[Microsoft Excel 2007 Free Download Full Version Cnet 17
Betty Neyhart
The icon was gone from the Windows taskbar. I clicked into the Start menu and...whoa! Where's Office? The entire suite had vanished. I clicked into Settings and found it still listed among my installed programs, so I tried the Repair option. Same error the installer threw. Reboot, Repair, again: same error. Uninstall Microsoft Office: same error. So, basically, the simple act of trying to install a Microsoft product fully and irrevocably crippled another Microsoft product.
In the end, I tracked down a Microsoft Fix-It that allowed me to uninstall Office. And you know what? I'm not reinstalling it. Not now, not ever. Because I've had it up to here with this kind of nonsense (which is way politer word than I'd be using if this wasn't a family blog).
Full disclosure: My Office 365 installation came courtesy of Microsoft, a one-year demo license for journalists. It expires next month, so I was already planning my Office exit, so to speak. But for nearly a year I've been using Kingsoft Office Free 2013, which I consider the best Microsoft Office alternative. It's pretty, capable, and more than sufficient for my everyday-user needs (which amount to word processing, occasional spreadsheets, and once-in-a-blue-moon presentation viewing).
The only reason I've continued using Office 2013 at all is Outlook, which is actually pretty nice in this version. Plus, I have a PST file containing years' worth of email. But just the other day it was producing oddball password-error messages for one of my Gmail accounts, even though I had no trouble signing into that account on the Web. (This has happened, sporadically, for years with Outlook.)
But you know what? I can migrate that PST straight to Gmail, and then just get used to Gmail's ugly Web interface. Or, because I'm kind of old-school when it comes to having a local e-mail client/information manager, I'll probably switch to the excellent eM Client 6. It's free for personal use and up to two mail accounts; the unlimited Pro version runs $49.95.
But just for once I'd like to see Microsoft deliver a truly fair and affordable solution. How about Office 365 Basic: Give me Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook for $20 annually. You keep Access, Publisher, and that incredibly generous 60 minutes of Skype calls (value: about 90 cents). Better yet, let me buy it outright for that price. I have no interest in subscribing to software.
Bonus deal: Mophie is known for making good but pricey mobile chargers. Today only, and while supplies last, DailySteals has the refurbished Mophie Juice Pack Reserve mobile charger for $8 shipped. Available in both Micro-USB and Apple 30-pin flavors, this little charger is designed to ride shotgun on your keychain, yet packs a 1,000mAh battery to give your phone ample extra juice. I bought a couple other refurb chargers from DailySteals a couple months back, and they were like new. YMMV, of course.
795a8134c1