Seeking Windows XP Professional Suite Upgrade advice

[donut]

Hello -

I am currently running 2003 Microsoft Pro Suite (Word, Excel, Access, ect.) I think I want to upgrade to the 2007 package (still staying with XP, will not upgrade to Vista).
I've researched at microsoft's site but am still confused.
Are there enough new attributes in the 2007 package to make the switch? (I especially am interested in Word and Excel).

and I would like to buy the upgrade legally for the least amount. Any ideas outside of EBay?


Thanks in advance!

 

[Lordnosfer]

I haven't used 2007 yet, but if you are a student you can currently get a download version of Office 2007 Ultimate for $59.95 through Microsoft at www.theultimatesteal.com

 

[Rig]

I am a fan of Office 2007 Ultimate, and that $59.95 deal cannot be beat.

 

[jkg2k3]

I know with Office 2007 you have to save files backwards in order to make them compatible with older versions, kind of a pain.

 

[mtxbass1]

Exactly what features are you looking to gain?

 

[donut]

[quote name='mtxbass1']Exactly what features are you looking to gain?[/quote]

I'm not sure.
I am comfortable with Excel and Word using them daily.
I now want to learn Access and Publisher...so I thought my versions are 5 years old so it would make sense to learn the latest versions (2008 has a bunch of issues still...and I do not want Vista...)
So, I learn Access and Publisher in the latest versions and get some new features with Word and Excel....

I'm not a student but will see if I can still take advantage of the $60 upgrade.

Thanks a bunch for all who took the time to reply.
Very much appreciated!

 

[thespamofpower]

[quote name='jkg2k3']I know with Office 2007 you have to save files backwards in order to make them compatible with older versions, kind of a pain.[/quote]

That's not quite true. Older versions of Office can read the new formats if the person downloads the patch. This is true at least for Word.

 

[Rig]

[quote name='thespamofpower']That's not quite true. Older versions of Office can read the new formats if the person downloads the patch. This is true at least for Word.[/quote]

This is correct.

If you try and run the newer format on an older version, Microsoft Update will attempt to download and install the compatibility pack.

After that is installed, the new format works just fine on older versions.

And if you are wanting to save a file on 2007 in an older format, you can do so quite easily (can be done while saving the document).