Clyde's Tech Tips - Office 2007 & Windows Vista

Clyde's Tech Tips - Office 2007 & Windows Vista

October 30, 2007
Volume 7: Issue 6

I'm going to mix things up a bit. I've decided to rename this Ezine "Clyde's Tech Tips" instead of "This and That Technology Tips." It feels a little "punchier" and I can now take full responsibility for the content ;-)! I'm also going to answer your questions, include a few more product highlights and, of course, mix in a few adverts for good ol' ITM Computing.

Enjoy,
Clyde

Office 2007 Compatibility Issues

Question:

Is it true that if someone has Vista and they send me an attachment (Word doc) I cannot open it in XP? My parents got a new PC with Vista and they sent me a test and it seems that I cannot open it. Someone else said that is true. Just wondering...that would really suck.
--Lost in Las Vegas

Answer: Sorry, LinL, it's true.

Vista isn't the problem, though...it's Office 2007. Yes, the native format can't be read with any other version of Office. There are 3 options:

1. You can download and install the Microsoft Compatibility Pack for Excel 2007, Word 2007 and PowerPoint 2007. This will allow you to read Office 2007 documents into your version of Word 2000, XP (sometimes called 2002) or Office 2003 files. Your parents can always read your documents.

2. Your parents would have to save their Office 2007 document in the MS Office 97-2003 format. They would click on "File, Save As" and save as MS Office 97-2003 format. If the document is shared back and forth it will stay in this version. A great demonstration can be found here. If your parents will be sharing Office 2007 documents with others often, they should permanently change the default save feature. To change permanently for Word, do the following:

Double-click Microsoft Office Word 2007, double-click Word Options, and click Save.
In the right pane, right-click Save files in this format, and select Properties.
In Save files in this format, select Enabled.
In the drop-down box, select a default file save format.
Click Apply to save the settings.

See many examples of saving options and for other MS Office products.

3. Your parents can download a MS Office 2007 plug-in and then save as PDF for documents to be sent out.

You gotta love Microsoft for making MS Office so incompatible! Fun, huh?

Speaking of PDFs, wouldn't it be able to create them without using the $200 Adobe PDF? If you're a regular subscriber to Clyde's Blog (sent a bit more frequently then Clyde's Tech Tips), you'll see many options for conveniently and economically creating PDFs without Adobe. Read & Subscribe today - www.ClydesBlog.net

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Windows Vista - Should I Upgrade?

Question: I keep hearing about Vista. What's so great about it? Should I upgrade to it? Am I going to have problems?

Answer: It's a multi-part one!

We've been using Windows Vista since it came out. We've had many of you buy machines with Windows Vista without any compatibility issues. A couple of you have upgraded your systems from Windows XP to Windows Vista and crashed them. I think Windows Vista is a solid upgrade to Windows XP in the Consumer/Retail market. Two of you wanted us to take Vista off your machine and then put back Windows XP. In our experience, these last two incidents are rare.

Should you consider upgrading your current computer from Windows XP to Vista? No, I don't believe that's necessary. There's nothing too exciting in the new Operating System worthy of the upgrade.

Should you buy your next computer with Windows Vista on it? That depends. You need to check the compatibility of all your current hardware and software. Most mainstream hardware (like printers, scanners, cameras, PDAs, PDA phones) and software will work with Vista: MS Office 2003, MS Office XP, Internet Explorer, Firefox, QuickBooks (only version 2007), Quicken 2008-2007 (solid), Quicken 2006-2005 (a little trickier) -- definitely download the latest updates. The big issue, though, is getting all the updates to make sure they work. If this is all too confusing, you know who to call. (Hint: ITM Computing, 408.732.8500).

Do you have your Halloween Cards ready to send out to
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In business or in life, it's all about being noticed. When was the last time you got a Halloween card delivered by your US (or any other country) postal carrier? I think it's been at least 25 years since I've received one. I make it easy with SendOutCards or www.sendcardswithease.com . With our system, you can methodically, in about 2 minutes per client, send out a pre-made follow-up card that has the quality and warmth of a Hallmark card -- for about 1/4 of the cost!

For about $1 (and no traveling involved), you can sit down at your computer - pick a card - write the card in your own handwriting font, with your own signature - and have us print it, stuff it, lick it, stamp it, and send it to your clients - anywhere in the world. Again, for about a buck, including postage. Without doing much more than typing in a person's mailing address and a quick personal note, you've just made their day. Heck, if you want, you can even include a Starbucks, iTunes, or Bed, Bath and Beyond gift card for your special clients. Contact us at www.sendcardswithease.com , Send 2 Halloween - Thanksgiving - Birthday - Thanks for the Referral Hallmark-style cards or call 408.732.8500 today -- we've already set up a free gift account for you!

Hope you enjoyed the ride!

This newsletter is a service of In The Moment Computing and is Copyright 2007 Clyde Lerner. All worldwide rights reserved. If forwarding, please forward entire e-mail, not just any portion therein. To see past issues of This and That Computer Tips newsletter, please visit our site and click on "Archives."

Read, then subscribe to Clyde's Blog.

Clyde Lerner, In The Moment Computing, 408.732.8500 www.ITMComputing.com

Read, then subscribe to Clyde's Blog.