Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007 Reviews

• Major upgrade for Office

  
  By AYWIO6OYAGFGQ on 2007-02-25
  While Office 2003 offered a refreshed look and some improvements in functionality, the basic structure remained the same. While veteran users were able to easily navigate the familiar menus, it had become increasingly difficult to locate some features (for instance, in Word, would you find "insert new rows" to a table in the "insert" or "table" menu?).
  
  With Office 2007, Microsoft offers the "ribbon", a new and more intuitive way to access features that we used to find in the menus. While the features are basically the same, they are now grouped together according to when and how you would normally use them. These groupings are accessed by clicking on tabs, which are organized in the order you'd use them. The best way to get a better understanding of this change is to check out the screenshots, or download a free trial version of Office from Microsoft. While Office 2007 was released at the same time as Vista, you do not need Vista in order to run it. The program ran fine on my Windows XP laptop, which only had 512 MB of RAM, and it runs even better on my Vista laptop with 2 GB of RAM.
  
  As for which version of Office to buy, this is the third time I've opted for the Home and Student version (which has had other names in previous releases, but is still being sold for $149). I need Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, and this is the most cost-effective way to get those programs. I was disappointed that Microsoft dropped Outlook from the Home and Student version. In order to continue to use Outlook, I installed Outlook 2003 and haven't had any problems.
  
  Instead of Outlook, you get OneNote, a program that uses notebooks and tabs to save and organize all sorts of files and documents. I haven't had much time to play with OneNote yet, but the more I use it, the more impressed I am with it. It looks like one of those programs that you can personalize to meet your own needs and not have to fight with it to get it to do what you want.
  
  This is a significant upgrade and should allow all users, new and experienced, to work more efficiently and quickly.
  
  

• Let's reconcile all those good and bad reviews...

  
  By A1SG5LXDO7TPY9 on 2007-09-15
  Well, it's been a week now, and while I still have Office 2002 (virtually identical to 2003) and Office 2007 on my laptop, I've pretty much stopped using 2002. I give '07 a thumbs up.
  
  I have used Office since 1994 for just simple letters and spreadsheets until the last year, where I started becoming a heavy user of some really odd features, like non-standard line spacing, different headers within the same document, embedded Excel sheets in a Word doc, embedding images in headers and footers, charting, tables, etc. I was worried if all these newly discovered features that I just learned would suddenly disappear in the changing ribbon that everyone was talking about.
  
  Despite using weird features, or maybe because of it, I am a little more tolerant of looking up how to do things. But I didn't want to relearn everything, and I haven't had to. The default blank document has tabs for Home, Insert, Page Layout, References, etc, which really are not much different than the categories in the classic drop-down menus. Once clicking on these tabs, you are offered the same choices as before...charts, insert picture, bookmarks, wordart, etc., and a few new ones, like references, balloons and highlighting, footnotes, and more. It IS a different layout, but to this point, I don't think it ever took me more than 10 seconds to find something.
  
  I'm surprised no one is talking about the ability to save documents in .pdf (what was once exclusive to Adobe). I know other software has allowed this for sometime, but the ability to make a document that will launch in Adobe Reader with all the functionality of Word or Excel is something I've been waiting for. In 2 years, we'll all wonder how we did without it. This is important to me because once in .pdf, the formatting is locked in, and won't change depending on how it's previewed or printed.
  
  Another thing that is important is the new, modern looking charts and tables. This isn't just the 'pretty' factor, but more effective to understanding lots of data more easily. Office 2000/2002/2003 just looked old and unimpressive. It's true that Microsoft is just catching up to Apple, Adobe and others, but they've at least done it. Equally important is the ability to instantly see changes to formatting before you've committed it to the whole document. I've probably wasted a month's time over the course of the last year reformatting documents to do it a better way. If only I authored them in 2007, which was available a year ago, I would have saved so much time.
  
  One reviewer said his Home/Student version "did not have all the features as the full version". I've tried to investigate this, and as far as I can tell, Home/Student's versions of Word/Excel/Powerpoint are no different than any other version.
  
