My computer at work is making me homicidal.

Okay, sure, I *AM* in the dark about PCs.

I've been hiding my head in the sand all these years, and my willful ignorance is now making my life very hard.

Confession: I'm a mac user. I grew up with PCs and abandoned them way back in the days when I had to type DIR on the big black screen with the orange ">" prompt to do anything.

And now? I have to use a PC at my work site. A Dell. An OLD Dell, packing Windows 98. Yup, every computer on the network (a school) uses 2000 and I can't even use Outlook from my ugly corner of obsolescence.

By an incredible stroke of luck, a district IT specialist happened to be on site today, and I roped him into helping me. (Three cheers for Sam!) He said that he'd completely forgotten that this particular computer (and I'm using the term loosely) existed and hadn't touched it for better than two years. Sam spent almost two hours in ugly obsolescence land with me. Sam was hopeful. Sam was decisive. Tragically, in the end, Sam could not help me.

So tell me: microsoft software from 98 won't communicate properly with stuff from 2000? Should I just continue to do actual work on my mac after-hours and physically carry it in on paper?

OoooOOooog. That just seems wrong.

I used to work in computing at a university (actually I was in Digital Media) and I don't think we ever got the Win98s to interface with the Win2Ks correctly...it's a simple lack of any forward compatibility. Look at the bright side...you'll probably get a new(er) computer out of this. That or they'll have to upgrade that one to Win2K and Office 2K.

The bright side...I probably won't get a newer computer.

(I work for AmeriCorps--sort of like a domestic version of the Peace Corps--and not the school district.)

I think I'm SOL.

Thanks for the reply and the dose of reality--I'm entering the acceptance phase.

:D

It was one of the best and worst decisions I ever made...

It was great because I got to work on one of the most important issue-based (literacy) public-awareness campaigns in the US, met some awesome people across the country, got to travel for work, planned one of the largest literacy fundraising events in the US and a project I worked on as part of a group is now considered the benchmark for literacy promotion nationwide.

It was bad because I left a very-cushy high-paying half-time full-benefits job to do it because AmeriCorps was something I always wanted to do; since I left AmeriCorps I have had the most hellacious time finding a new job, any job, in my field. (Non-profit capacity building: fundraising, event planning, public awareness and the such.)

If the economy was better, I'd recommend it to anybody. If you're working in what you want to do there is no better way to gain the sort of quality experience that will jump you over other candidates with the same amount of time-experience.

Dude, I work for the WRC--the Washington Reading Corps--in *literacy training* for elementary-school kids.

We should talk. Were you a VISTA or an AmeriCorps worker? I'd dearly love to get into this with you a little, if you wouldn't mind.

Please, let me know if you'd be willing or able to share your story with me. (Unfortunately I'm working AmeriCorps hours...47 a week for pennies! Yay...but I'd certainly love to hear about your experience!)

I was a Literacy*AmeriCorps Capacity Builder...it's a program administered by Literacy USA in Houston. Rather than providing direct service to learners, we provided support services to local literacy coalitions who work with municipalities, service providers and social service organizations to coordinate literacy efforts regionally. I'd be happy to share my story with you...anytime.

You're in Washington state? L*USA ran a site there for direct-service literacy education but I think it was geared towards high school kids. Actually, I wish we'd gotten to do more of that sort of thing, it was really hard to see sometimes how I was doing was making a difference when I was cooped-up in an office all day.

At least, you're an improvement over that. ;)

You haven't met my dog.
Or my computer.


Look out first-graders! Miss Rachel is on a rampage!

:crazy:

Office 97 should be compatible with later versions (Office 2000), but Office 97 (PC) and Office 98 (MAC) didn't always play well together. Someone at your school should be able to install Office 2000 on your pc, even if it is running Windows 98.

And that's going to be the end of yearly software names.

Try and get an update to Office 2000, at least. You'll be able to import those documents into any later version without any trouble, and the Macintosh support is much, much better, so you'll be able to edit those documents on your home machine without any trouble.

that won't communicate with Office 2000 on the rest of the network (also PC.)

The mac seems to have no problem sending or receiving from the PC network, so I don't think that the mac is any part of the issue.

In short, my PC at work is running windows 98 and won't allow me to access most programs on the (school) network. (I can look at them on the computer, but can't download files or use them in any way. I can't access Outlook. I can't download an Excel file from the network that's using Office 2000.)

My nice IT friend Sam tried to install Office 2000 on the POS Dell today and surrendered.

I guess I'm just going to tough it out.

Thanks nash--I do appreciate your input!

Office 98 was a Macintosh program, Office 97 and Office 2000 were for Windows.

Your good friend needs to figure out why Office 2000 won't install on your computer. Once he does, you aren't going to have any more "issues" with your files.

Outlook became a "pay" part of Office with the 2000 package, so the likelihood of your school owning the whole package is slim to none. However, if they can get it working on your Windows 98 machine then you can work with files from anywhere.

Hope that helps!

I know NOTHING about Windows. PLEASE do correct me.

Setting aside my mac entirely, though--

Sam said that the *&#@! Dell was using Office 98 and that it wouldn't "take" 2000. We (okay, he) updated as many files as we could (it was like 59 updates!) and the *&#@! Dell still wouldn't allow me to access Outlook. I can log on to the network (the school network, I mean) but still can't use many programs that even our grade-schoolers can from the library. :(

Hey, really, thanks for the time and effort--I do appreciate it!

The Operating System, otherwise known as TOS. Or, in the tech field, '98.

He ran the updates for Windows 98 from the Windows Update site. You still aren't going to be able to access Outlook because someone has to pay for it, and it doesn't sound like anyone at your school has.

Outlook is Microsoft's mail client (program) and they require that you pay fof it. Outlook "Express" is their free version of the program, which has been included on every copy of their OS since 98.

I think what you are concerned about is that if you own "Microsoft Office" for a Macintosh, you own Outlook. So your home computer has a licensed copy of Outlook, but your work computer does not. When you get to work, "Outlook Express" is there on your Windows98 machine, but it's not the same program you have on your Mac at home.

Unless your work machine is so old that you can't even get to the democraticunderground.com, tell Sam that you want an upgrade to Windows 2000, regardless of how troublesome it is.

You will still not have access to Outlook after the upgrade - you have to pay for it. However, you might find it is more compatible with files from your Macintosh computer.

that problem is that she can't get everybody else in the office's Office 2K files to open in Office 97, more than vice-versa. As you suggested, that's going to necessitate an upgrade to Office 2K.

Alternately, she could download the open-source Open Office as it's fully compatible with the proprietary MS Office.

I'm there right now, too. My old pooter and my new don't like eachother at all, and they're both the bastard offspring of Bill Gates' cash cow. The Macs I use at work are all so friendly. Even on those rare occasions when they crash, they apologize as they're rebooting. I wish all computers could be like Macs. (*donning flame suit*)

http://www.openoffice.org/

It's compatible with Office, it's free and it should run Office 2K files. It's only like a 10 minute install, as well.

Thanks more than I can say.

(LOVE working for a non-profit!)