2003 office upgrades

[lauran26]

I now have Office 2000 Small Business Edition on my PC and want Office 2003
Professional. The 2000 SBE is OEM and I somehow managed to install it on my
new PC a year or so ago (despite messages I've read on this board saying this
can't be done) - is it eligible for a 2003 Pro Edition upgrade? I've read
lots of old messages on this board re: upgrades, but they were prior to the
release of the 2007 Editions, so all links relating to 2003 versions go to
the MS 2007 suites page. Is there a "cheat sheet" still around somewhere
that shows eligible upgrades to 2003 suites and further, is there an accurate
source for parts numbers to identify retail box vs. OEM vs. Upgrades vs.
Promotional, etc. for different versions of 2003 Professional, e.g., Academic
(which I will soon qualify for), and also licensing (e.g., one user, 1 PC, 1
portable, etc)? Since 2003 is no longer sold by storefront retailers, I'm
having trouble sorting this all out. Like probably many people out there,
I'm trying to find the least expensive way to update the basic programs and
at the same time, gain Powerpoint and Access. And, most important, not buy
the wrong thing and be stuck with a product I can't use or that won't qualify
for upgrades the next time around. Thanks!

 

[Beth Melton]

I doubt anyone said installing an OEM version of Office from one computer to
another *couldn't* be done but I'm certain many said doing so was illegal
and violates your End User License Agreement.

That being the case, it isn't exactly eligible for an upgrade version of
Office.

Please post all follow-up questions to the newsgroup. Requests for
assistance by email cannot be acknowledged.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Beth Melton
Microsoft Office MVP

Coauthor of Word 2007 Inside Out:
http://www.microsoft.com/MSPress/books/9801.aspx#AboutTheBook

Word FAQ: http://mvps.org/word
TechTrax eZine: http://mousetrax.com/techtrax/
MVP FAQ site: http://mvps.org/

 

[lauran26]

Oops - had no idea (til now) that I did something illegal. With that said,
it also makes no sense to me now that anyone would buy a computer with
pre-installed Office unless they intend to buy a new computer to coincide
with new releases of the software. Or, am I missing something here?

Thanks, Beth, for clearing up my confusion by eliminating upgrade options.

 

[Beth Melton]

Sorry to have been the bearer of bad news. :-(

You're right, it doesn't make any sense for someone to purchase OEM
versions. While they are cheaper you do get what you pay for: licensed to
the computer it was installed on and support only from the OEM. IOW, if you
lose your Product Key or need replacement media good luck getting the OEM to
cooperate.

If you will soon qualify for an Academic version then you may also qualify
for The Ultimate Steal which is an offer for those in college and have an
email address ending in .edu. For around $60 USD it might be cheaper:
http://theultimatesteal.com/home.asp

Granted it's for Office 2007 and not Office 2007 so that may be a
determining factor for you. If you are eligible and wish to take this route
then I'd definitely opt for the physical media and not rely on download
only. History has proven some updates require the physical media.

Please post all follow-up questions to the newsgroup. Requests for
assistance by email cannot be acknowledged.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Beth Melton
Microsoft Office MVP

Coauthor of Word 2007 Inside Out:
http://www.microsoft.com/MSPress/books/9801.aspx#AboutTheBook

Word FAQ: http://mvps.org/word
TechTrax eZine: http://mousetrax.com/techtrax/
MVP FAQ site: http://mvps.org/

 

[Bob Buckland ?:-\)]

Hi Lauran,

The qualifying older versions that allow you to use an upgrade Office 2003 package are any of the following. The qualifying product
can be a retail or OEM edition.

Office XP Developer,
Office XP Professional with FrontPage®,
Office XP Professional Special Edition,
Office XP Professional with Publisher,
Office XP Professional,
Office XP Small Business Edition,
Office XP Standard,
Office 2000 Developer,
Office 2000 Premium,
Office 2000 Professional,
Office 2000 Small Business Edition,
Office 2000 Standard,
Office 97 Professional,
Office 97 Small Business Edition,
Office 97 Standard,
Works Suite 2004,
Works Suite 2003,
Works Suite 2002,
Works 2000,
Works 8.0,
Works 7.0,
or Works 6.0

============
I now have Office 2000 Small Business Edition on my PC and want Office 2003
Professional. The 2000 SBE is OEM and I somehow managed to install it on my
new PC a year or so ago (despite messages I've read on this board saying this
can't be done) - is it eligible for a 2003 Pro Edition upgrade? I've read
lots of old messages on this board re: upgrades, but they were prior to the
release of the 2007 Editions, so all links relating to 2003 versions go to
the MS 2007 suites page. Is there a "cheat sheet" still around somewhere
that shows eligible upgrades to 2003 suites and further, is there an accurate
source for parts numbers to identify retail box vs. OEM vs. Upgrades vs.
Promotional, etc. for different versions of 2003 Professional, e.g., Academic
(which I will soon qualify for), and also licensing (e.g., one user, 1 PC, 1
portable, etc)? Since 2003 is no longer sold by storefront retailers, I'm
having trouble sorting this all out. Like probably many people out there,
I'm trying to find the least expensive way to update the basic programs and
at the same time, gain Powerpoint and Access. And, most important, not buy
the wrong thing and be stuck with a product I can't use or that won't qualify
for upgrades the next time around. Thanks!>>
--

Bob Buckland ?
MS Office System Products MVP

*Courtesy is not expensive and can pay big dividends*

 

[Sharron]

I am currently using Office 2003 Basic and want to upgrade to Office 2007
Small Business. How is the best way to do this?

 

[JoAnn Paules]

Buy the upgrade (or full version) and install it from the disk.

--

JoAnn Paules
MVP Microsoft [Publisher]
Tech Editor for "Microsoft Publisher 2007 For Dummies"