  I don't want to get too personal here, but all the reviewers who are angry that their saved homework or important business document was saved in .docx and therefore was not readable by anyone else really are just wanting to be victims. Office 2007 makes it abundantly clear that you will be saving in .docx, and if you don't want to, you don't have to. It tells you how and where to save it as a compatible .doc file (or .xls, etc.) and whether you want this as your default setting. I'm sorry, but if you're a student and you ignore all those messages, I think you're going to have more problems in school than using this version of Office.
  
  The Grammar check seems to be improved, catching problems that my Office 2002 did not. Hot keys like Ctrl K for hyperlinks or Ctrl C to copy all still work. I'm not sure if they removed others as some reviewers have said, but so far it has not affected me. The concept of Add-Ins (plugins) is a little bit annoying, as to get certain features like the ability to save .pdf requires you go online and install the add-in. Then again, this gives Microsoft the ability to add features from time to time (hopefully they'll use it that way - I think a big reason for add-ins is to give Microsoft a way of periodically checking your software to ensure it's legal). I also like the always-on word count, something that Amazon probably wishes I would use in my reviews.
  
  I'm at day 7 and counting, and I don't feel much reason to ever open my Office 2002 again.
  
  

• Once you get used to it, you'll love Microsoft Office 07

  
  By AYFNXSPIYTI79 on 2007-02-03
  This student edition of Microsoft Office 07 comes with four programs: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote. Unless you specifically have a need for another Microsoft Office program, this will be more than enough for the average Office user. You've got all the essentials: a word processor (Word), a spreadsheet (Excel), a slide show creator (PowerPoint), and even a nice program to put all your notes (OneNote). Home and Student Office 07 version gives you the basic programs at a cheaper price than the other versions of Office.
  
  The main difference you'll find between this 07 version and the Microsoft Office 03 is that all the programs now have the "ribbon" instead of being menu-driven. The ribbon is a much more visual representation of all the features you can use. All the different tasks are grouped into ribbons; which are divided up into different tabs you can click on. For example, if you clicked on the "Insert" tab in Word you would find tasks such as "inserting" a header or "inserting" a table. What this means is that instead of being hidden in menus and submenus, most features now can be found simply by being in the right tab. This allows you to find some useful features that you might otherwise not have known existed.
  
  Everything from Microsoft 03 is there, it just might take awhile to get used to the new layout of things. There are also a lot of cool new features added in this version, such as easily being able to write complex math equations in Word (it was such a pain in Word 03) and being provided with an easy format to create a bibliography in APA, MLA, Chicago style etc.
  
  Perhaps the only drawback of Office 07 is that it's such a drastic change from Office 03 that it will take awhile to get used to. After years of knowing all the complex menus you'll have to learn where everything is all over again, which can be frustrating for vetrans of Office 03. However, if you just give it some time, you'll fall in love with just how well everything is set up and appreciate the new visual style this version implements.
  
  Pros:
  
  * The new visual style allows easy access to all the various features
  * You can still save files in Office 97-03 format (Example .doc)
  
  
  Cons:
  
  * You must relearn where everything is because of the Ribbon
  * Not all websites/ programs recognize the new 07 files
  
  Final Recommendation: Buy it, get used to it, and love it!
  
  

• Stay Away as long as you can!

  
  By A1TVZRQLR2I19T on 2007-04-16
  They changed everything! In an effort to make it more user friendly, they've rearranged most of the controls. Menus are replaced by headings. It is difficult to accomplish what were easy changes before. Some of this will likely improve with use.
  
  WORD 2007 is constantly trying to think for you, auto formatting as you type. However, it often isn't thinking what you are, and making it obey your commands is frustrated by the new headings. Particularly frustrating, when I "right-click" on a list to restart numbering at "A" (ie. after roman numeral II on an outline), WORD 2007 flatly refuses. My research paper is now formated:
  I. Heading
  A. subpoint
  B. subpoint
  C. subpoin
  II. Heading
  D. subpoint
  E. subpoint
  F. subpoint
  III. Heading
  G. subpoint etc....etc...
  This is ridiculous and inexcusable! I also had to individually superscript 130+ footnotes. Somehow, in changing the font from the Widows default "Calibri" back to "Time New Roman," the footnote setting was altered and I have yet to determine how to restore it. However, if I open a new document it is fine, but I really don't want to retype a 30+ page research paper.
  
