Pat said:
Can I download this program?
No, it's not free.
I cannot afford to
buy access, pay for my computer, and pay for my course all together.
Even if you qualify for academic pricing there are only two academic products
that include Access. MS Office 2003 Pro is $199 and MS Office Access 2007 is
$119 (when it becomes available).
http://www.microsoft.com/Education/USAcademicPricing.mspx
You may need a loan to pay for all this but exhaust all other avenues first.
1) Ask everyone you know if they have a laptop (or computer) with Access
installed on it that you can borrow while you're taking your course. Ask
your contacts to ask everyone they know too.
2) Many businesses and individuals donate their old computers to charitable
organizations before the end of the year to get a tax write off. Some of
these computers have software still loaded on them. Contact local schools,
churches and other non-profits to see if you can work out a deal with them
for one of their donated computers if they have any with Access installed.
3) Contact the local recycling center to see if they have any leads for you
on people trying to recycle their old computers to see if you can get one
with Access already installed on it. Many recycling centers don't accept
computers because they contain hazardous waste materials, so even if you
can't get a computer directly you can probably get some leads on where to
find *excess* computers.
4) Contact storage facilities. They have periodic auctions of property and
you may be able to find a computer with Access installed on it for *real*
cheap.
5) Check the "for sale" ads and Craig's List for used computers, software
and moving sales in a city near you.
http://www.craigslist.org/about/cities.html
6) Get creative and organize a fund raiser to earn the money. Bake sale,
car wash, pet sitting/exercising, etc.
7) If you're *really* desperate, back up your computer first and download
the Office 2007 beta. Betas are notoriously buggy but it might work well
enough for you to take your course with it. When you're done with your
course don't just uninstall Office 2007 beta, restore from your backup to
avoid any residual problems. Understand that Office 2007 beta will probably
mess up your computer (that's why it's a free beta). FWIW *I* wouldn't load
it on my computer unless it was a spare computer.
Good luck to you, hon.
