know anybody, I don't know where you live, but if you live a big city, sometime there are linux events. Usually, you can bring your computer and they'll install Linux for free.

____________

Do you need some other programs except for Word and Excel ?

( for outlook, i don't know if they are easy way to copy mails, etc.. I'll tell you later)

That's all too confusing! Obviously I don't know anybody to ask anything. Can I use my mouse, keyboard and monitor with a laptop? They are cheaper than buying a desktop (that doesn't even have software on it). What's Office 365? Laptops come with that - word, excel, powerpoint, outlook and notepad, I think?

I put sticky labels on all the cords when I unplugged everything to have it cleaned out, but I don't know what they are. Wow - back when I got the first Gateway, the BIG end of the plugs were bright colors that corresponded with big bright colored holes on the back. I took off on the Friday it was supposed to get there and the guys at work had said to call if I had any problems. Somehow, they delivered it at 6:00 on Thursday and I had it together by 7, software, printer and all. The hardest part was picking up the monitor to put on the desk. I even had free Gateway email for a year.

I was looking - I can let the Publisher stuff go. That's all I have on my office toolbar. Besides My Pictures, the only folder I have in My Documents is Adobe Acrobat. Read only pdf files. That's not an Office thing, right?

I don't need or want a new or upgraded or faster computer, Windows or Office. I have to get a newer version of Windows to use Firefox. And they are the last browser (took me 10 minutes to think of that word!) left that has supported XP. My biggest worry is keeping all of my old office 2000 documents intact because they are not compatible with newer Windows.

I don't want to copy all emails. If I had Outlook Express again, they'd be right there. I've physically copy/pasted text of emails to yahoo mail to send to someone. It's still the same att.net address I've always had. I don't even email people much anymore. I just miss the things Outlook can do.

Yes, it did. I just received another update yesterday before I posted. I opened up my browser and clicked on "About Firefox ESR". As soon as I did that, it gave me an update.

Firefox version 52.9.0esr was the last scheduled release for Windows XP and Windows Vista. No further security updates will be provided after August 2018." And it goes on........

I checked - 52.9.0esr is the one I have. When I got the latest update Tuesday, the warning says "after August 2018" (so I can get something during the back to school sales).

I'm going to try to find the guy who teaches the software classes at the library when this heat wave is over. Although when I took Excel 2010 (geez it's already 2018) a couple years ago, I knew how to do advanced stuff he didn't that didn't have anything to do with the year it came out. Because I had do those things for 5-1/2 years, and he was just teaching the basics he was supposed to. I can learn any kind of software; it's the technical stuff that 12 year olds can do that escapes me.

 

[Justlooking]

That's all too confusing! Obviously I don't know anybody to ask anything. Can I use my mouse, keyboard and monitor with a laptop? They are cheaper than buying a desktop (that doesn't even have software on it). What's Office 365? Laptops come with that - word, excel, powerpoint, outlook and notepad, I think?

Usually they come with it, but you will only be able to use to write files for like one month. You will still be able to read files after the one month. I think, but maybe somebody knows better/

I put sticky labels on all the cords when I unplugged everything to have it cleaned out, but I don't know what they are

.

Do you have the model of your computer, of your screen ? ( Just asking in case if it's written on the front visible part)
I could check what cords they use.
Normally your mouse should be ok, there'sa good chance it's an usb one. And in fact, your screen should be okay too. The thing is that HDMI port will be compatible with even light computers, but if it's an other type of port ( don't remeber the name right now) it will still be okay with desktops and most laptops.

I was looking - I can let the Publisher stuff go. That's all I have on my office toolbar. Besides My Pictures, the only folder I have in My Documents is Adobe Acrobat. Read only pdf files. That's not an Office thing, right?

Indeed.

My biggest worry is keeping all of my old office 2000 documents intact because they are not compatible with newer Windows.

Don't worry about this, you'll be able to read them with some newer versions and with free word processors/ open office /etc.



There are now some really cheap computers that are new. Do you know how much money you are able to use ?
Looking right now, there are plenty of refurbished desktops for less 100 euros on amazon ( France).

Or you can buy an external drive, copy all your data on it, and update windows.

You shouldn't worry about your files. Do you still have the installation cds of the programs you us ? In the worst case scenario, you can still run windows XP on more recent versions of windows ( it s geeky but not difficult, there are easy step by step tutorial).

 

[Aussie Willy]

I put all my files on an external hard drive so don't save anything on my computer. I back up from one hard drive to another from time to time just in case something goes wrong with one of them by just doing a straight forward copy and paste. And then do another system back up from my laptop to another external hard drive as well. Needless to say I have about 3 hard drives that I use.