  POWERPOINT 2007 works well enough, compared to the older version. They have added a few bell and whistles, but nothing that gets in the way.
  
  If you have to buy a new computer you're likely stuck with the new MS Office 2007. But don't buy it until you have to. It is NOT an upgrade from the previous two versions.
  
  

• Avoid it if you can

  
  By ANP8TAQ78EK5U on 2007-10-31
  I will make this as short as I can. I am a long time user (~10yrs) of MS Office, many versions of both Word and Excel. When I started having some compatibility issues with my old version, I decided to upgrade. My advice to you is, at all costs, avoid upgrading if you can. If you can choose a different product (non-Office), do it.
  In Word especially, all the old interfaces have been completely redone, from the menus available right to the way help is (dis)organized. Many of the old usability features, such as templates (for letters), how you interact with colors/fonts/etc., and how you print, preview, and perform simple functions, are gone or changed.
  Microsoft apparently believes that manuals are a thing of the past, so finding out where my old options are, if they still exist, has been a chore of figuring out which of the dozens of help topics are actually relevant, and if they will help me (which they typically haven't).
  Even in Excel there have been interface and usability changes that have made it difficult for me to work with it, given my long history with previous versions.
  My only caveat is that brand new users may find it easier to work with than old ones, but again, the poor help system would hinder even that, I would think.
  Best of luck.
  
  
• Finding really hard to relearn
  By A3NOBH42C7UI5M on 2007-03-29
  The new look of the software is really confusing. I'm not a computer expert by any means, but I am knowledgeable enough that my family and friends call me to help them fix their computers and software problems, so I'm not a newbie either. I understand the basic idea that some things are on the screen for you to see, the things they consider to be the most important; but the things I use the most, like frame or underlining are now several click away and you can't customize the menus to what you like. They've put up what they think is important and that's it. If you use other features, you're out of luck... it's hunt and peck every time. You also have to learn to think the way they think. If you want to find a feature, it might not be in the menu set of screens you think. They may consider it a different type of feature than you think of it being, so you have start searching all the different sets of menus to find the feature you're looking for. Also, I like to copy and paste from boxes like this, when writing on the internet, for spell checking... well you can't do that anymore because when you paste back your text it appears in HTML format with all the weird stuff that goes along with it. It might be that I'm just too set in my ways and don't feel I have the time to learn a completely new software to do a simple letter. Maybe if I had the time to relearn everything I might find it easier, but I just don't have the weeks it would take to devote to the study of each product (Word, Excel mainly). I got the software and tried it for several months and went back to my old Word and Excel.
  
  
• Could Be Better, Could Be Worse...
  By A2E15CAK1AWF91 on 2007-06-28
  As one who was a newbie to Word I must say the 2007 version has to be much easier to navigate with the new ribbon concept. The biggest trouble for the inexperienced is finding a way to understand all the features. This thing is really complicated to use because it can do so many things. It seems the best way to learn Word would be to take a course in a classroom setting, but for most of us that is not to be. Try to learn from the tutorials and you have to navigate a maze to find them all. I can't see a neophyte learning all the ins and outs of this program without a third-party teaching tool.
  
  I have no doubt that if you opt for the full version it is worth the money, as long as you know how to use the program and all its features. I couldn't afford the whole boat, and didn't think I needed it anyway, so I opted for this version. That's when I discovered a disappointment. Not only do you not get the full complement of Office products, you don't even get a full version of the components per se. For the life of me I can't remember ever being told in the sales pitch that this would be a pared-down version of Word and wouldn't even contain all the fonts offered in the full version.
  
  I had been using the 2007 Beta version and then the Trial version when that expired, and had done some work using the Broadway font, only to find out later that that particular font isn't even offered in this stripped-down version. Now if I want to match the font I started with I need to go buy it separately for about 20 bucks. Dirty trick.
  
  Another problem was that I needed tech support to get it to work properly since I had previous versions installed on the puter and they left a couple of files that the developers should have thought to remove when installing the new version but didn't.
  
