Not to hate, but the fact that you started with 'labtop' has me worried. You can avoid confusion (or, ridicule) by saying notebook. ;-p
That said, I'm assuming that you have documents stored on your usb drive, not programs? Also, you are likely trying to 'open' the documents, not 'boot' them.
It sounds like your install of MS Word may have issues. Do you had administrative rights on the machine? Can you run 'add/remove programs' from the control panel? If so, try to add/remove MS Office, then choose 'repair' if prompted, and see if that process succeeds.
If it does, but you still have no luck, you may need to install the compatibility pack which allows you to open Office 2007 formatted files in Office 2003:
http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=3
In case I come across otherwise, I am just trying to help you effectively communicate with those who are likely to help you. Best of luck!