[SOLVED] Old Copies Of Office 97

[michael diemer]

I want to install a copy of Office 97 on our old Windows 98 computer. It is offline and always has been. There are copies available for 10.00, new. Will these work? Will they have a valid license key? Can it be licensed offline?

Also, would Office 97 be able to open documents from Office 10? Specifically, spreadsheets?

Thanks, Mike

 

[jay32267]

I want to install a copy of Office 97 on our old Windows 98 computer. It is offline and always has been. There are copies available for 10.00, new. Will these work? Will they have a valid license key? Can it be licensed offline?

Thanks, Mike

If I recall correctly....the license key is printed on the cardboard disk holder.
....and I don't think you need to be online to register it.
I'm going by memory here.....but I'm pretty sure.....because I think I recall installing it on a machine a few years ago.

 

[onespeedbiker]

I would assume Office 97 is the same as Office 95. The CD will have a sticker on the back of the case with a CD Key ###-#######. I don't think any other activation was necessary until Office XP came along (and even then all you need to do is call an automated phone messenger to activate). Make sure when you buy the Office 97 software that is not an "Upgrade"; unless you have an earlier version of windows office, it will not activate with the CD Key. It's not as bad as the Office 95 upgrade case graphics which look exactly like the full version, without the upgrade designation, so best to check the actual CD to be sure, which will say the CD will look for installed software for eligibility for the upgrade.

 

[michael diemer]

Thank you Jay and Onespeed. Some of them say they have the certificate of authenticity, so it sounds feasible.

 

[ex_bubblehead]

....Also, would Office 97 be able to open documents from Office 10? Specifically, spreadsheets?

Thanks, Mike

Only if those documents were first saved in the newer Office using the older format.

 

[michael diemer]

Thanks ex_bubblehead, that is encouraging.

 

[mitch074]

Office 97 uses a fixed key with no online activation. To make it half usable though, you need to install its two service releases SR-1 and SR-2 one after the other. It can read more recent files saved in the older non-???x format, but macros will not work, columns are limited to 256 and 65535 lines and layout will be impacted in Word and Excel.

 

[Math Geek]

i have not looked in a long time but i know they released compatibility packs for some of the "newer" old office versions.

i use 2007 and it can open and read from any office version. check the download page for office 97 and see if there is a pack for it as well. might get lucky.

 

[michael diemer]

Thanks Mitch and Math Geek, more very useful info. I think we will try it. Should be fun!

 

[mitch074]

i have not looked in a long time but i know they released compatibility packs for some of the "newer" old office versions.

i use 2007 and it can open and read from any office version. check the download page for office 97 and see if there is a pack for it as well. might get lucky.

A compatibility pack (allowing older Office versions to read, not write, more recent -x Office files) was issued and it worked with the different Office viewers; it didn't "improve" older suites but allowed anybody to open these newer file formats - read only .