  In short it's a pretty nifty program all in all, but it's still Microsoft, and has its foibles and bugs. Be aware that there is a learning curve to get through, but it can be satisfying once you get the hang of it.
  
  
• DO NOT BUY> Excel crashes, Word interface is a horrible mess
  By A2KDOTUF8SY23S on 2007-10-31
  Where to start....???? SO many things are messed up in Office 2007.
  Here are my top 3:
  #1: Word/Excel/PPt: The ribbon interface changes things around so drastically that doing what was once simple things in Office XP/2003 is now a frustrating exercise in lost time and productivity.
  #2: Excel: First, MS has a hotfix (a 32 MB download) for a math error (yes a math error). Very few users will ever be likely to hit that value range on a calculated result, but still unacceptable for a mainstream number crunching program. But if you are one of those unfortunates, and the error ocurrs in a very large, complex spreadsheet, then the error could cost a business a fortune if it's not caught.
  #3: Excel crashes if you try to specify a custom value range for chart error bars by selecting the appropriate row/columns from the worksheet (like you can in previous versions)... you have to enter them manually by typing the arcane "=Sheet1!$A$1:$Z$1". Even if you try to click over to the worksheet while the entry box is open Excel will crash and you lose everything since the last Save. This bug is probably lurking in other areas as many functions make the same calls to a common software modules where the bug really is located.
  
  There are many other bugs in this product too numerous to list here (goto the MS Discussion Groups on Office 2007 for more).
  
  Do not buy MS Office 2007 unless you like PAIN!!
  
  
  
• You can make the change
  By A1RC6J8J80KA7M on 2007-08-04
  Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007 Word, appears to be confusing initially, especially for the experienced user like myself who is expecting to find the toolbar and tabs in the usual place as Word 2003. The new ribbon helps you to quickly find commands that are used to complete a task. Some tabs are shown only when needed, which helps to prevent clutter. The tabs are related to specific activity, for example, when you click on the page layout tab, everything you want to do on the page is shown; margins, indent, spacing etc. Initially I wished I had kept my Word 2003, however, the more I work with Word 2007, I began to like it. With patience you will find your most used tools and be pleased with your new purchase. I find the case for the software too clunky, although the case has nothing to do with the use of the software. if you don't mind change, and you don't mind spending some extra time learning the new interface of the program, it's worth it.
  
  
• Power users: don't buy this software!
  By A3JXOWC5AGNYOU on 2007-10-25
  Sure, this release has lots of "improvements". I'll focus on Excel. The biggest potential improvement is that the row and column maximums have been opened up.
  
  Beyond that, I've encountered nothing but problems.
  * Once a document is saved in the new .xlsx format, Excel would not save back to the older .xls format. Instead, it just hung.
  * The software refused to change the limits on a date x-axis of my charts. Instead it blithly reset the values back to the original values.
  * It is SLOW. Clicking on a curve in a chart could take 10-20 seconds to respond.
  * Occasionally, Excel would just crash for no obvious reason. The up side is that it would restart with opening the same workbooks.
  
  Also, as usual, I have been unable to find a place on the Microsoft web site to report such troubles. All I've been able to find are FAQs that answer queries unrelated to the problems I've had.
  
  Maybe you can work with that. I gave up and am just hoping that my new laptop is still functioning by the time that Microsoft gets around to noticing such glitches and releasing a service pack. Maybe next year?
  
  
• Microsoft Word 7
  By A3J2GP5K3TP3QQ on 2008-04-03
  I am a basic user of word processing and had been using word 2003. After
  buying 2007 I bit the bullet and figured it would take a while to learn the new layout. I have been at it 8 months now and I would rate the new version very poor. It is difficult to find the most basic things like the margin ruler and basic features. I still cannot number my pages on documents. It automatically pops up old documents I do not want. If you have the student version (still expensive) you cannot email your document directly (I spent two hours with customer support before realizing you couldn't do it). I bought two of the books published by Microsoft but
  had trouble finding the most basic things, like how to prevent this problem
  of leaving a word by itself when formating the text and having to go back, back space insert etc
  
  In long lists the right and left spacing drifts causing multiple but
  maddening corrections. It looks to me that it was just a rearrangement
  of the 2003 program in order to sell the "latest" "update". I consider the new .docx extension to be an example of dishonesty in business again trying to sell more product. If you accidentally send
  your "new 2007" .docx file to someone with older versions of Word (most of the world) they will not be able to open the file. I think it is dishonesty in business to take out a basic feature of emailing a document
  for the "student version" to try to force the customer to buy the
  full version. I am going to call India and see if I can restore my
  Word 2003 - of course I will have to pay.
  
