I provide technical support for several hundred users both locally and remotely. In an ideal world they would have all their software repositories nice and organised.

Example: Envelopes with usernames containing all the CD’s, Licenses and Product keys that belong to that particular PC.

Sadly life isn’t like that and I am usually under pressure to quickly rebuild and redeploy on the same hardware say after a Hard Disk problem or Virus/Malware attack.

So today’s tech tip is for a download that exposes the current machines product keys.

On my USB key I keep install repositories for common software installations, I then grab the product keys from current machine using keyfinder (link below) and save time by not having to root about the customers cupboards.

Link: http://magicaljellybean.com/keyfinder/

Microsoft Works, now at version 9.0 is still shipped on millions of PC’s a year.

Works is a basic Word Processor and Spreadsheet like application that is typically supplied at a very low cost.

So you may occasionally encountering a files created in its proprietary file format:-

.wks = Spreadsheet

.wps = Word Processor

Microsoft provide a download on the link below that will allow you to open, edit and save documents in this format. Once installed you will have additional Save as Type options to support the Works file formats.

Your version of Microsoft Office needs to be 2003 or above.

Link: http://www.microsoft.com/products/works/downloads.mspx#Works6.0Conv

This is basically a rental/subscription model with an annual price of $69.99 a year and appears to be US only.

The package consists of Microsoft Office Home and Student and Windows Live OneCare.

OneCare is Microsoft’s security suite.

The $69.99 fee allows for installation on 3 PC’s.

Clearly this them tipping their toe into the rental/subscription market.

Office 2007 Home and Student consists of:

Word 2007
PowerPoint 2007
Excel 2007
OneNote 2007

But Not Outlook 2007, the thinking is you can just use a free online e-mail service like Live mail or Google’s Gmail.

Link: http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2008/jul08/07-02EquiptPR.mspx

Microsoft have updated their main Outlook 2007 Troubleshooting document.

The Symptoms

You may experience one or more of the following performance issues in Outlook 2007:

• Outlook 2007 is slower than earlier versions of Microsoft Office Outlook.
• Outlook 2007 is slower than expected.
• Outlook 2007 is slower than expected when you access your mailbox.
• Outlook 2007 appears to be unresponsive.
• Outlook 2007 appears to stop responding for a long time.

Link: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/940226/

Microsoft today opened their dedicated UK online store selling retail Windows and Office products.

This is a good news / bad news story.

The good news is you can now download at the point of sale. So if you need Office 2007 at 3am, well now you can.

The bad news is their online store prices are ridiculous.

Example: Microsoft Office 2007 Professional

Microsoft UK Online Store £449.99 for Download

However…..

Amazon.co.uk Boxed Retail Product is £349.98 (Sold by Amazon)

This is such a crazy world. The company that makes the software can’t sell it cheaper than a competing Internet retailer based on a non physical product.

Microsoft then have the front to charge you extra for shipping and handling if you want a backup DVD of your software.

I find it more or less impossible to recommend anyone purchase from the Microsoft online store based on their pricing model.

Pay more get less, this is borderline moronic.

No doubt there is some anti competitive shenanigans Microsoft has to observe, but really why bother. Another boxed ticked at Microsoft HQ I guess.

Link: https://emea.microsoftstore.com/UK/

PS

If you believe in conspiracy theories this news story is running in the the same news cycle  as Adobe announce a new online collaboration suite  over at www.acrobat.com

Check out this write up

Link: http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/adobe_launches_online_office_suite.php

I’m not kidding about the conspiracy either I monitor several Microsoft UK employees blogs and each one of them posted about the Microsoft online store one after each other like dominoes.