FAO Computer People

[Pete27]

I need microsoft excel.. as cheap as possible have an accounts package i was hoping could be opened with open office but it wont work so i need excel.... doesnt have to be the latest one, microsoft office 97 will do

also i need to back up a LOT of large files and make them portable. Does £75 for a 250GB portable external hard drive sound reasonable? Someone mentioned a pen drive but they are only small and more expensive im assuming because of the convenience of them being small?

i refuse to go in to pc world and ask because they are full of sh1t and will no doubt tell me i need something thats WAYY more expensive.... so any help appreciated

[fairywishes]

yes and no ....

happy to be of service

[Stu_Millard]

Assuming you don't want a pirated copy of Excel, because we all really shouldn't be playing into the arms of the piracy business, short of buying an entire Office suite (cheapest I've seen is Office 2003 Student and Teacher edition for £75-£90, but you may need to prove you are a student or a teacher), Amazon do a limited availability Excel 2000 package:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Microsoft-Ex...TF8&s=software

But considering it's nearly £100, you might be able to spend slightly more and get the Office suite.

You might want to consider one of the online versions such as Google's forthcoming online spreadsheet application: http://www.google.com/googlespreadsheets/tour1.html

As for portable storage, I wouldn't baulk at £75 for a 250Gb external drive, it's a good price. I use a variety of portable drives for backing up and moving my data. I've got a 7Gb laptop drive encased in a portable drive caddy that's been really useful. I've also got a less portable 20Gb 5.25" version that runs off a mains adaptor. But for really small and quick transfers, I use a 256Mb USB memory stick.

[Pete27]

Assuming you don't want a pirated copy of Excel, because we all really shouldn't be playing into the arms of the piracy business, short of buying an entire Office suite (cheapest I've seen is Office 2003 Student and Teacher edition for £75-£90, but you may need to prove you are a student or a teacher), Amazon do a limited availability Excel 2000 package:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Microsoft-Ex...TF8&s=software

But considering it's nearly £100, you might be able to spend slightly more and get the Office suite.

You might want to consider one of the online versions such as Google's forthcoming online spreadsheet application: http://www.google.com/googlespreadsheets/tour1.html

As for portable storage, I wouldn't bauly at £75 for a 250Gb external drive, it's a good price. I use a variety of portable drives for backing up and moving my data. I've got a 7Gb laptop drive encased in a portable drive caddy that's been really useful. I've also got a less portable 20Gb 5.25" version that runs off a mains adaptor. But for really small and quick transfers, I use a 256Mb USB memory stick.

Thanks for the reply Stu, dont meantion piracy or fakes on here.... the goody goody squad will be on your back in no time at all

Might look in to the student/teacher package think i can get a student or a teacher to get it for me if i have to prove it

I thought about the memory sticks... (are they like pen drives?)... problem is im probably going to have 1-2GB of images/videos per month so i need something bigger. Its basically to back up everything i have and so that i can transfer everything to another computer asap is required.

[shelleywelley]

Might look in to the student/teacher package think i can get a student or a teacher to get it for me if i have to prove it

I thought about the memory sticks... (are they like pen drives?)... problem is im probably going to have 1-2GB of images/videos per month so i need something bigger. Its basically to back up everything i have and so that i can transfer everything to another computer asap is required.

Bit late replying lol but can't you use DVD'rs?

[h1r3z]

Hi Pete,
I suppose it depends a bit on the area you live but quite some time ago (maybe a year now) I bought a 400Gb external drive (Spire) for just over £80. I would think you should get a bit more space for that money now.

[timebase]

I'm not the sharpest pencil in the box but I have been using Linux for over 3 years now and it's got most of the progs that M$ have and it's all free...Open Office with speadsheets ...

Is it just lazyness or ignorance why peeps don't install a version of Linux such as Fedora, Red Hat, Suse, etc etc.?

No panicing when the puter starts running slow full of viruses , trojans or malware...and you can't recover all your data.

If you are not up to it, I would suggest finding someone to help you and drop your stress level megatimes... if you HAVE to have M$ for an application, then I suggest dual booting and make sure M$ stays offline.

Remember when doing a sort...it's bolt_stable_door first and then horse_bolt_NOT.

[Pete27]

Bit late replying lol but can't you use DVD'rs?

I could but i think a portable hard drive would be easier due to the size of the files etc

Hi Pete,
I suppose it depends a bit on the area you live but quite some time ago (maybe a year now) I bought a 400Gb external drive (Spire) for just over £80. I would think you should get a bit more space for that money now.

hi, i can get a 250GB hard drive for £75 or a 400GB for about £120 around here.... thats retail prices, probably cheaper online but i dont like buying stuff like that online!

oh and i am bidding on Microsoft Office 97 on feebay, 2 days left and its at 99p at the moment

[kengillam]

I have a Western Digital 250GB USB drive it's great.

[Pete27]

I'm not the sharpest pencil in the box but I have been using Linux for over 3 years now and it's got most of the progs that M$ have and it's all free...Open Office with speadsheets ...

Is it just lazyness or ignorance why peeps don't install a version of Linux such as Fedora, Red Hat, Suse, etc etc.?

No panicing when the puter starts running slow full of viruses , trojans or malware...and you can't recover all your data.

If you are not up to it, I would suggest finding someone to help you and drop your stress level megatimes... if you HAVE to have M$ for an application, then I suggest dual booting and make sure M$ stays offline.

Remember when doing a sort...it's bolt_stable_door first and then horse_bolt_NOT.

If your not the sharpest pencil in the box and you understand that i think i must be one of the most blunt lol

will look in to it but im one of those people that use a computer without knowing how they really work...