  Thomas F. Kline MD.
  
  
• Good software, but be aware of various licence agreements
  By A1V23NTV7R48CD on 2008-04-02
  Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007 is good software, but be aware of the various types of licence agreements. If you buy it off the shelf (at Amazon.com, for example) then you are licensed for use on up to three computers. HOWEVER, if you purchase a computer with the software PRE-installed, you are only licensed for use on ONE computer. As a mater of fact, you are only licensed to use it on THAT specific computer. If you purchase another computer you CANNOT transfer the license to the other computer. This type of license is caled OEM. In my case I actually paid MORE to have it Pre-installed on my new Dell, and now I can only use it on that one computer. If you are planning to purchase a new computer, you might want to consider purchasing the software separately instead of having it pre-installed. Amazon.com has the lowest price I've found so far.
  
  
• hideous software
  By A1PVEZ4PEX3AA1 on 2007-04-16
  This is the worst thing since the Office Assistant animated paper clip. Forcing the "ribbon" on the user assumes that the user likes icons (I don't -- what's wrong with words??), and fills too much of the screen real estate. Nothing is where it should be. And what arrogance on the part of Microsoft to provide no alternate views, no "classic" view, just these piles and piles of inscrutable icons. Another oppressive, giant waste of my time and money at the hands of Microsoft.
  
  
• Incompatible with older versions!!!!
  By ATCHAUWF2X5E5 on 2007-02-09
  Office 2007 products are incompatible with older versions and it is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to run Office 2007 suites or components and components from an older version, in my case Office 2003, on the same computer. Installation of Office 2007 is usually not possible until all earlier versions of Office suites or components are uninstalled. Reinstallations of older components are then blocked. For example, I had to uninstall Office 2003 Student & Teachers edition before Office 2007 Student & Teachers would install. Since Microsoft has eliminated Outlook from this suite in 2007, I thought I would just reinstall the 2003 version--the installation seemed to work, but the program will not run.
  
  
• Incompatible with previous editions
  By A1EHZ0P4MAV9L5 on 2007-10-11
  Word documents created in Office 2007 now have the .docx extension which is incompatible with previous editions of Office and all 3rd party office applications such as Word Perfect, etc.
  
  If you load this on a couple work computers, you will have to go to every machine in the company and install a large "office compatibility pack" in order to read .docx files. I have not been able to get the compatibility pack to download for Macintosh and the word on the street has been that Microsoft is ending support of Apple products.
  
  So if you want a whole lot of frustration and angry end-users, purchase Office 2007. Otherwise stay with what you have or get OpenOffice (or NeoOffice for Macintosh).
  
  
• beware of ridiculous window titles
  By AYKDGI91VADC3 on 2007-10-10
  Before you buy this edition, be aware that the title of every document you open with it will include the phrase "non-commercial use". Apparently, the bean-counters at Microsoft decided that we need this daily reminder that we bought the cheapskate edition.
  
  
• Not what I expected
  By A1MQ009QZXVR3O on 2007-06-02
  I'm a computer tech with a general disdain for Microsoft, although because I'm heavily invested in windows compatible software, my OS of choice is Windows XP. I bought this product on the recommendation of a friend and then only because the price was reasonable.
  
  I have to say Microsoft hit a home-run with this release. It's full-featured, easy on the eyes, and loaded with readily accessible templates. True, if you're used to older versions of Office, the orientation is different, but not displeasing.
  
  Maybe this is the beginning of a kinder, gentler Microsoft ?
  
  
• Looks like Microsoft hired a Disney Cartoonist for this one ...
  By A2PLNZAU8JVI80 on 2007-05-01
  I was looking forward to this newest version. As soon as it finished loading, I started in to get some work done in Word and Excel. Little did I know there was a nasty shock waiting for me! What was this cartoon-like gibberish all over the screen? Where were the menu bars? Icons! Icons! Everywhere icons! All I could think was I had accidentally received the Student Edition for Pre-schoolers.
  
