Post by PickyChicky on Mar 1, 2014 9:54:07 GMT -6
Since buying this laptop in 2010 for school, I've had to spend quite a bit of money to replace what wouldn't work with a 64-bit or make older software compatible with it. While the laptop came with Windows 7 Home, I had to upgrade to Windows 7 Ultimate in order for much of my software to work on the new PC. I also had to buy a new printer because HP wasn't providing updated drivers to make my all-in-one OfficeJet fully functional on a 64-bit PC.
The laptop also came with Office 2010 Starter Edition, which includes cut-down versions of Word and Excel that leave out some basic features that are rather important -- like freezing panes in Excel so you can see the header rows when you scroll down the page. So, I've been meaning to upgrade to the full Professional version when I had the money, thinking it would be cheaper than buying a whole new copy of it.
Pfft! They don't do upgrades anymore. If you have an existing version of Office, you still have to pay full price to upgrade. Of course, Microsoft is up to Office 2013 now and no longer sells 2010, so I've been scouring eBay and other more trusted sites looking for Office 2010 Professional. The more trusted sites aren't selling it and people on eBay are asking way too much for it, particularly since most can only be installed to one PC. I have two of my own PCs and there are three others the family uses, so that won't do.
I do have the full version of Office XP Pro, which would work on my PC, but how long will they continue supporting it, if they even still support it? I need to have my presentation and database software -- not to mention fully functioning Word and Excel. So, I'm seriously considering permanently switching to using the FREE Open Office software.
Unfortunately, that means relearning its language for doing complex formulas in its version of Excel as well as relearning the other software. So, I'm concerned about any other differences that I'm not currently aware of. Although, I haven't used PowerPoint or Access in several years, so I'd still have to refresh my memory on those, anyway. So it's no big deal that I'd have to learn how to use the Open Office versions.
Anywho, all that said, it got me to thinking that we need a REFERENCE thread for free or affordable software needed to create and manage everything a small business owner needs. I'm only aware of a few, so would appreciate it if you could share any that you're aware of. That way I can compile a good list on the Reference board that covers a variety of needs -- photo editing, graphic design, data/listing management, etc.
So, please do share your links and let us know what each is for, how user-friendly it is, whether or not it's free, and what paid versions are available and their prices. I can do the additional research, but it would help save me time if you could share what you know. Thanks in advance!
The laptop also came with Office 2010 Starter Edition, which includes cut-down versions of Word and Excel that leave out some basic features that are rather important -- like freezing panes in Excel so you can see the header rows when you scroll down the page. So, I've been meaning to upgrade to the full Professional version when I had the money, thinking it would be cheaper than buying a whole new copy of it.
Pfft! They don't do upgrades anymore. If you have an existing version of Office, you still have to pay full price to upgrade. Of course, Microsoft is up to Office 2013 now and no longer sells 2010, so I've been scouring eBay and other more trusted sites looking for Office 2010 Professional. The more trusted sites aren't selling it and people on eBay are asking way too much for it, particularly since most can only be installed to one PC. I have two of my own PCs and there are three others the family uses, so that won't do.
I do have the full version of Office XP Pro, which would work on my PC, but how long will they continue supporting it, if they even still support it? I need to have my presentation and database software -- not to mention fully functioning Word and Excel. So, I'm seriously considering permanently switching to using the FREE Open Office software.
Unfortunately, that means relearning its language for doing complex formulas in its version of Excel as well as relearning the other software. So, I'm concerned about any other differences that I'm not currently aware of. Although, I haven't used PowerPoint or Access in several years, so I'd still have to refresh my memory on those, anyway. So it's no big deal that I'd have to learn how to use the Open Office versions.
Anywho, all that said, it got me to thinking that we need a REFERENCE thread for free or affordable software needed to create and manage everything a small business owner needs. I'm only aware of a few, so would appreciate it if you could share any that you're aware of. That way I can compile a good list on the Reference board that covers a variety of needs -- photo editing, graphic design, data/listing management, etc.
So, please do share your links and let us know what each is for, how user-friendly it is, whether or not it's free, and what paid versions are available and their prices. I can do the additional research, but it would help save me time if you could share what you know. Thanks in advance!
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