Post "Ready for a New Day"

Well it's two days after the Microsoft Vista and Office 2007 Launch Day
event in Atlanta, GA and I thought I would start a thread explaining my
experiences with loading Vista, Office 2007 and Groove 2007.  

 

The attendees at the event were given a trail version of some of the 2007
software so without spending hard earned $$, I was able to walk down this
"Yellow Brick" to see if I could find my heart, courage and Brain.

 

I began by going to the Windows Vista site and downloading a package called
Vista Upgrade Advisor package.  The reported purpose of this package is to
evaluate your computer and determine if it could run Vista and also to make
recommendation as to what version you should purchase.

 

This would have been a grand experiment except that the software did not
like the .NET dll's that I had on my system. To correct this situation I
contacted Microsoft Technical Support and yes, I had to have a discussion
with people in India.  The decision was reached that the most direct route
to resolving this problem was to deinstall all of the .NET objects off of my
computer and then to reinstall them. This would normally be a sound approach
but the problem we ran into was the control panel Remove Software program
could not remove them.  I then was instructed to download a
"dotnetfx_cleanup_tool and run it to clean out .NET objects.

This took considerable time on my older COMPAQ laptop that has 1 gig of RAM,
a 4200 RPM 80 gig hard drive and which is running Windows XP Professional SP
2.

 

Once the old .NET objects were removed I reloaded them starting with the
.NET Framework install from my XP Professional Install CD. I followed this
up by reinstalling all of the .NET updates from the Windows Update site.
This again took timmmmme but when completed did allow me to download and
install the Vista Upgrade Advisor object.  

 

The result from running this package was the information that my laptop
would have to have a new display card if I was going to see all of the neat
new visual effects of Vista.  I have no plans to rip up this laptop but
rather will buy a new Vista Capable laptop to travel down that branch of the
Yellow Brick Road but in the interim I did decide to load the trial version
of Office 2007 and Office Groove 2007.  

 

I started this with the CD that I got at the event but anyone can do the
same thing by going to www.launchtour2007.com/download.  Be careful with
Office 2007 because it requires two separate downloads but the instructions
would lead you to believe that you can do it all with one download.
Groove2007 is cleaner and requires only a single download.

 

Office2007 includes Office Access 2007, Office Excel 2007, Office Outlook
2007 with Business Contact Manager, Office PowerPoint 2007, Office Publisher
2007, and Office Word 2007 in the first down. The second download includes
some application packages like Office Accounting 2007 Tools and Office
Accounting 2007.

 

I began testing the Excel, Word and Outlook processes immediate and basicly
like what I see. The navigation is good but Outlook seems a little on the
nervous side when it comes to keeping track of where the cursor is. While
typing this rather long post it jump off track at least 7 times. Probably
due my fat fingering but still very disturbing. I never had that problem
with Outlook 2003.

 

Next week I will begin to test the interface between Excel 2007 and iSeries
Access.  This will be the real "proof of the pudding" for me because I use
that interface extensively.

 

Will try to keep you all up to date on my progress and certainly would like
to hear from any other folks that are doing similar things.

 

Jack Derham

Direct Systems, Inc.