  It is a nightmare to navigate. If you scroll over one of the cartoon icons; you get a pull-down menu that makes a Rubik's Cube look easy. I think MS forgot the most important rule of all - K.I.S.S.
  
  I have used Excel and Word almost every day for the last ten years. Like others who have commented on this new version, I make my own menu/tool bars and can navigate through the programs with no problems. There are always a few adjustments when a newer version arrives which is fine. But this? Forget it!
  
  I have removed 2007 and reloaded 2003. Back to the drawing board on this one Microsoft! Dump the cutesy and give us streamlined, neat, usable programs.
  
  
  
• Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007
  By A3SODFO0UBXJN8 on 2007-08-23
  The only complaint I have about this product is that the Microsoft Word is not compatible with earlier versions of Word. (This may also be true of the Excel and PowerPoint). So, when I have to send a document to someone else, anyone who has an older version can't open it. If I would've known that before I bought it, I would've purchased an earlier version (probably 2003).
  
  
• The worst office ever
  By A3LH77PBDFEO3F on 2007-09-17
  While I am not what you would call a power user of computers, I am still a user. I started with computers, back with my best friends Commodore 64, so it has been a while.
  
  At work I started back in the days of MS DOS, and 5&1/2 " floppy's. I learned word processing on Office Writer, and then we moved to the first versions of windows, and moved to Lotus Applications, I learned all the key board short cuts, learned how to make slide presentations, write spreadsheets, and use Lotus Notes and Amipro. Then My company decided to get out of IBM entirely and we moved to Microsoft Office, which wasn't nearly as efficient as our by then out of date Lotus 123 v 3.1, then we upgraded to Office 97, which was an improvement, (then We got out of Legacy and went Oracle, but that is another sad story).
  Then I got Lotus 10 for home and it sucked, so I got Office 2000 at home which was better still, then at work we upgraded to Office 2003, which was better still.
  
  
  So imagine my disappointment this year when I had Office 2007 bundled into my new laptop. It is so counterintuitive in it's operation, that I went and loaded the Lotus into My laptop until I can go Buy another copy of an earlier version of Office. Maybe I need to get a how to book, but since I have been using computers for over two decades without a class before, it seems like it is the software not me.
  
  But that's just me.
  
  
  
• confusing after so many years with Word
  By ACB4QUXRSSDO9 on 2007-03-22
  I purchased this so that I could use it with a new computer with Vista. The look is very different from previous versions of word. I haven't yet figured out what is better than older versions of Word. I am able to save work documents in a way that is compatible with earlier versions of Word, which is helpful as I often start a project on one computer and finish it on another. This new version is not backwards compatible, so I cannot work with 2007 versions on my other computer unless I save them as 2003 Word.
  
  
• Where is Outlook 2007?
  By AH4YC7M2Z56GT on 2007-11-06
  MS Office Student & Teacher edition has always included MS Outlook. Microsoft replaced the useful Outlook with the useless Onenote?
  
  
• If you're a writer, DO NOT BUY Home and Student version of Office 2007
  By A1XRU4KUM87YJS on 2009-04-25
  I have Microsoft Office 2007 Home and Student Version which states on every page "NON-COMMERCIAL USE ONLY". I never noticed this warning until I started taking writing classes. My class teacher and others did not know what this meant and I had to call Microsoft to find out. You are not even able to send anything by email. This came bundled with other software when I bought my computer.(no caution here) Now I'm on Amazon shopping for a full version of Microsoft Office Suite 2007 and it is not even possible to upgrade my Home and Student Version. Why does no one tell consumers this easy caution. Otherwise, this suite has all the bells and whistles you want. Marge M.
  
  
• frustrating and quirky
  By A1PEKHP5C084TH on 2007-11-05
  One can't help but wonder who is writing the glowing reviews of this 'new and improved'Office. I am only using Word and can't speak of the other programs. But Word! Yes, some of the new features are handy, yes it looks nice enough, but if you're just a home user and not a techno geek, beware. Word is convinced that it knows what your document should look like, and your personal work habits and preferences are secondary. People go nuts looking for ways to change this or that - read the reviews on other sites and see for yourself. I'm not saying you shouldn't buy it. I'm saying MICROSOFT PLEASE MAKE THIS MORE USER-FRIENDLY!
  
