New Computer To Run Windows 11 - Recommendations On MS Office Packages?

[Number_35]

A few days ago I took our old (January 2017) desktop computer into get the Windows 11 upgrade. (MS is discontinuing support for Win 10 next month.)

The computer shop advised that the old motherboard and processor would not run Win 11. No surprise - I suppose an almost 9-year-old machine is pretty ancient in computer years.

At that point, the power supply and fans are getting old, the RAM is insufficient, and the original SSD is small by today's standards. I wound up buying a new system (keeping the small SSD as a 2nd internal drive). I'm still finding my way around, but am pretty happy with it so far.

I am missing a few of my old MS Office programs - Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. MS Office is apparently tied to one machine, and can't be carried forward to a new one.

I bought MS Office last time. This time it looks like they want to go to an annual fee.

Recommendations for which package to go with? It's a bit like trying to drink out of a firehose.

https://www.bing.com/search?q=micro...654473E9232&FORM=QBRE&sp=2&ghc=1&lq=0&ntref=1

Thanks in advance. (I'm a bit of a dinosaur w.r.t. computers - I definitely have not kept up.)

 

[Nessism1]

Open Office. Freeware. Not as good as Office, but good enough.

 

[Number_35]

Open Office. Freeware. Not as good as Office, but good enough.

I used to use a lot of Linux/open source stuff. I lost Firefox and Thunderbird with this upgrade.

I might get back to it, or might be lazy and just buy Office.

 

[Klutch9]

Libreoffice is good too.

 

[duck__dodgers]

How did you buy your old office? aftermarket or during the PC build?

check your old computer, you might have a license key; ask google where to find it. if you have a key, install the old Office edition onto the new computer

 

[Number_35]

How did you buy your old office? aftermarket or during the PC build?

check your old computer, you might have a license key; ask google where to find it. if you have a key, install the old Office edition onto the new computer

I've already given the old one away. Case/power supply/mother board/processor, just waiting for a hard drive. A friend wanted it for his grandson to build up.

 

[slacktide_bitog]

You can get a cheap license on ebay

Here is Office 2019 for only $40
Office 2021 for $56

And of course, Google Docs is free

 

[MRC01]

The Windows 11 installer has artificially enforced fake requirements. It runs fine without TPM, Secure Boot or the CPU requirements. Microsoft, much like Apple, thinks they know what their users need better than the users themselves, and is arrogant enough to force these unnecessary requirements on them. Microsoft could make these recommended defaults that users can disable, but they don't provide that option. Yet since Windows 11 does run just fine on most of these systems, the challenge is to find a way to make the installer skip the requirements checks. One way to do this to use Fly-OOBE. It's an open source GitHub project: https://github.com/builtbybel/Flyoobe

I run Linux on all my machines and don't use Windows for much, but I do need it for a few things that will stop working when Windows 10 is end-of-lifed, so I run it in a VirtualBox instance hosted on a Linux server. Fly-OOBE enabled me to upgrade this VirtualBox instance when the Windows installer refused. That installation was successful and Windows 11 runs just fine on this virtual machine that doesn't have or need TPM, Secure boot, or any of the other fake Windows 11 "requirements".

Another benefit of Fly-OOBE is that it facilitates disabling the junk in Windows 11 that you don't want. This includes advertising (which BTW is shameful to include in a non-free OS like Windows), AI with its accompanying spy-ware, and a plethora of bloat-ware. So even if you have a new Windows 11 system, you might want Fly-OOBE just to customize it like this.

As for office software, LibreOffice is open source, free, with native versions on all platforms: Linux, Windows and Mac.

 

[SumGuy]

I reached into my binders of MSDN CD's from 20+ years ago and installed Excel from Office 2000 premium SR1 on a win-10 system. I absolutely hate the newer versions of Excel. It works fine, no authentication or activation required.

 

[daves87rs]

I reached into my binders of MSDN CD's from 20+ years ago and installed Excel from Office 2000 premium SR1 on a win-10 system. I absolutely hate the newer versions of Excel. It works fine, no authentication or activation required.

Just had a cousin use a disc like that himself……

 

[barryh]

I reached into my binders of MSDN CD's from 20+ years ago and installed Excel from Office 2000 premium SR1 on a win-10 system. I absolutely hate the newer versions of Excel. It works fine, no authentication or activation required.

I'm still running Office 2003 because I like the simplicity and crispness of it, plus it has a small footprint. And most important it does everything I need it to do. I have the installation files preconfigured with the exact installation I want. A simple additional converter allows new office file extensions to be used. New versions of Office and particularly Word are so complex and sophisticated that only a very small percentage of users actually benefit from it's capability. For the majority of users something far simpler would be better and easier to use.

 

[GON]

I run Microsoft Windows 11, a fully purchased and properly licensed copy. My windows 11 is not registered with Microsoft to allow them the right to use the information on my computer at their own will.

The same with Microsoft office. I purchased are stand alone copy latest year..I also did the same with adobe acrobat.

It is disingenuous for these tech companies to imply they are making the system better for the individual end user. They are simply using our data for their own self interests.

I hope to retire soon and no longer have a need for any Microsoft products. The same with Google, adobe, etc.

 

[MRC01]

... I hope to retire soon and no longer have a need for any Microsoft products. The same with Google, adobe, etc.

+1 to that! I did this about 15 years ago. It's been great, no looking back. Yet it's hard to cut out Windows entirely. Some software I use only runs on Windows and avoiding that software would be more trouble than it's worth.

 

[Vil_Riker]

I updated my old Surface to Win11 and lost the Office apps. MS wanted me to buy a O365 subscription but I went with LibreOffice instead.

 

[I<3oil]

could try this

https://slickdeals.net/f/18606880-m...pcs-digital-delivery-19-99?v=1&src=SiteSearch

 

[rijndael]

I've had surprisingly good luck with those severly discounted office and windows packages.

 

[Number_35]

Thanks all - I decided to try Open Office. The download was surprisingly easy.

I tried the spreadsheet program, and it works well.

I had problems trying to hook up my ancient Brother laser printer, but downloaded a new driver and got it going.

I think I'm set for now.

 

[uc50ic4more]

Open Office. Freeware. Not as good as Office, but good enough.

OpenOffice is a long, long way behind a more recent fork of it called LibreOffice. LibreOffice has some heavy hitters behind it, OpenOffice has Oracle.