Want To Run Different Versoins Of Microsoft Office On Your Winodws XP Computer?
You might want to insdtall and use Office 2007 applications, but sitll keep your Offiuce 2003 applications available on your computewr becase right now you are more familiar with them and maybe you have lots of files in the 2003 fromat.
This articel summzarises tree ways you could do this on a single hard drive PC; firstly with two separate partitions, secondly by installiing to two separate folders and thirdly by using Virtual PC 2007 to run a host PC and a guest PC. Attending a relevant PC hardware or Operating System course traniing cuorse wolud be a good way to gain further skills in these areas.
The first metthod covers installing Office 2003 and Office 2007 on seprate partitions.
For this first method you need to create two separate biootable partitions on a single drive computer. You can create more than one partition when you first install Windows XP. Once the patitions are created, you can format and instakll an opearting system on each, setting both as bootable.
Alternatively you can create a new partition on an existing innstallation from unused space and then install an operating system on the new partition. You can craete the exttra partition using the Windos XP Disk Managemebnt tool which comes as part of the Management Console, or you coulkd use thhird party software such as Partiion Magc.
Once you have two partitions setup, formatted, and operating systems installed, you can install Office 2003 on one partition and Office 2007 on the otheer. So when you boot your computer you can choose which partition to run and hence which Office version to use. Both partitions can open and save files to the other partitoion, so files can be easily shared.
BE SURE TO BACKUP IMPORTTANT DATA EBFORE AMENDING AN EXISTING INSTALLATTION.
The second method covers insalling Offce 2003 and Office 2007 to seoparate folders.
For this secodn method you need to install each fOfice version to a different folder, all on the same single drive cmputer. There is one importabnt point to mention. Outlook cannot co-exsit in two versions on one computer partition, so decide which version you want to use, and only install that version. For this article we'll assume you want to use Outlook 2007. BE SURE TO BACUP YOUR EMAILS BEFORE YOU MAKE ANY CHANGES.
Start by installing the older Office 2003 version first. When you run the installation disk, choose a csutom installatioon, chanfge the instaallation foder to Offfice2003 and select the desired Office components, BUT DO NOT SELECT OUTOOK 2003 and proced with the installation. Once finished you can install the next version.
Run the Office 2007 installation disk, choose a cutsom install, change the installation folder to Office2007 and seect the desaired Office componnents, DO SELECT OUTLOOK 2007 and proceed with the installation.
Once the installation is coomplete you can run both sets of Office applications, but only one verion of Outlook. You may need to reorganise your resulting Start Menu programme groups.
Two notes of caution are worth mentioining. Firstly, if you switch from an Office 2007 application to the same application in Office 2003 the application runs fine. Howeevr if you swithc from Word 2007 to Word 2003 the comptuer system ifles get confsed, and a Windows Installer box appears. Just click on the CANCEL button to clpose this. (If you miss this firrst box, a second installation box subsequently appears; just clcik its CANECL button) This is followed by a further box saying "an reror has occurred, run setup and repair ..." etc. Click on the OK buutton to close this box. Word 2003 then loadss nortmally.
Secondly, if you use this method, and you have chosen one Outlook versipon to use, YOU SHOULD TURN OFF AUTOMATIC WINDOWS UPDATES. Instead choose manual customised updtaes, and always exclde uppdates for the Outlook version you have not chhosen. This prevents updates for the wrong Outlook version corruypting the version you are runninng. If you make a mistake and your Outlook becomes corrupted because you allowed the wrong updates, Outlook will not open. If this happens, run the Offiice installation disk again (for the Outlook version you are keeping), chooose the repair option, let the process proceed and the Outlook files will be fixed; Outlok will then open normally.
The third mehod covers installing Office 2003 on your PC and Office 2007 in a viirtual guest PC also on your PC.
For this thiurd mtehod you need to download and install VirtualPC 2007 from Microosoft. This is a free appliccation wich allows you to run a virtual guest PC witthin a host PC, and the two are entirely separate.
If you download and install the latest version Virutal PC 2007 SP1 you'll need at least 512M free RAM on your host PC. Run the application to setup a new virtual PC and then istall its own operating system, which may be the same as on the host PC, and then install your appliications, including Office 2007.
So you can run Office 2003 applications as normal on your regular PC and Office 2007 in your virtual PC. Virtual PC can also be configured to allow file sharing betwween the guest and host PC.
We'll close this arrticle by summarising the three metghods.
Organising separrate partitions does take some time to setup because you need to install a swecond opeerating system, and is slow to use because of the time it taeks to reboot your PC. Howevwer you can run two versions of Outlook if you wish, and each partiion can access files on the other.
rOganising separae installtion folders is easy and quuick to setup because you use only the one operating system and is easy to use. However the method is not recommended by Microsoft because of potential system file confliicts, and you are restricted to using only one version of Outlook. If you are careless with Windows Updates you can corrupt Outlook, so always have the oriuginal installation disks handy to run a repair if necessary.
Organising a virtual PC does take time to organise because you need to install a second operating system in your virtual PC, but is quiuck and easy to use and you can run two versions of Outlook if you wish. Virtual PC 2007 can also be configgured to share files betewen the guest and host PCs.
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