Install Office 2003 alongside 2007

[agibsonsw]

Hello.

I would like to install Office 2003 on a computer that already has Office 2007. I want to keep them completely separate and am not sure how to proceed.

Do I need to create a separate partition? Does W7 have a suitable tool to do this, and how would I install 2003 just to this partiton?

Or should I be revisiting the idea of creating/ mounting an image? Need some pointing in the right direction

Andy.

[HansV]

If you want to install Office 2003 in the same partition, you'll have to uninstall Office 2007 and remove all traces of it, then install Office 2003, and finally reinstall Office 2007. You'll be prompted whether you want it to replace Office 2003; you should answer No of course.
Outlook allows only one version to be installed, so you'll have to choose between keeping Outlook 2003 and not having Outlook 2007, or upgrading to Outlook 2007 and not having Outlook 2003.
Switching between version is not always smooth.

Others will no doubt be able to advise you about other options.

(I don't think mounting an image is relevant here, but that's outside my field)

[agibsonsw]

Hi and thank you @Hans.

I am hoping to avoid any conflicts, and the need to un-install the previous version, by perhaps installing Office 2003 on a separate partition. I believe this might enable me to "dual boot" (?) but I don't know much about it .

But I'm getting the impression, gradually, that even if I create the partition there are Office elements that will still be shared on the C-drive, which might still necessitate un-installing 2007 to prevent issue.

Andy.

[HansV]

Best would be to create two boot partitions, but you'd need two licenses for Windows to do that.

[DaveA]

even if I create the partition there are Office elements that will still be shared on the C-drive

Yes, that is right. What you may need to do is a Dual boot of the OS, and then install 2003 on the second OS.

I have 3 machines connected using a "KMB switch". This way you can have the different versions of Office on the different machines and jump from one to another with a few key strokes.

[agibsonsw]

Thank you Dave and Hans.

I have the luxury of two laptops so I think I'll revert to an original plan of keeping one purely for Office 2003 work, which occurs less and less these days. This may not be ideal but it'll suit me for the time being.

Thanks for the assistance; that is, helping me to make a decision Andy.

[jonwallace]

You could always try a virtual machine. I "virtualized" my old winxp machine and play it (in VMplayer) occasionally when I need to remind myself of some setting or other that I forgot to transfer. (It seems to run faster than it did on my old machine...)

[agibsonsw]

Hi Jon.

I'll need to investigate this VM business a little. For example, how do I get my old computer to appear virtually on my new one? Surely it involves burning a load of DVDs? And licensing issues?
Andy.

[JoeP]

If you are considering using Windows Virtual PC checkout the free Disk2vhd tool for converting a physical disks to Microsoft's VHD format.

Joe

[agibsonsw]

Hello. I'm still unclear on the suggestions here: imagine I'm a bit dim please

1) I'm on Windows 7 Home Premium, so no Windows Virtual PC. But suppose I had this feature, or perhaps a free alternative(?). I know that this can allow booting into different (virtual) computers. But would this require a separate licence for, say XP or Vista, or can I use/copy my current W7 be installed as the OS for both virtuals? (So that I could then install Office 2003 on the other virtual/computer.)

2) Would W7, XP Mode mean that the other (virtual) computer could behave as though XP were already installed on it?

3) I couldn't follow, but has it been suggested that I could somehow replicate my other computer entirely by burning/imaging it to, initially, DVDs, and then somehow pasting this to my other computer as a virtual drive or partition? If this were possible, wouldn't this also introduce licencing issues?

Sorry to labour the point but I'm not familiar with these ideas. Regards, Andy.

[JoeP]

1.) You can download and install Windows Virtual PC by itself. Go to Download XP Mode with Virtual PC and click on the "Don't need XP mode..." link. Select you version of Windows 7. NOTE: You do need a valid license for another copy of Windows (XP, Vista, Win7).

Once Virtual PC (or another VM) is installed and a guest OS installed, the VM runs like an application. You can continue to use your host Win7 os for whatever you wish while the VM is active.

2.) XP mode is Windows Virtual PC with Windows XP Pro SP3 installed in it. You must have Windows 7 Pro, Ultimate, or Enterprise to run XP mode. However, if you have an extra valid license for XP you can install it in Virtual PC.

3.) It might introduce licensing issues. You can't do this if your version of XP is an OEM version. Also, you can't do it if you are still using your XP version on the original PC.

Joe

[agibsonsw]

Thank you JoeP.

Yes, definitely made up my mind now . I'll just use my other laptop for any Office 2003 work that comes along. This doesn't happen too often these days and, besides, I wasn't planning to sell the laptop anyway. (It's also good that it will still have a purpose in life!)

[Besides, I use a Virtual Box at work occasionally and they're a real pain, particularly when trying to read and copy files from USB pens, or connect printers.]

Regards, Andy.