Word07 Blocks Older Versions?

[ulTRAX]

Bought a new PC in early November. After tiring of the Word07 nags to
register or buy Office07, I went back to Word2000. The file associations for
Word documents have been set that way for a month.

Today I tried to open a Word2000 document to find the file association had
been changed to Word07. I did NOT do this. I was not allowed to modify my
document as it was locked. Word2000 was NOT on the list of alternative
programs so TWICE I manually browsed into the old Program Files folders and
tried to make the old Word2000 the program of choice. Vista or Office07 would
not allow Word2000 to even be added to the list. In other words something in
either Office or Vista was blocking my ability to open my own files with the
program of my choice. That is unaceptable. I finally just uninstalled
Office07. Good riddens. Only then could I use the program I chose for Word
files.

What the hell is going on? I can’t see this as some accident. Is another of
MS's obnoxious games to force users to buy their products? Get a clue MS...
OpenOffice is out there and it's FREE.

 

[Gordon]

Bought a new PC in early November. After tiring of the Word07 nags to
register or buy Office07, I went back to Word2000. The file associations
for
Word documents have been set that way for a month.

Today I tried to open a Word2000 document to find the file association had
been changed to Word07. I did NOT do this. I was not allowed to modify my
document as it was locked. Word2000 was NOT on the list of alternative
programs so TWICE I manually browsed into the old Program Files folders
and
tried to make the old Word2000 the program of choice. Vista or Office07
would
not allow Word2000 to even be added to the list. In other words something
in
either Office or Vista was blocking my ability to open my own files with
the
program of my choice. That is unaceptable. I finally just uninstalled
Office07. Good riddens. Only then could I use the program I chose for Word
files.

What the hell is going on? I can't see this as some accident. Is another
of
MS's obnoxious games to force users to buy their products? Get a clue
MS...
OpenOffice is out there and it's FREE.

And all that happened because you didn't uninstall the trial version.......

 

[Bob I]

Bought a new PC in early November. After tiring of the Word07 nags to
register or buy Office07, I went back to Word2000. The file associations for
Word documents have been set that way for a month.

Today I tried to open a Word2000 document to find the file association had
been changed to Word07. I did NOT do this. I was not allowed to modify my
document as it was locked. Word2000 was NOT on the list of alternative
programs so TWICE I manually browsed into the old Program Files folders and
tried to make the old Word2000 the program of choice. Vista or Office07 would
not allow Word2000 to even be added to the list. In other words something in
either Office or Vista was blocking my ability to open my own files with the
program of my choice. That is unaceptable.

I finally just uninstalled

Office07. Good riddens. Only then could I use the program I chose for Word
files.

DUH!

 

[DL]

The trial had expired, yet you didnt uninstall it.
What do you expect!

 

[ulTRAX]

And all that happened because you didn't uninstall the trial version.......

You and Bob I are avoiding the more obvious question of WHY trial software
should behave in this manner? No trials I've ever installed have EVER had the
ability to change file associations and block a user's access to the program
of their choice. MS had plenty of options that did NOT involve changing file
associations and blocking a user’s choice to access the program of their
choice. And what If I chose to buy 2-3 months down the line? This is just
another example of MS leveraging its OS to push its own products. Just saying
one should uninstall the offending program avoids entirely the bigger issues
here.

 

[Bob I]

:




You and Bob I are avoiding the more obvious question of WHY trial software
should behave in this manner? No trials I've ever installed have EVER had the
ability to change file associations and block a user's access to the program
of their choice. MS had plenty of options that did NOT involve changingfile
associations and blocking a user’s choice to access the programof their
choice. And what If I chose to buy 2-3 months down the line? This is just
another example of MS leveraging its OS to push its own products. Just saying
one should uninstall the offending program avoids entirely the bigger issues
here.

It becomes a viewer after the trial is over, don't want it? Uninstall
it. Shesh. I think your tin hat came loose. Everything Microsoft does is
a conspiracy. You obviously ignore all the other applications out there
that do the same thing such as Quicktime, Realtime, and others.

 

[ulTRAX]

I expect it to act like ALL the other trial software I've ever used... TO
JUST STOP WORKING! NO other trial program I’ve ever used could automatically
change my file associations without my permission THEN block access to the
program I HAD been using.

That you seem to think such obnoxious if not despicable behavior in the part
of MS is the norm we just have to accept is a damning indictment on how
little respect you have for yourself as a consumer. Anyone with any sense
would just see this as more proof that MS should be broken up.

 

[ulTRAX]

It becomes a viewer after the trial is over, don't want it? Uninstall
it. Shesh. I think your tin hat came loose. Everything Microsoft does is
a conspiracy. You obviously ignore all the other applications out there
that do the same thing such as Quicktime, Realtime, and others.