Funny I have had the main hard drive I use for many years now. It has worked very well. I thought it would have died by now.

 

[mysticchic]

If your computer works fine, just upgrade it to windows 10. Easy peasey. You can by just a tower. If you are in the states, check out open box stuff. I've bought great computers from Micro Center. http://www.microcenter.com/ also Amazon, dell.com and Walmart online. Best Buy has open stock also.

 

[Japanfan]

Thanks everybody. I thought about this all night. Trying to reply to everything above......Whatever new thing I got, I'd have to buy a new Office Suite, right? What would I get? I know everybody gets new computers and software and stuff so they can do more. I really don't want or need to do more. It irks me that I am going to have to spend a bunch of money and worry about complications of using new things.

Yes, I think you have to get the latest version of Office.

Computers unfortunately need to be replaced from time to time, even if we don't want to do any more stuff with them. It's money that has to be spent if we want to have a computer.

That's all too confusing! Obviously I don't know anybody to ask anything. Can I use my mouse, keyboard and monitor with a laptop? They are cheaper than buying a desktop (that doesn't even have software on it). What's Office 365? Laptops come with that - word, excel, powerpoint, outlook and notepad, I think?

I've no idea what Office 365 is.

I think you can hook small lap top keyboards up to larger keyboards. And yes, the laptop will come with those programs.

I've used an external mouse with a lap top and never did quite get used to it. I don't use my laptop all that much, so just use the censor mouse when I need it. I would think that if you use a laptop all the time, you'll get used to the censor mouse and find the external mouse on the desktop annoying.

We have an Office Depot/Office Max. That's where I've been getting my Christmas card labels printed since the last printer died. Should I trust them? I suppose computers won't go on back-to-school sale till August and it will be too late to switch.

I think you can trust them. They are in the business of selling computers. Staff their should be able to answer all the questions you are posting here.

As I said previously, they should be able to transfer over all of your files.

I think it's also a good idea to get a warranty.

We spent about $1,000 on our latest desktop and did take advantage of the back-to-school sales in the fall.

And they are the last browser (took me 10 minutes to think of that word!) left that has supported XP. My biggest worry is keeping all of my old office 2000 documents intact because they are not compatible with newer Windows.

Windows is so annoying and so invasive. The last series of Updates it insisted on doing for my desktop took hours.

I think it might be possible to update your 2000 documents to current ones. My computer is always telling me that it is updating word files to the most current format.

 

[mysticchic]

Microsoft office doesn't come pre loaded. You can buy a copy or pay a monthly fee. If you still have the old disk, check and see if you can use it on another computer.
Depending on what you do on the computer, that would decide what you need in a laptop or desktop. The one i use, I bought for 250.00 on sale last summer. I don't game, but I do edit photos. You can get a Chrome laptop very cheap if you don't need a lot of memory. You save everything on a cloud. I never thought it would work until i worked for Amazon.
I have 1TB of storage on this one.

 

[Japanfan]

Microsoft office doesn't come pre loaded. You can buy a copy or pay a monthly fee. If you still have the old disk, check and see if you can use it on another computer.

IIRC we used to do that, but couldn't do it when we got our last computer. Microsoft is quite adept at forcing people to spend money, especially when they update their computer.

 

[millyskate]

Susan, you should be able to keep all your files without any trouble at all but you will find that the more recent Windows force you to buy a lot of the software that used to be free.

If you're happy with your current computer, why not just change your browser? https://alternativeto.net/list/52/updated-web-browsers-for-windows-xp

ETA: either way, you should get an external hard drive and back up your data. It sounds like you won't have too many heavy files so you should be fine with a fairly cheap one. Old computers have a pesky tendency to die without warning

 

[Susan1]

Susan, you should be able to keep all your files without any trouble at all but you will find that the more recent Windows force you to buy a lot of the software that used to be free.

If you're happy with your current computer, why not just change your browser? https://alternativeto.net/list/52/updated-web-browsers-for-windows-xp

ETA: either way, you should get an external hard drive and back up your data. It sounds like you won't have too many heavy files so you should be fine with a fairly cheap one. Old computers have a pesky tendency to die without warning

I'll look up all of those browsers. Does anybody here use any of them?
I only use this computer maybe 3-4 hours a day altogether (when I'm not hit by the genealogy bug) - here, FB, games (not GAMES, I mean like AARP Trizzle!), email, making notes in Word or updating excel things. I had to have the power supply replaced because of the build up of dust - $50.

Everything I have read said that nothing is compatible with Office 2000 anymore.

What you must check
- Are your mouse and keyboard usb ? Or ps2 ? ( just check on google images if you don't know what it means , it's the type of plug)
- Is your monitor hdmi ?

