Computer Dinosaur needs advice please

[SiSiSi 10]

Being a bit of a computer dinosaur, I'm used to installing programs from a disc. I've had my current pc for quite a while now as you can probably guess.

 

I'm looking at buying an all-in-one laptop/tablet.

 

The last time I installed Office on a laptop it came on a disc.

 

Now I believe you have to download it online.

 

Do you go the Microsoft, pay for it and then download it?

 

Is it as simple as that?

 

Is the same true of anti-virus software? If so, can anyone recommend one please?

[Ghozer 112]

a new laptop will likely come with Windows 10, which has Windows Defender, which is a Virus and Spyware checker, and real time monitor - you can install another along side it, however I haven't bothered, and haven't had an issue so far... (I do regular maintenance however, and i'm careful, and know what websites I use)

 

as for office, lots of new laptops and computers come with an "office 365" trial, which is Microsofts new Office, and it's subscription based, per year (around £70/year) it's totally silly..

 

there are a few GREAT alternatives to Microsoft Office, that are also fully compatible (You can open documents made in Office, and save documents as Office compatible)

 

libreoffice and openoffice are two of them (google them to read a bit more)

 

But generally, yes, now when you buy software you download a 'trial' version, and purchase a license online, enter the license key, or login to your account for said software, etc...

 

Once you have purchased the license, you would either download the software from the website, or just 'activate' if it was a trial version...

[SiSiSi 10]

a new laptop will likely come with Windows 10, which has Windows Defender, which is a Virus and Spyware checker, and real time monitor - you can install another along side it, however I haven't bothered, and haven't had an issue so far... (I do regular maintenance however, and i'm careful, and know what websites I use)

 

as for office, lots of new laptops and computers come with an "office 365" trial, which is Microsofts new Office, and it's subscription based, per year (around £70/year) it's totally silly..

 

there are a few GREAT alternatives to Microsoft Office, that are also fully compatible (You can open documents made in Office, and save documents as Office compatible)

 

libreoffice and openoffice are two of them (google them to read a bit more)

 

But generally, yes, now when you buy software you download a 'trial' version, and purchase a license online, enter the license key, or login to your account for said software, etc...

 

Once you have purchased the license, you would either download the software from the website, or just 'activate' if it was a trial version...

 

Great, thanks for that!

 

One more question if I might please.

 

Can documents be created in libreoffice and openoffice which can then be read by microsoft office on another machine?

[Ghozer 112]

Great, thanks for that!

 

One more question if I might please.

 

Can documents be created in libreoffice and openoffice which can then be read by microsoft office on another machine?

 

Yes, they can save MS office / MS word compatible files..

 

When you're saving a file, under the box where you type the filename, you choose the appropriate file type/version in there before clicking save.. (as with any program)

[Jomie 30]

Open Office and Libre Office are good alternatives but have small differences that you will have to get used to. As you are not so computer savvy and have always used Microsoft Office, it might be worth spending on an up to date version as it would probably make life easier. I've tried the free office suites and they are good but I go back to MS Office because everything is familiar and I don't have to search for how to do things.

[Ghozer 112]

Open Office and Libre Office are good alternatives but have small differences that you will have to get used to. As you are not so computer savvy and have always used Microsoft Office, it might be worth spending on an up to date version as it would probably make life easier. I've tried the free office suites and they are good but I go back to MS Office because everything is familiar and I don't have to search for how to do things.

 

but if it really is that long since the OP got a new PC, MS Office has changed a great deal since how it looked (and operated) then, and libreoffice / openoffice are more like it used to be (such as Office 2010 or earlier)

 

the OP is talking about installing from a disk etc, it's likely Office 2010 or something similar

[SiSiSi 10]

2003 actually!

 

Thanks for the advice people. Much appreciated.

[ez8004 10]

EU legislation has allowed the sale of refurbished activation keys for quite some time. Amazon has them on sale from some sellers from time to time. I picked up two Office 2016 Pro, a Visio 2016 Pro and a Windows 10 Pro key all for £8 each.

 

They all activated off the Microsoft servers without issue and tied to my Microsoft accounts as digital licenses.

 

Go EU

[Jomie 30]

Didn’t think about MS Office being very different now. Like the OP, I am using 2003 Office but with Windows 10. I know it’s not supported now but I have good security and have not had any problems.

[Trickle 10]

Buy a £20 usb CD drive and install your 2003 disk on the new computer.

[swarfendor437 14]

If you haven't got a backup of Service Pack 3 you can get it from here:

 

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=8

 

Another alternative is WPS Office which gives you the option of changing the interface of Office 2007+ to Office 2003. The downside is that it is riddled with adverts unless you pay subscription and with all the talk of government Malwarebytes is it safe being a Chinese product? I use LibreOffice on GNU/Linux and working in Education allows me to install Office 2016 at home up to 5 devices.

[max 13]

If you still have the activation key from your 2003 installation you should still be able to install it to your choice of PC. I have Office 2010 which I purchased through a work offer and have kept installing it on different platforms since then.

 

You may be able to load the disc contents to a flash drive and install from there, if you still have the key that is.