Windows Vista and Office 2007 FAQs. Information technology resources and support for LSA faculty, staff, and department system administrators.

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Windows Vista and Office 2007 FAQs

Microsoft Windows Vista Frequently Asked Questions
Microsoft Office 2007 Frequently Asked Questions

Microsoft Windows Vista Frequently Asked Questions

What is Windows Vista?

Vista is Microsoft’s new operating system that will replace Windows XP. Vista is not just an “upgrade” to Windows XP; rather it is an entirely new operating system that includes a complete rewrite of the core operating system. Vista is designed to be more stable, productive, secure, and easier to use. It has a new user interface, a greatly improved search engine and requires fewer reboots when updating.

When will LSAIT support be available for Vista?

Current estimates are that the summer of 2008 is the earliest that a planned deployment of Windows Vista, with appropriate levels of support, could begin. LSAIT does not currently support Vista. The necessary infrastructure required to integrate Vista at the university is not yet in place, software packages used within the college are not yet certified Vista compatible, and Vista requires a higher level of hardware than is currently installed in the college. LSAIT staff are leading an effort with other university units to plan and test an enterprise wide deployment of Vista.

Can LSA staff independently upgrade to Vista?

No. The administrative system of the college is a locked down system deliberately kept at the same version in order to minimize troubleshooting and maintenance effort. The colleges administrative system will be upgraded to Windows Vista in a planned manner once the requisite testing is complete and hardware requirements for the college as a whole are met. Current estimates are that the summer of 2008 is the earliest that a planned deployment, with appropriate levels of support, could begin.

Can LSA faculty independently upgrade to Vista?

Yes they may, but there is no formal support planned for Vista until summer 2008. LSAIT recommends that faculty do not upgrade their current computer to Vista at this time. There may be hardware and software compatibility issues with Vista and interoperability problems with the University’s network. Before purchasing a computer with Vista installed you should check to make sure that the software and peripherals that you already own are Vista compatible. You may need to purchase or obtain upgrades and drivers for older software equipment. You may also need to purchase replacements for those things that are not Vista compatible. LSA Faculty have the option of downgrading to Windows XP until the time that Vista support is available in the College.

What are the minimum hardware requirements for Vista?

Microsoft has set the following criteria as the minimum hardware level for Vista Premium:

1 GHz 32bit or 64 bit processor
1 GB system RAM
Separate video card with a minimum 128 MB graphics memory
40 GB hard drive with at least 15 GB free
DVD-ROM drive

Where can I learn more about Vista?

More information about Vista at the University of Michigan can be found on the ITCS web site . Information provided by Microsoft is available at the Microsoft Windows Vista Home page .

Microsoft Office 2007 Frequently Asked Questions

What is Office 2007?

Office 2007 is the most recent version of Microsoft’s desktop productivity software. It was released to business customers on November 30, 2006 and was made available to retail customers on January 30, 2007. Office 2007 contains a number of new features, the most notable of which is the entirely new graphical user interface called the “Ribbon”, replacing the menus and toolbars that have been the cornerstone of Office since its inception. Office 2007 applications include Word, Excel, Outlook, Access, Powerpoint, Publisher, OneNote, and InfoPath.

When will LSA roll out Office 2007?

LSAIT will be deploying Office 2007 and IE 7 to the staff of the college beginning June 19th. We expect to have all work completed by mid August. The LSAIT Computer Service Group (CSG) will carry out scheduled, phased deployments to the units they serve over a 10 week period. Information on the process is available here. Departments with IT staff will make their own arrangements.

Am I getting anything besides the new version of Office?

Yes, along with Office 2007 you will get an improved desktop search feature and the latest Microsoft Browser, Internet Explorer 7 (IE7). Both Office and IE 7 will come with some added features, as requested by our early testers. These include the addition of “Getting Started” information to certain programs, the ability to save in additional file formats including pdf, and some minor web browser reconfiguration.

May I install the Office2007 provided by the college on my personally owned computer where I do college work?

No, the U-M license for Office 2007 only allows it to be installed on U-M owned computers.

When will I be able to purchase a copy of Office 2007 for my personal computer at home?

Personal use copies of Microsoft Office 2007 are now available from the Computer Showcase. The Computer Showcase version is considerably less expensive than the retail version, but you will be limited to two copies.

Which version of Office 2007 will LSA be deploying?

LSA will be deploying the Microsoft Office Enterprise 2007 version.

Will we receive any classroom training for Office 2007?

Our testers have concluded that in many cases Office 2007 is easier to use than Office 2003, and that formal training is not necessary. During the initial installation and configuration of Office 2007 you will receive a walkthrough and explanation of the major changes. You will also receive a printed “Quick Source” guide for Word, Excel, and Outlook and the training resources available within the programs and online will be explained.

Where can I get help or support with Office 2007?

There are many sources of support for Office 2007. We will be providing you with “Quick Source” guides for the most popular Office programs. These one page reference guides were the most requested item by our testers. Office 2007 has an extensive help system built into the program and we have added help and training content to certain applications by installing the optional “Get Started” add-in. LSAIT has posted some of these resoures here. Microsoft has also made interactive guides and presentations available on their website. Finally, phone support is available through LSAIT’s PC-Helps service. To reach PC-Helps call the LSAIT Help Desk at 936-3279, and select option 2.

Are there any tutorials for Office 2007 available?

Microsoft has a very nice “Getting Started” website that includes some online training courses. You can find the website here .

Can a person using Office 2003 open files created in Office 2007?

Yes. LSAIT has deployed the required file translators to all managed computers. All Office 2003 machines with the translators will be able to open Office 2007 documents. If you send an Office 2007 file to someone who doesn’t have the file translators the user will be prompted to install the translators from the Microsoft Office website. Initially, all college staff machines with Office 2007 will save documents in the “old” (2003) format by default. This will be changed to the “new” (2007) format once the Office program for Macs is able to read the Office 2007 format.

Can a Mac OSX user open files created with Office 2007?

The file translators necessary for Mac OSX to read Office 2007 files will not be available until late this summer or Fall. Until the translators are available for Mac OSX, we will set Office 2007 to save files in the Office 2003 format by default. Files can always be saved in other formats by using the “save as” command.