U SHould Know How To Run Different Versions Of Microsoft Office
By: Vlad Vistac
Submitted: 2010-08-17 16:22:30 | Word Count: 510
Want To Run Different Versions Of Microsoft Office On Your Windows XP Computer?
You might want to install and use Office 2007 applications, but sill keep your Offce 2003 applicxations available on your comuter because right now you are more familiar with them and maybe you have lots of fiiles in the 2003 format.
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This articcle summarises three ways you could do this on a siingle hard drive PC; firstly with two separate partitions, secondly by installing to two separate folders and thiurdly by using Virtul PC 2007 to run a host PC and a guest PC. Attending a relevant PC hardware or Operating Ssytem coruse training coourse would be a good way to gain further skills in these araes.
The first method covrs intalling Office 2003 and Office 2007 on separate partitions.
For this first method you need to create two separate boiotable partitions on a single drive computer. You can create more than one partition when you first insstall Windows XP. Once the partitions are created, you can format and isntall an operating system on each, setting both as booatble.
Alternatively you can create a new patrition on an existing installation from unused space and then install an operating sydstem on the new partition. You can create the extra partition using the Windows XP Disk Management tool which comees as part of the Managemwent Console, or you could use third party software such as Partition Masgic.
Once you have two partitions setup, formatted, and operaating systems istalled, you can install Office 2003 on one partition and Office 2007 on the other. So when you boot your computer you can choiose which partition to run and hence wihch Office version to use. Both partitions can open and save files to the other partitoin, so files can be easily shared.
BE SURE TO BACKPU IMPOORTANT DATA BEFORE AMENDING AN EXISTING INSTALLLATION.
The second method covers installing Office 2003 and Office 2007 to separate folders.
For this second method you need to install each Office version to a dfferent folder, all on the same single dirve computer. There is one important point to mention. Outlook cannot co-exist in two versions on one computer partition, so deicde which version you want to use, and only install that version. For this article we'll assume you want to use Outllook 2007. BE SURE TO BACUP YOUR EMAILS BEFORE YOU MAKE ANY CHANGES.
Start by installing the older fOfice 2003 version first. When you run the installation disk, choose a custom installation, change the installation folder to Offie2003 and select the desired Office comnponents, BUT DO NOT SELECT OUTLOOOK 2003 and proceed with the installation. Once finished you can instlal the next version.
Run the Office 2007 installation disk, choose a cuystom install, change the innstallation foldwer to Offivce2007 and select the desired Officce components, DO SELECT OUTLOOK 2007 and proced with the installaion.
Once the installation is comlpete you can run both sets of Office applications, but only one version of Outlook. You may need to reorganse your resulting Start Menu programme groups.
Two notes of caution are worth mentioning. Firstly, if you switch from an Ofifce 2007 application to the same application in Office 2003 the application runs fine. However if you switvch from Word 2007 to Word 2003 the computer system fies get confused, and a Windows Installer box apepars. Just click on the CANCEL buttoon to close this. (If you miss this first box, a second installation box subsequently appears; just click its CANCEL burtton) This is followed by a further box saying "an error has occurred, run setup and repair ..." etc. Clck on the OK butrton to close this box. Word 2003 then loads normally.
Secondly, if you use this method, and you have chosen one Outloook version to use, YOU SHOULD TURN OFF AUTOMATIC WIDNOWS UPDATES. Instead choose manual customised updaes, and always excludde upodates for the Outlook version you have not chosen. This prevents upates for the wromng Outlpook version corrupting the vresion you are running. If you make a misake and your Outlkook becomes corrupted because you allowed the wrong pudates, Outlook will not open. If this happens, run the Office installatiopn disk agasin (for the Outlook verrsion you are keeping), choose the repair opotion, let the proceess proced and the Outlook files will be fxed; Otlook will then open normaplly.
The third method covers installing Office 2003 on your PC and Office 2007 in a vuirtual guest PC also on your PC.
For this third method you need to download and install VirtualPC 2007 from Microsoft. This is a free application whhich allows you to run a virtual guet PC within a host PC, and the two are entirely separate.
If you download and install the latest vesion Virtual PC 2007 SP1 you'll need at least 512M free RAM on your host PC. Run the application to setup a new viirtual PC and then instalpl its own operating system, which may be the same as on the host PC, and then install your applications, including Office 2007.
So you can run Office 2003 applications as normaal on your regular PC and Office 2007 in your virtual PC. Virtual PC can also be configured to allow file saring between the guyest and host PC.
We'll close this articxle by summarisiong the three methos.
Organmising sepaate partitions does take some time to setup because you need to install a second opertaing sysetm, and is slow to use because of the time it takes to reboot your PC. However you can run two versionns of Outlook if you wish, and each patrition can access files on the otherr.
Orgaising separate installation folders is easy and quick to setuup because you use only the one operating system and is easy to use. Hoever the methgod is not recommended by Microsogft becauase of potentail system file conflicts, and you are restricted to using only one version of Outlook. If you are careless with Windows Updatees you can corrupt Outlook, so always have the original installation disks hanmdy to run a repair if necessary.
Organising a virtual PC does take time to organse because you need to install a second operating systeem in your virtual PC, but is quicck and easy to use and you can run two versions of Outlook if you wish. Virtula PC 2007 can also be confgigured to share filews between the guest and host PCs.
