microsoft word

[dells2711]

i have a note book laptop with no cd drive. i would like to get miscrosoft word on my notebook.
so i was wondering if there is anyone who can help me find somewhere to download it for free or not

many thanks

[Stefan Blom]

As far as I know, you can't download Office XP. Assuming that you have a CD with Office XP, get a separate DVD player and attach it to the laptop, so that you can install.

Alternatively, purchase the recent version of Word as a download: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/re...101937454.aspx.

[M.Hat]

I had a similar problem with my new Notebook. I wanted to put word on it but it had no CD/DVD drive. In order install MS Word (and any other kind of disk material, such as the Webster Dictionary), I bought an external DVD drive (for about 30 bucks) which plugs into a notebook by a USB plug. I then bought an older copy of word (Word 2002, new in the box) legally on ebay for about 40 bucks and installed it with no difficulty. (As an aside, I prefer the older versions of Word because they are simpler but have everything a normal writer would want.) Good luck.

[macropod]

FWIW, Word 2003 was a far better product than Word XP/2002. It's also probably more readily available too (though still not as a download unless you have an MSDN/TechNet subscription).

[M.Hat]

Yes, I agree with you. I'd heard that MS Word 2003 was the best of the bunch and I tried to buy it at the time. However I couldn't find it (alone) at a reasonable price right then, so I bought the 2002 version. In any case, Word 2002 has served me well with its writing and editing (with tracking) features.

I recently bought a copy of Word 2010 for my second computer and I've discovered that the older versions of Word are better for straightfowared, one-person creative writing and editing, which is all I've ever used Word for. It is my opinion that software designers make many changes and additions to software simply to justify their positions and, in the process, sometimes diminish the effectiveness of the orignal versions. (This is especially true with email designs, the latest of which is particularly cumbersome. There has to be a better way. How I long for the elegance, simplicity and functionality of Outlook Express.)

I might add that, as a writer that started out with pencil and paper many years ago, I dearly love my word-processing programs. They make my working life so much easier and more efficient. In this regard, you may be interested to know that the senior editors I've dealt with at my upscale NYC publisher still insist (at their end) on working with pencil and post-its on the manuscipts they handle.