Should I install Word 2003 if I have Windows 2000

[dread]

Have Windows 2000 SP4 with Word 2002, Excel 2002, Publisher 2002, Outlook
2003.

I want to install Word 2003 (so I can use it for my Outlook 2003 e-mail
editor), but nervous about the older OS (Windows 2000). I don't know why I
have Outlook 2003 and not the newer version of Word (or Excel and Publisher
for that matter) but before I attempt to install Word 2003 (using a MS Office
Small Business Edition 2003 CD) I want to check if anyone knows whether this
would be a bad idea. Should I upgrade the OS (from Windows 2000 to Windows
XP) before installing Word 2003?

Thank you.

 

[Jay Freedman]

Have Windows 2000 SP4 with Word 2002, Excel 2002, Publisher 2002,
Outlook 2003.

I want to install Word 2003 (so I can use it for my Outlook 2003
e-mail editor), but nervous about the older OS (Windows 2000). I
don't know why I have Outlook 2003 and not the newer version of Word
(or Excel and Publisher for that matter) but before I attempt to
install Word 2003 (using a MS Office Small Business Edition 2003 CD)
I want to check if anyone knows whether this would be a bad idea.
Should I upgrade the OS (from Windows 2000 to Windows XP) before
installing Word 2003?

Thank you.

According to http://support.microsoft.com/kb/822129, Windows 2000 with
Service Pack 3 satisfies the operating system requirements for all of Office
2003.

If the official support life cycle of the software concerns you at all, you
should know that Windows 2000 went out of mainstream support three years ago
and will be eligible for extended support for only two more years
(http://support.microsoft.com/lifecycle/?LN=en-us&p1=3071&x=10&y=14).
Windows XP will still be in mainstream support until April 2009 and in
extended support until 2014
(http://support.microsoft.com/lifecycle/?p1=3223).

For that matter, you won't be able to buy a copy of Windows XP for much
longer. If you think you might eventually want it, you'd be advised to buy
it in the next couple of months. Otherwise, get Vista or whatever Windows
version comes after it.

--
Regards,
Jay Freedman
Microsoft Word MVP
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so
all may benefit.