It was too hot to crawl around on the floor last night. The mouse and keyboard would be ps2 - the pictures are the round kind of plugs, not the metal looking rectangular things (sorry for the technical language ha ha ha). The monitor is only about 4 years old. It has a big blue plug and has little things on the side that screw it in.

Do you have the model of your computer, of your screen ? ( Just asking in case if it's written on the front visible part)

The computer was custom built in 2008. A computer expert at work told me what I needed guts-wise and that's what they did. I got Windows XP because that was the latest thing in 2008. Then he copied the Office 2000 and all my files to the new computer. I think he used an external hard drive then. There's 10 more years of files to copy over.

I'm so stressed out, I can't even find the comment about Office Depot that I just read............but I'm picturing a bunch of 20something guys who don't know what XP is or Office 2000 or how you would do something so old fashioned without using all the latest technology.

I had Time Warner guys several years ago not be able to figure out how to fix the picture size on an old box t.v. after they replaced the cable box because it wasn't a flat screen. THEY LEFT IT with about 1/3 on either side and said that it was going to have to stay that way because of the newer cable box. I fixed it after they left - switched to ATT Uverse a couple months later.

 

[mysticchic]

I'll look up all of those browsers. Does anybody here use any of them?
I only use this computer maybe 3-4 hours a day altogether (when I'm not hit by the genealogy bug) - here, FB, games (not GAMES, I mean like AARP Trizzle!), email, making notes in Word or updating excel things. I had to have the power supply replaced because of the build up of dust - $50.

Everything I have read said that nothing is compatible with Office 2000 anymore.



It was too hot to crawl around on the floor last night. The mouse and keyboard would be ps2 - the pictures are the round kind of plugs, not the metal looking rectangular things (sorry for the technical language ha ha ha). The monitor is only about 4 years old. It has a big blue plug and has little things on the side that screw it in.


The computer was custom built in 2008. A computer expert at work told me what I needed guts-wise and that's what they did. I got Windows XP because that was the latest thing in 2008. Then he copied the Office 2000 and all my files to the new computer. I think he used an external hard drive then. There's 10 more years of files to copy over.

I'm so stressed out, I can't even find the comment about Office Depot that I just read............but I'm picturing a bunch of 20something guys who don't know what XP is or Office 2000 or how you would do something so old fashioned without using all the latest technology.

I had Time Warner guys several years ago not be able to figure out how to fix the picture size on an old box t.v. after they replaced the cable box because it wasn't a flat screen. THEY LEFT IT with about 1/3 on either side and said that it was going to have to stay that way because of the newer cable box. I fixed it after they left - switched to ATT Uverse a couple months later.

sounds like the computer you have is fine. You will hate Office 360.
I use Google Chrome. I used to use Firefox, but when I had to upgrade to Windows 10, I went to Chrome. Chrome is fine. It must have good security, because Amazon uses Chrome for CS. Chrome is very easy to use and I found book marking is super easy with the browser. I also have very little issues with watching videos and skating on crazy links.
Keep the computer and ditch the browser.

 

[Simone411]

@Susan1, there are alternatives to Microsoft Office, etc. You might consider one of those especially if you're on a budget. PCWorld has a list of the Office alternatives on their website. Maybe check it out when you get time:

Best Free Microsoft Office Alternatives.

Regarding Windows XP and the browsers. Since I only use that old laptop to make my skating videos, I've been thinking of disabling the internet altogether because of security, etc. I rarely go online with the older laptop unless absolutely necessary, and I had already deleted Internet Explorer 8, uninstalled Java, Adobe Flash, Adobe Reader etc. because those are security risks, too. I only use Sumatra PDF reader, and it's just basicly a pdf reader. I can also watch DVDs in Windows Media Player with my old laptop. So that's the only thing left to do and it makes sense to do it.

 

[millyskate]

Trying out a new browser is free - https://browser.yandex.com/ for example if you download this, and try browsing the internet with it, you'll figure out if it works for you. You can always delete it if you don't like it.

Changing browsers won't effect your interactions with your local files - images, word or excel documents.

If you are currently able to store all your data on your computer without the help of external hard drives, then that's an indication that you don't have much data - in terms of memory. Word, Excel files are surprisingly light: unless you have a lot of videos or pictures taken with a professional camera, it makes sense that you're not using much memory. A 500MB hard drive is fairly cheap and should be enough to back up your data.

 

[Lilia A]

I got Windows XP because that was the latest thing in 2008.

Actually, the latest thing back then was Vista. Had been the latest thing for a year or so IIRC. Having said that, I don't blame you for not getting it. It was terrible, utterly terrible, and was quickly replaced by Win7.

