In January 2008, Microsoft released "Office 2007", the newest version of its software suite including Access, Excel, Outlook, Powerpoint, and Word.

Shortly thereafter, Microsoft released a Macintosh version titled "Office 2008", which included Entourage, Excel, Powerpoint and Word.

Campus Technology Services (CTS) is providing the following answers to faculty and staff who are running prior versions of this product on their computer(s) and are curious about adopting the newer versions.

Will Office 2007/2008 be available in CTS labs?

Office 2007/2008 will be available in our public labs starting in late summer of 2008. All public labs will have Office 2007 installed for the fall 2008 semester.

I am teaching in an Advanced Technology Classroom (ATC). What version of Office will be installed in these areas?

Office 2007/2008 will be installed in all ATCs.

Will new faculty/staff computers come with Office 2007/2008 pre-installed?

Office 2007/2008 will be installed on newly-deployed faculty/staff PCs starting in the summer of 2008.

Will current faculty/staff computers be upgraded to Office 2007/2008?

Current faculty/staff computers can be upgraded. Click here for information on how to upgrade.

I've heard Office 2007 for Windows is very different from the version I'm using. Should I upgrade?

Office 2007 is not a "small" upgrade: the entire user interface has been radically altered, and new file formats have been introduced. We highly recommend that all prospective upgraders consider these carefully before committing. If you feel you will have difficulties adapting your workflow to these changes, we recommend against upgrading to Office 2007.

What does Office 2007's new user interface look like?

Microsoft has set up a page on their website which provides a tour of the new user interface.

I have an older version of Office. How will I know if I get sent a file created in Office 2007 or 2008?

All files created in Office 2007/2008 have an extra "x" at the end of the filename extension. For example, older versions of Microsoft Word have a ".doc" extension. Microsoft Word 2007/2008 carries a ".docx" extension. Likewise for Excel, Powerpoint, and Access.

Will I be able to open an Office 2007/2008 document with an older version of Office?

Due to changes in the default Office file format, Windows users wishing to read Office 2007/2008 files will need to install the Microsoft Office 2007 Compatibility Pack. This pack will allow you to open and save Excel, Powerpoint, or Word 2007/2008 files using your current Office 2003 installation.

If you are planning on using Office 2007/2008, you should be prepared to save documents in Office 2003 format to ensure compatibility across the board. Please watch a short demo on how to do this.

Microsoft has also issued an "XML converter" utility for use with Mac OS X and Office 2004, available from their website. Please note the system requirements before attempting an installation.

Will Office 2007/2008 be able to open files created with previous versions of Office?

Yes.

Will CTS offer new workshops covering Office 2007/2008?

Some basic courses will be offered during the Fall semester. When these courses are available, announcements will be made on the main CTS website.

In addition, our online e-learning software called Skillport has been updated with Office 2007 courses. All faculty, staff, and students can login to Skillport with their SUNY Oswego email username and password to learn more about how to use Word 2007, Excel 2007, Powerpoint 2007, and more.

What about personal computers (i.e., student or "home use")?

Office 2007/2008 will be made available at discounted academic prices via the College Store.