# Need a free word program versus paying



## ladytoysdream (Dec 13, 2008)

Hi 

I have a windows 7 professional system on my computer. I have had 
this computer since late last fall when I bought it new. It's a HP and I 
really like it as is. I don't want windows 10 on it. 

I recently downloaded the Microsoft word, excel, power point, one note, and outlook 2016 version.
Now the free trial is up and it wants me to pay. I don't want to pay for a program I use very infrequently. 
The program I use most, is the word. I did my son's resume with it, and saved it on my computer. 
Now I can't use the word program to work on it and to make changes due to being locked out till I pay. 
He likes the resume with the bullets in it. 

I been reading the reviews on the open office and the libre versions. 

I just want simple. And a small download, basically the word program.

What suggestions would someone have for me ? 
Thanks. 

I do have a copy of the Microsoft office 2000 professional on a disk here. 
I could use that if it is compatible with my system ?


----------



## Nevada (Sep 9, 2004)

Office 2000 should install ok, but it is no longer supported for security updates. You'll also find Open Office and Libre Office to be entirely satisfactory.


----------



## ladytoysdream (Dec 13, 2008)

Okay. 

So before I download another program, it would be best to uninstall what I have now ?


----------



## Nevada (Sep 9, 2004)

ladytoysdream said:


> Okay.
> 
> So before I download another program, it would be best to uninstall what I have now ?


Yes, I would uninstall 2016 first.


----------



## WildernesFamily (Mar 11, 2006)

Apache OpenOffice is free and excellent.

http://www.openoffice.org/


----------



## MidwestMatthew (Mar 12, 2016)

Google Documents / Google Drive is great if you have reliable Internet access (actually I think you can work offline too...at least on mobile devices, maybe desktop too. Will have to check on that in a bit.)

Working on the cloud has a lot of advantages. Nothing to install, access anywhere, etc. The downside is it's perhaps not quite as private as your personal computer (which, of course, can also get hacked/monitored more easily than most people think). For most word-processing purposes, the cloud should work just fine.


----------



## tree-farmer (Jul 5, 2015)

I use Libre Office and I am a very satisfied "customer." Not sure how I could ever justify paying for the Microsoft version.


----------



## po boy (Jul 12, 2010)

I have Win 7 professional and run Office 2000 without any problems.


----------



## Bellyman (Jul 6, 2013)

I used OpenOffice quite a lot. For what you're using it for, it should be just fine. It doesn't always translate into Word Docs quite accurately, though, which is why I had to go with Microsoft Office. Why, I don't know. And for most stuff, it wouldn't matter. In my case, it does. And in my world, people use Microsoft.


----------



## mzgarden (Mar 16, 2012)

I recently started using Google Docs and Google Sheets. So far, for me, it's worked out very well. No cost, nothing to download and I can access my documents from any laptop or mobile device. I had multiple MS documents that I wanted to keep and they opened right up in Google docs/sheets without issue.


----------



## backwoodsman7 (Mar 22, 2007)

ladytoysdream said:


> I just want simple. And a small download, basically the word program.


If you want a somewhat simpler word processor and don't need a full office suite, take a look at Abiword.
http://www.abiword.org/

I really don't get the edit-your-documents-in-the-cloud thing (Google Docs etc.). That's exactly what we all wanted to get away from when PC's became available. Why on earth would you want all your stuff on the other end of a fragile internet connection, when you have your own computer with its own local storage and processing capability? If you need to access your documents from elsewhere, something like Dropbox makes a lot more sense.


----------



## ladytoysdream (Dec 13, 2008)

po boy said:


> I have Win 7 professional and run Office 2000 without any problems.


 This is what I ended up doing. I have the office 2000 here on a disk. I got it on my computer this morning. I could not move the saved resume into it, because Microsoft has a read only block on my copy on my machine. SIGH  So I was able to print my other copy off that I had saved in a different format. I then started a new page for the resume and did it all over again from scratch, and added the new stuff. Got it saved and printed off. 
Now I still have to uninstall Microsoft 2016. I should have done it first but I was in hurry to get that resume done. 

--------------------------------------
I seriously appreciate all the responses I got in this thread. 
You people are the best


----------



## Nevada (Sep 9, 2004)

po boy said:


> I have Win 7 professional and run Office 2000 without any problems.


Probably, but a security risk still exists. Updates for Office 2000 ended in 2009. Seven years out of date is pretty old.


----------



## arabian knight (Dec 19, 2005)

Ya Too many holes now in such a old program as that, not worth the risk.


----------



## ladytoysdream (Dec 13, 2008)

So the suggestion would be to uninstall the office 2000 ? 
And then reinstall it, when I need it


----------



## Nevada (Sep 9, 2004)

ladytoysdream said:


> So the suggestion would be to uninstall the office 2000 ?
> And then reinstall it, when I need it


The danger isn't that it might be hacked when not in use. The danger is in opening a Word document that has a virus payload.


----------



## Belfrybat (Feb 21, 2003)

ladytoysdream said:


> So the suggestion would be to uninstall the office 2000 ?
> And then reinstall it, when I need it


Not really. The suggestions have been to download either Open or Libre Office and use one of them. They are current and do not have the risk that using an outdated version of MS Office has. Plus they can read .docx documents whereas I think the 2000 version can only read .doc.


----------



## scottdennis (Apr 20, 2016)

Hands down I have found LibreOffice to be more complete and rarely had compatibility issues with MS Word. I do say "rarely" because it does on occasion open Word documents and the format is a little "wonky" (highly technical term, I know). 

Honestly, I have not used Open Office in a few years, and I used LibreOffice exclusively for quite some time until recently where I've switched to Office 365 because that is 100 percent of what we use at work. 

I would recommend uninstalling any old software you no longer use. As stated in prior post, old software represents potential avenues for malware, viruses, and instability. Install the most recent versions and always keep your software patched and updated.


----------

