Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with vista and office

How can I download only Open Office Writer instead of the whole suite?

ptsampras14 — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 13:52:16 -0800

Can I download only OpenOffice Writer? I don't want the whole suite of OpenOffice..can i download only one program or pick and choose...like Writer and Calc (word and excel)

Is there an actual name for the "Start Menu" user interface element in Vista?

dhacker — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 13:11:15 -0800

Is there an actual name for the "Start Menu" user interface element in Vista? It also shows up in Office 2007 and holds all the "Open, Save As . . ." file operations. I've heard it called the "Pearl" - is that actually the name of the element? Is there another common way to refer to that object? Is it a "button"? Something else?

Office replacement that can convert Vista files?

answergrape — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 12:00:03 -0800

Replacement for Office that can read Vista files? I am a part-time instructor. When my home computer died, I lost my home copy of Microsoft Office 2003. New copies of Office 2003 are shockingly expensive.

The pain and alienation of using Vista in my classroom finally drove me to the loving arms of OpenOffice for home use, but I have a problem. I have to open Vista files created by my students, because the school's lab computers use Vista. I can't seem to find a converter.

In addition, OpenOffice doesn't always play nice with some of my old document formatting.

Is there a better opensource office suite that could also read Vista files? Do I need to suck it up and re-buy Office 2003 so that I can install that converter?

Excel 2007 issue.

phaded — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 14:45:20 -0800

What's wrong with my copy of Excel 2007? I installed Office 2007 Ultimate about a week and a half or so ago. It's all run beautifully so far, with one exception: Excel. Sometimes when I open it, I'll be greeted with a screen that looks like this. Other times, I'll open it and it will look perfectly fine. Generally, if I quit the program when I get the messed up-looking window and then re-open it, it will look fine. However, I'd really love it if it would look right all the time. Anyone know what's wrong and how to fix it?

Help me become a Vista and Office 2007 pro!

JPowers — Tue, 14 Nov 2006 20:28:29 -0800

Help me become a Microsoft Vista and Office 2007 pro! Are there any well-done, professional, in-depth screencast tutorials (in the vein of Lynda.com) over being a Windows Vista power user?

Same question for Office 2007?

Free or for pay services welcome.

Side question: How long does it usually take Lynda.com to come out with tutorials once a product is released?

Follow-up question: approximately when will most Fortune 500-type companies make the switch to Vista? How about Office 2007?