Thank you Microsoft

[Drago]

Mrs D is in the final year of her OU degree, and today was one of her designated study days. She sits down at her desk and 2 minutes later theres a panic - Microsoft Word (which by a delicious coincidence rhymes with tu*d) isn't working!
I calm her down and have a look. It's a Windows machine and has just updated. A quick Google reveals that it's quite common for Office and its sub programs not to function properly following such an update. If it's such a widely known problem then why do Microdot still allow it to happen?
Anyway, I run a repair and it does the trick. However, Office now requires some password or other (not the activation key, tried that) from when it was installed. Seeing as the laptop was bought for her with that already installed we have no idea what the set uo password and email address might be.
I'll be fornicated if Micropore think I'm paying to buy a years subscription to get it working, so I have lent her my laptop which I use fro SAR work and which runs Libre Office - I'm not a heavy user of the office suite of software so this does me well and is free.
Meanwhile, Mrs D, who is an Apple girl at heart anyway, has lost all faith and ordered herself a Macbook pro instead. That's up to her, but I can't help but wonder at what a bunch of idiots work for Microdot if something as basic as an OS update renders paid-for software unusable. You'd be pretty narked if the garage updated your car's software and you then had to pay for a new set of tyres for no reason at all, so I can't see why Microphone think it's a acceptable.

 

[flake99please]

Download OpenOffice. Jobs a good’un.

Mrs D. can install that on her new laptop. Fudge MS and it’s ‘office suite’.

 

[tom73]

As we all know all the best students are OU ones
Can't fault Mrs D apple all the way
What a crap thing to happen when all you want to do is get on study.
In the meantime She can use office 365 it's provided free by the OU for students and 2 years ofter study.
On Student home page click on link to office 365. then log in with ou email address (username@ou.ac.uk)
Hope it helps.

 

[Drago]

I too am an OU alumni

Download OpenOffice. Jobs a good’un.

Mrs D. can install that on her new laptop. Fudge MS and it’s ‘office suite’.

Aye, I've used Open Office before and it is good, but I find Libre just that touch better, more faithful to the original and a bit less easier on the eye. Just like me.

 

[bruce1530]

As Tom says, she can get full Office suite via her Open Uni O365 subscription for free. Install on up to 5 devices.

 

[Drago]

She got the entire Dell laptop, extra screen, printer, keyboard, mouse, travel bag with those little wheels on it, chair, dictaphone, Dragon software, the lot, all for free through so e kind of disability thing through the OU. But she's lost any faith in Windows now.

Personally I'm not fussed either way, pooters don't turn me on remotely and I don't use a proper computer enough to care. Its like mobile phones - when people start arguing over whether Crapple or Paranoid is best I get a strong urge to start sucking on a car exhaust.

 

[tom73]

Too right pagers knocks spots off word any day of the week.
You just have to remember to export stuff as a MS doc for the poor souls who've not seen the light.

 

[Milkfloat]

Even when she gets her Mac, she will still need Office. She should take up the Ou on the free Office 365 subscription. OneDrive is an added bonus..

 

[crossfire]

Have you tried going into "Update and Security", then "View update history", then "Uninstall Updates" at top of page. It may work and allow access to files, but will probably update later. Or you could ask the guys on Windows Ten Forums, very clever people - some even work for MS

 

[Drago]

I hadn't, I'd long since exhausted my knowledge. Its academic now as her new Apple pooster comes tomorrow.

 

[crossfire]

I don`t have much `puter knowhow, but have a daughter doing a Computer Science PhD, very useful, but no idea where the brains came from.
john

 

[tom73]

@Milkfloat can I ask why I’ve not had word for years and it’s not a problem.

 

[fossyant]

Apple are just as bad with updates. Reading about the latest update borking files too.

 

[Drago]

^^^ I don't think I'm brave enough to break such news to Mrs D tonight Foss.

 

[Milkfloat]

@Milkfloat can I ask why I’ve not had word for years and it’s not a problem.

It’s free, has 1TB of cloud storage and 1 hour of free external Skype calls a month and retains the best compatibility with the majority of the worlds users.