I'm ignoring NOTHING. I've installed at least several hundred programs on a
trial basis and ALL just stopped working when the trial was over. If my file
associations pointed to that expired program I’d just get a prompt that it
expired or to enter a serial.

NONE had the ability to change my file associations without my permission
from the program of my choice to an expired program I was not even using let
alone block my access to manually change the file associations back. That you
seem to find this acceptable is, as I said before, a damning indictment
against mindless MS apologists… or just complacent Sheeple who have no
respect for themselves as consumers.

 

[Bob I]

What part of "IT BECOMES A VIEWER" is escaping your comprehension?

:




I'm ignoring NOTHING.

Bull!

 

[ulTRAX]

What part of the following don’t YOU understand?

1: I was NOT using the Word07 trial.
2: My file associations for Word files was set for WORD 2000
3: The Office07 trial could have just ended as other trials do: it would
just stop working.
4: Instead Office07 changed my file association for Word files WITHOUT MY
PERMISSION
5: Office07 took Word2000 off my list of alternative programs to prevent me
from having access to MY OWN FILES.
6: Office07 prevented me from manually adding Word2000 back onto the list of
alternative programs.
7: Office07 was DISABLING A PROGRAM I HAD PURCHASED AND EVERY LEGAL RIGHT TO
USE.

So despite your gross distortions, what MS is doing goes WAY beyond merely
disabling Word07 or allowing to just become a viewer. So you gettin' it yet
Einstein? Didn’t think so.

 

[DL]

1) So why didnt you uninstall it
3/4) Office installs have allways set the default association to latest
version
5) You still had access to Word2k and your files
7) What do you expect, if you dont want the trial uninstall it
8) Of course Office2k isnt fully compatible with Vista

 

[ulTRAX]

BTW... the trial was to be for 60 days and it's about 3 weeks shy of that
deadline.

And I have to ask you just what SPECIFIC other trial software do YOU know
about that upon ending a trial period changes file associations without
permission to that expired program, prevents a user from changing back to
their program of choice by completely removing it from the alternative "open
with" list... then blocks a user's manual attempts to add that program back
to the list? To top it off MS doesn’t even notify the user of potential
remedies… except the prompts to buy the Office07!

When trials end companies usually don't want to burn their bridges to
potential consumers by pissing them off… forcing them uninstall a trial to
free up their own software from being held hostage. If I try Photoshop CS3
and Dreamweaver 9 and those trials end I know I will NOT be blocked from
using PS CS2 and Dreamweaver 8. I'll now NEVER consider buying Office07 after
this arrogant bullcrap from MS. This is not just unconscionable… it’s a
stupid business model. Unless MS is counting on everyone being mindless
Sheeple. Judging from the responses here… MS may be correct.

 

[ulTRAX]

1) So why didnt you uninstall it

Because I considered buying Office07 after I fully compared it with
OpenOffice.

3/4) Office installs have always set the default association to latest
version

Who cares what the default is. I had changed the association back to
Word2000. It was today that the file extensions were changed and Word2000 was
removed from the “opens with†list… and I could not manually add it back on.
Clearly, since it worked in the past, it was being actively BLOCKED.

5) You still had access to Word2k and your files

You mean I should have just meekly accepted Office07 hijacking my file
associations and preventing me from changing them back to Word2000? Are you
insane? It's MY PC damn it. If the trial ends... the program should just stop
working... not hold hostage software I HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO USE.

7) What do you expect, if you don’t want the trial uninstall it

Gee... if I was told of just how obnoxious MS had become... I might have
uninstalled it day 1. But I kept it to evaluate it for possible purchase. But
I’ll be damned if I now buy it. All MS has done in this case is inspire me to
write the FTC and contact my representatives that AGAIN MS has gone too far.

8) Of course Office2k isnt fully compatible with Vista

I don't have Office2k... just Word2k... and it works just fine. And even if
a program is incompatible with Vista… and I’ve had enough of them, I expect
some incompatibility message during installation…. NOT that a month after
installation Office07 or Vista starts to actively block my ability to use a
program by hijacking my file associations.

 

[ulTRAX]

It goes without saying that Bob I and DL can't actually name any other
software that does what Office 2007 did. For the record when the Office trial
stopped it highjacked my file extensions from Word2k to Word07 which was
disabled. Office07 took Word2000 off my list of alternative programs to
prevent me from accessing MY OWN FILES. Office07 prevented me from manually
adding Word2000 back onto the list of alternative programs. Office07 was
DISABLING A PROGRAM I HAD PURCHASED AND EVERY LEGAL RIGHT TO USE.

Ya, ALL software trials end this way!!! Oh no wait... they usually just stop
working leaving open the possibility that you might eventually buy it.