 

[mysticchic]

https://www.winxdvd.com/windows-10/upgrade-windows-xp-to-windows-10.htm How to upgrade to win 10 from XP without losing data.
The upgrade is 119.00 for the licence.

 

[Susan1]

https://www.winxdvd.com/windows-10/upgrade-windows-xp-to-windows-10.htm How to upgrade to win 10 from XP without losing data.
The upgrade is 119.00 for the licence.

Thanks. Yeah. But...........Office 2000 documents are not compatible with anything past Windows XP/Vista.

Trying out a new browser is free - https://browser.yandex.com/ for example if you download this, and try browsing the internet with it, you'll figure out if it works for you. You can always delete it if you don't like it.

I'll try out the browsers. How long till they don't work with what I have?

 

[Aceon6]

Thanks. Yeah. But...........Office 2000 documents are not compatible with anything past Windows XP/Vista.

Not quite true and mixing things up a bit. The documents themselves don’t care what operating system you’re running. Newer versions of Office can open Office 2000 files just fine as can Office 365. You’ll be asked if you want to save them in the new format, but MS won’t change them unless you allow it.

 

[misskarne]

I'm so stressed out, I can't even find the comment about Office Depot that I just read............but I'm picturing a bunch of 20something guys who don't know what XP is or Office 2000 or how you would do something so old fashioned without using all the latest technology.

This is a bit rich given that you are having difficulty grasping the concept of putting everything on a hard drive and getting a laptop.

Plenty of 20-somethings remember XP and Office 2000. I still have files on my laptop that are Office 2000. I remember upgrading from XP to Vista. Most 20-somethings will have likely even used XP when at school.

Not quite true and mixing things up a bit. The documents themselves don’t care what operating system you’re running. Newer versions of Office can open Office 2000 files just fine as can Office 365. You’ll be asked if you want to save them in the new format, but MS won’t change them unless you allow it.

Seconding this. Office files are generally very compatible with various versions. You might have to re-save a few things to get them in the new format, but you'll almost certainly be able to open them and view them.

 

[Susan1]

Not quite true and mixing things up a bit. The documents themselves don’t care what operating system you’re running. Newer versions of Office can open Office 2000 files just fine as can Office 365. You’ll be asked if you want to save them in the new format, but MS won’t change them unless you allow it.

Thank you. I'm SO confused. I keep remembering that I emailed a Word document to the library, opened it and updated it with genealogy stuff and sent it back to myself and it was fine. It wasn't formatted in any way, just notes. Would each one have to be copied individually or just dumped into the new Word. So.............what is the Office that I want to get? What about Excel formulas, etc.? Back in the day, I remember not being able to open things that came from a higher version of stuff. There was a pull down that said "open in" and it gave you options. Will it do that for every document?

Please come to my house and take me to the computer store and tell me what to do and what to buy and how to get things right! I get so stressed out when technical people try to tell me how to do something that they could do in their sleep. I loved the guy from work. He was 15 years younger than me, took college computer classes when he was in 8th grade and built his own computers and stuff and he was so patient with me. At work, when he was showing me how to do all this complicated stuff in Access (just combining all the different things into it before being able to run the report took two hours every Tuesday morning), I was doing it and writing it down at the same time <because I couldn't read how he wrote it> and practically in tears. One time when he got too technical, I said it just sounds like giraffes chewing. I don't know where that came from!!!! but obviously I still remember it from over 10 years ago. He wrote down exactly what I needed from the computer store and then spent a Saturday setting it up and transferring it all. I bought him lunch and gave him two end tables <which he needed> that were going to go in the garage sale from my old house.

I always had to teach more technical or analytical people how to do things in Word or fix formatting type things in Excel that seemed totally easy to me, from a long time user's background, and I did not treat them like they were stupid. I was born with secretary brain. I've always had typed up detailed procedures for everything that I could share. I taught 5 temps who had no office experience how to do a vlookup. They all had their cell phones sitting out on the desks and texted people all day long, including each other.

Weird, I only get the Sunday paper now and there haven't been any Best Buy ads since I've wanted to see what computers they have. I looked online and supposedly it is still out by the mall.

 

[misskarne]

Another thought. Be careful with the version of Office 365 that you get. The ones with Publisher are subscription services - you pay monthly or annually for access. You can still buy Office 365 outright but it has less in it.

If you want to buy it outright, you need the Home and Student version. That doesn't come with Publisher. But you can get the Personal version if you want Publisher and are okay with paying a monthly/yearly subscription fee.

 

[Aceon6]

@Susan1 , does your town have a public library with computers, or a senior center with same? Your best bet for “take me shopping” help is the library or senior center technology assistant who runs the computer training.