  
• You will be lost for weeks or maybe longer
  By A22B75GUPWWC8D on 2007-09-07
  I installed and tried to use this new version. The user interface is completely different. I went online at Microsoft to see what this was all about. They call it a "Ribbon". What a mess. I can't find anything.
  It seems like it takes me so much extra time to do the most basic operations. If you have an older version of Office and it is working well for you, I highly recommend just sticking with it until Microsoft fixes it somehow. After reading reviews at other sites, I can't believe it actually had 4 stars on Amazon. On CNET, it was 5 out of 10. I wish I would have read these reviews before I purchased it. I felt like I was driving a car with square wheels. If it isn't broken, don't break it. The file conversion thing is also a lot of trouble to deal with.
  
  
• User friendly? My A**
  By AEZNIKII9WDVH on 2007-11-11
  Wow, I've never felt the need to write a review before, but Microsoft 2007 is horrible. I bought it for my laptop because I need it for school, but I really regret it. I wish I had bought 2003 instead; it's so much easier to use than 2007. This edition I use mainly for Word, but I've also used Powerpoint. At first I thought it was going to take a little time to get used to, but then it would be an upgrade from the old version. How wrong I was. I've had it installed for over 2 months and it's gotten no better. One thing I've noticed is that it keeps trying to change things without me telling to, such as when I'm trying to format my document, create an outline, tab correctly to type an MLA bibliography, everything - it's trying to help by assuming I meant to do something (and thus doing it for me) when I REALLY don't want to! It's horrible! And forget the help button too - it doesn't exist in this version. All I'm trying to do is get my work done for school, but it takes me FOREVER just trying to get it the way it has to be formatted becase that's not how Word 2007 wants it to look. This is a pain in my a**, and my friends who have this and are used to 2003 all agree with me - why is it so difficult? It really shouldn't be. So I urge you all - look at 2003 if you have the option, it's much easier to use even if it doesn't have the spiffy new appearance of 2007.
  
  
• The Product ID Blues
  By A3O4DM0XWC854O on 2007-10-26
  New XP Professional Computer, New Unopened Software Box, Microsoft would not accept the product ID number. They would, however allow me to sit for hours trying to jump through their loops to activate the new software.
  
  Amazon saves me through a wonderful return policy. Easy return, nice refund. Thank you Amazon!
  
  
• Awful Product ...
  By A208V9M6ASEOLO on 2007-10-02
  If you are accustomed to the 2003 version, good luck figuring out the 2007 version. Once again Microsoft took something that was pretty good and made it terrible.
  
  
• Data courption and other problems
  By A268687P4PPOU3 on 2007-08-03
  I recently purchased Windows Vista and Office 2007 Home. When dealing with files saved under Word 2003 I had several instances of 2007 being unable to reconvert the temporary file word uses while editing a document back into a word file, corrupting the file and causing word to crash. Word did not allow me to recover the document and continued to do this to a number of other important files, without a chance for recovery. My documents are to important to trust to Microsoft's blunders. I dumped Office and I now use the free Openoffice suite. Thanks for nothing Microsoft.
  
  
  
• Dumbed down and harder to use
  By A2MYTY15IFSP3G on 2007-07-29
  The new ribbon design is supposed to make it easier to learn and use. It may be for some new users but for experienced users, it isn't. This version takes away some critical nuts & bolts customization features and many tasks now take longer to perform. This is not due to the learning curve, it is the inherent nature of the way the ribbon works. Once you are familiar with the program, nothing is faster than the old menu structure. If Microsoft added an option to allow users to choose between menus and ribbons, it would be the best of both worlds, satisfying the needs of both new and experienced users. The new version does not run macros as fast however. My recommedation for existing users: keep Office 2003 for as long as you can and consider going to Open Office when Microsoft no longer supports 2003 (unless they restore the functionality in a newer release of 2007).
  
  

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