They say change is a good thing…

Microsoft has almost completely redesigned this latest version of the Office suite, primarily in two areas that will affect all of us in different ways:

• A completely new user interface - the Office Ribbon replaces the Menu Bar and Toolbars
• New file formats for our most heavily used applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Access)

We’ll take you on a quick “tour” of the many changes and highlight some exciting new features. Learn about steps you can take now to avoid file format compatibility issues with older versions of Office before you have problems opening that file you needed yesterday!

ITS now has instructions available for dealing with Office 2007 compability problems at http://www.ndsu.edu/its/help/office2007 which will be updated as new information becomes available.

Download the free Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 file formats (allows Office 2000, 2002 or Office 2003 users to open, edit, and save files in the Office 2007 format using the older Office versions). Currently, the Compatibility Pack is available for Windows users only. A Compatibility Pack for Office 2004 for Macintosh users is expected in the spring.

Learn how to recognize files created/saved in the new format - get the list of new Office 2007 File Extensions from Wikipedia.

Microsoft has many free resources available on the web to help you take a look at the new Office versions and help you learn how to use each application. Follow these links to get a "head-start" before you upgrade:

• Microsoft's Office Online Web Site
  A great starting point - from here you can subscribe to an RSS feed that automatically provides you with fresh content every other week (training courses, video demos, etc.), you can access several FREE, self-paced training courses online, view product demos, and learn some new tips and tricks.
• The 2007 Microsoft Office System - Learning Portal
  Access more in-depth free online training from Microsoft using the various Office applications.

Just for fun!

Here's an interesting (and anonymous!) survey - answer a few simple questions and to find out what Office product you are. I'm a Word 2007 - how about you?

Interesting reviews/opinions on Office 2007:

• "Office 2007 Is the Bravest Upgrade Ever"
  An entry on a blog by Anil Dash
• "Bold Redesign Improves Office 2007"
  From Walt Mossberg's Personal Technology column from the Wall Street Journal (ptech.wsj.com)
• "Office 2007: Users Wary of Changes"
  From eWeek.com (www.eweek.com)
• "Microsoft Office 2007"
  From pcmag.com (www.pcmag.com)

Come see what all this "noise" is about!

E-Mail: Lorna.Olsen@ndsu.edu
Instructional Services - Information Technology Services
204 Quentin Burdick Building
North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58105

Last Updated: September 23, 2015