Windows 7

[Spider]

Okay, My HP - with Windows XP - laptop is dying. I checked out the Apple laptop - small screen but very clear and easy to read. But it needs a whole new way of thinking and I didn't have time to learn it. I opted for another Windows machine - a Toshiba laptop - with Windows 7.

I am having so much difficulty with this. It is nothing like XP. The whole W-7 thng seems to operate on a different wavelength. My old files don't work, I'll have to convert most of them before I can transfer them over. Nothing is where it was and I cannot find things that sat on the top in XP.

Is anyone else having this problem? Tell me the two operating systems are similar and it's just a matter of getting used to it!

[Steve B]

I just switched myself a few weeks ago. I paid a computer tech to move all my files and programs over. When I started the new computer it was pretty much set up exactly as I had the old one. So, I can't exactly relate to the situation you're in. I can tell you that all of my files (Excel and Word primarily) are all working on the new computer.

[billbenson]

I don't use windows, but I know windows 7, being two revisions newer, is completely different. I believe the email program is completely different. If you are using older programs that worked on XP, it could be that the manufacturers of those programs dropped support of the older versions and rewrote the programs to function with windows 7. The software manufacturers follow the current version of windows. If you have an older version of office, that may need to be upgraded? Again, I'm not a windows user so this is just a guess although I know the 3nd party program support is real.

Microsoft is in the business of selling software. They do this by forcing you to upgrade. This is probably the main factor that drove me to Linux. I don't recommend Linux for either of you though as it has a long learning curve.

So, Spider, what type of files aren't working?

[nealrm]

This was a learning curve when I when from Vista to W7. The biggest change I saw was the file browser. But once I was used to using it, I like it.

Now the changes for Office 2010 was very extreme. I am still learning where everything is.

[huggytree]

ive been using Windows 7 since it came out and love it...took me a few weeks to learn what i needed and get comfortable..

im not a big computer guy, so i dont expect much though...

never had an issue with 7

[Spider]

I have never needed (still do not need) anything complicated for normal office procedures so MS Works has been fine. The new Toshiba has MS Office 2010 Starter. This will not open Works files. I was contemplating trying to copy the old Works software (from the old XP computer) to the new W-7 computer but I suspect that will not run under this operating system. I can't damage anything by trying it, can I?

I also use MS Publisher 98. I have copied the software from earlier windows machines to later machines right up to XP. I wonder if I can copy the Publisher software to W-7?

It's not that I don't want the new software, but 1) I don't want to waste the time learning something new when it will not serve anything different than the old software, and 2) my old files are archived in the old software. I will lose those archived documents when the old machine eventually dies unless I convert every one and copy them forward to this machine - all for no reason other than I MAY need a document or two some time in the future.

And here's the immediate crunch - I returned the Apple computer because I would have to convert all the files to Apple's format and I didn't want to waste the time doing that. But if I have to convert them anyway to the new MS format, I might as well take the plunge and switch to Apple now.

[nealrm]

Spider,
I just checked, Word will open Works files. I'm not sure if Excel will open the Works spreadsheet, but I expect that it will.

The MS office programs are backword compatable. Meaning they will read in the older formats, so your archive should be save for a few years.

[Spider]

Neal, How do you get it to do that? I just copied a Works Word Processor file .wps and a Works spreadsheet file .xlr from my old computer to my new computor and the Works wp file was displayed in Wordpad in gobbledegook and the Works spreadsheet brought up the notice that Office Starter did not recognize it. I also use Works database and haven't tried bringing that over, yet.

[billbenson]

I suspect if you are dealing with the MS office that came with the PC, its a trunked version of the current MS Office. You may need to buy that as well? Not sure.

[nealrm]

Open up MS Word. Under "File" select "open". The open file dialog box will come up. To the right of the filename you can select a file type. Select either "All files" or "Works 6-9". It is then just a matter of browse to the file and selecting it.

For Excel do the same, except select "All files". (I'm not sure if Excel will read this file)