My Review Of Office 2010 Starter Edition
Thursday, 08 July 2010 07:48 | 
Author: David Glick |
While on a service call for computer repair in Phoenix, I had the pleasure of helping a customer set up her new Dell computer which also came with the availability of the brand new Microsoft Office 2010. Setup of the Starter edition, which by the way is absolutely FREE and should be available on all new OEM computers from the big boys (Dell, HP, Compaq, Acer, etc), went perfectly. A shortcut in the All Programs menu started the installation - an Internet connection is required for this, by the way.
While on a service call for computer repair in Phoenix, I had the pleasure of helping a customer set up her new Dell computer which also came with the availability of the brand new Microsoft Office 2010. Setup of the Starter edition, which by the way is absolutely FREE and should be available on all new OEM computers from the big boys (Dell, HP, Compaq, Acer, etc), went perfectly. A shortcut in the All Programs menu started the installation - an Internet connection is required for this, by the way.
The installation was fast and the setup program is pretty self-explanatory. You choose which edition you want and it installs what you chose. Any edition above the Starter would need to be paid for prior to the installation. The Starter version comes with Word and Excel, but both of those have less features than their paid counterparts - more on that in a moment. Installation took less than 15 minutes on a 1.5 megabit connection. I decided to try Excel first.
I actually was quite happy with this version of Excel. It is missing the macros, VBA, and some advanced formatting, but overall I was able to do just about everything that I normally do in Excel including formulas, essential formatting, etc. I didn't miss much of anything in my travels in Excel.
Word, on the other hand, is much more limited in this version in that it does away with macros, headers, footers, and a few other essential features that students will miss. Thank goodness for the less expensive Home and Student edition for those using Office 2010 for school (which of course must be purchased).
Considering this is a free version of Microsoft Office, I felt that the features were adequate overall (except for students as noted) for the average user. If you have purchased OEM computers in the past, you may notice something missing: Microsoft Works or Microsoft Works Suite. This is because the Starter version of Office replaces Works Suite. You won't get everything that Works Suite had, either. Another downfall of the Starter edition is that it is ad supported. A rotating ad takes up some of the screen real estate. If you would like to try a truly free and feature rich office suite, check out the Open Office suite at www.openoffice.org. You will get a spreadsheet application, word processor, and presentation software. They aren't 100% Office compatible but they come close.
If you found that this has been helpful, please let me know :) If you need computer repair in Phoenix or the Verde Valley area of Arizona, please check out my website at http://www.mobiletechcomputerrepair.com - you will also find more helpful tips on using computers on my website.
While on a service call for computer repair in Phoenix, I had the pleasure of helping a customer set up her new Dell computer which also came with the availability of the brand new Microsoft Office 2010. Setup of the Starter edition, which by the way is absolutely FREE and should be available on all new OEM computers from the big boys (Dell, HP, Compaq, Acer, etc), went perfectly. A shortcut in the All Programs menu started the installation - an Internet connection is required for this, by the way.
The installation was fast and the setup program is pretty self-explanatory. You choose which edition you want and it installs what you chose. Any edition above the Starter would need to be paid for prior to the installation. The Starter version comes with Word and Excel, but both of those have less features than their paid counterparts - more on that in a moment. Installation took less than 15 minutes on a 1.5 megabit connection. I decided to try Excel first.
I actually was quite happy with this version of Excel. It is missing the macros, VBA, and some advanced formatting, but overall I was able to do just about everything that I normally do in Excel including formulas, essential formatting, etc. I didn't miss much of anything in my travels in Excel.
Word, on the other hand, is much more limited in this version in that it does away with macros, headers, footers, and a few other essential features that students will miss. Thank goodness for the less expensive Home and Student edition for those using Office 2010 for school (which of course must be purchased).
Considering this is a free version of Microsoft Office, I felt that the features were adequate overall (except for students as noted) for the average user. If you have purchased OEM computers in the past, you may notice something missing: Microsoft Works or Microsoft Works Suite. This is because the Starter version of Office replaces Works Suite. You won't get everything that Works Suite had, either. Another downfall of the Starter edition is that it is ad supported. A rotating ad takes up some of the screen real estate. If you would like to try a truly free and feature rich office suite, check out the Open Office suite at www.openoffice.org. You will get a spreadsheet application, word processor, and presentation software. They aren't 100% Office compatible but they come close.
If you found that this has been helpful, please let me know :) If you need computer repair in Phoenix or the Verde Valley area of Arizona, please check out my website at http://www.mobiletechcomputerrepair.com - you will also find more helpful tips on using computers on my website.
About the Author:
About the author: David Glick has been repairing computers professionally for over 12 years. Check out the Mobile Tech Computer Repair website for computer repair in Phoenix and the Verde Valley areas of Arizona.
