"Word" liscence query

[tomos]

I use word processers very little (is that even what the're called?  )

I'm giving up on Open office - probably mainly cause I use it very little - it's starting it is such a pain !! but also its been pretty buggy for me & considering how little i use it I dont want to be spending lots of time trying to sort out stuff ...

I was given a copy of MS office years ago (it would suit my current requirements fine) by a company I was working for at the time (as selfemployed)
I always presumed as such it would be an illegal copy, hence I eventually got rid of it & moved on to various free/open source*

I'm now wondering if it really is an illegal copy.
Is there a way I can check without actually installing it - it would be a pain just to have to uninstall it again (I remember having major problems trying to uninstall some version of office..)
I do have the serial number

anyone got any tips?
thanks, tom

*the best one I've found so far (not free, but very reasonable) is Polyedit but it doesnt seem to have a page layout view so youve no idea where your pages begin/end. (I just posted a query at their forum)
Abi Word seems to have a lot of trouble opening Word docs - layout changes all the time (maybe I can change the margins of the default document .. will go look)
I know Zaine raves about some word/excel replacement for around $80 I think, which sounds great - but when you literally hardly ever use the thing its MONEY!

[Darwin]

If you were given the original media and it has the serial number printed on it directly, or on the sleeve/jewel case insert that it came in, then it seems to me that it's yours to do with as  you please. However, if you were given a copy of the original media and someone wrote out the serial number for you then it's not...

[tomos]

no, it was a copy -
but they had one liscence for, I dunno, maybe 25 computers ...

I guess when i think about it the liscence would be in their name & probably for use on copmuters also in their name.. so I'll forget about it & continue the search for a sub.

[Carol Haynes]

I you only use WP occasionally why not just use WordPad ? It does most things needed for quickly typing a letter etc. and it is on your computer anyway.

[tomos]

I you only use WP occasionally why not just use WordPad ? It does most things needed for quickly typing a letter etc. and it is on your computer anyway.

-Carol Haynes (December 29, 2006, 11:15 AM)

tried it but even though I dont use it often, I want to be able to make tables, see where the page ends &, I dont know - have more control ( I must ... have control ...     )

I installed the trial version of Textmaker
http://www.softmaker...m/english/ofw_en.htm
(SoftMakerOffice - with Word & Excel replacements)

I was having trouble, or rather I should say someone else was having trouble with an OpenOffice word .doc I made - when they opened it in the latest Word all the colour-highlighting was gone.
Sorted that out in textmaker.

You can also open OpenOffice documents.
It seems to hold the original layout much better than with OOo/Word or AbiWord/Word or OOo/AbiWord.
I read somewhere but cant find it now (should be working ) that you can install it on a USB stick.

But the most impressive thing - for a lot of people here anyway, is that you can get an Academic/Student/Teacher liscence for €14 - i dunno - but estimate conversion @ around $16 & (my god, theres no Pound symbol on my keyboard) maybe 7Pounds sterling or so.
(You do need to prove your studenthood or academic status.)

They may as well give it away, well, unfortunately I dont qualify
- it's still under €70 full price so certainly compared to MS it's a bargain.

See Zaine's review (below the Open Office one)
http://www.anova.org...are/index01.htm#word

[MerleOne]

Also distributed by "Ashampoo" :

http://www.ashampoo....=2&idstring=0138

Where you can get a working demo for 30-40 days I think.

I you only use WP occasionally why not just use WordPad ? It does most things needed for quickly typing a letter etc. and it is on your computer anyway.

-Carol Haynes (December 29, 2006, 11:15 AM)

tried it but even though I dont use it often, I want to be able to make tables, see where the page ends &, I dont know - have more control ( I must ... have control ...     )

I installed the trial version of Textmaker
http://www.softmaker...m/english/ofw_en.htm
(SoftMakerOffice - with Word & Excel replacements)

I was having trouble, or rather I should say someone else was having trouble with an OpenOffice word .doc I made - when they opened it in the latest Word all the colour-highlighting was gone.
Sorted that out in textmaker.

You can also open OpenOffice documents.
It seems to hold the original layout much better than with OOo/Word or AbiWord/Word or OOo/AbiWord.
I read somewhere but cant find it now (should be working ) that you can install it on a USB stick.

But the most impressive thing - for a lot of people here anyway, is that you can get an Academic/Student/Teacher liscence for €14 - i dunno - but estimate conversion @ around $16 & (my god, theres no Pound symbol on my keyboard) maybe 7Pounds sterling or so.
(You do need to prove your studenthood or academic status.)

They may as well give it away, well, unfortunately I dont qualify
- it's still under €70 full price so certainly compared to MS it's a bargain.

See Zaine's review (below the Open Office one)
http://www.anova.org...are/index01.htm#word

-tomos (January 15, 2007, 04:10 AM)

[tomos]

it's the same programme/s 

same price too