I followed the instructions above, including right clicking on the downloaded file and selecting "Run as Administrator", and Office Starter was installed on my computer.
I was a little worried because the instructions only mention Windows 8 - but it works fine on Widows 7.
At first all the Word files were still orange docx files but then I restarted my computer and they all went back to blue Word documents, hooray!!
The first time I tried to open one a message popped up saying something like "Microsoft Office is downloading the required features and may appear un-responsive temporarily". This took a few minutes and then
the file opened normally like it used to and I could edit it etc.
When I right click on one and choose "properties"
it still says "Microsoft Word Document (.docx)" next to "Type of file" - I'm not sure if that's what it used to say but all I care about is that I can open and edit them like I used to be able to : )
I thought I was going to have to follow my OEM's (ACER) advice and let them do a full "factory restore" of my computer. They said I needed to back-up all my important files, programs, documents and pictures first - which meant
I was going to have to wait months before I could afford a 500GB external hard drive to do this.
The download the first time after you installed starter is normal. It should not re-occur. What happens is that the setup program only does a partial install, just enough for you to start the program. That first start then triggers the download of the rest
of the program, although in theory it is supposed to be transparent.
Seeing the default file type as DOCX is a bit of a surprise, but if it works, don't worry about it.
If you don't have a system backup, that should be a priority. A system image copy allows you to recover from a HD failure. Without it you are pooched. If you have a file in only one place you are at great risk. Your HD can die AT ANY TIME! For important
files you should have them in a minimum of 2 places, 3 is better. Until you can afford an external HD, you may want to consider using free storage on the "cloud"
Supersize your free cloud storage to 100GB or more
**http://www.pcworld.com/article/2037131/supersize-your-free-cloud-storage-to-100gb-or-more.html******
With some patience, you can build your own supercloud with more than 100GB of free storage. With a lot of patience (and pestering of your pals), you can nab more than 225GB.
2013 05 14- Google Now Offering 15GB Free Cloud Storage
**http://www.infopackets.com/news/business/google/2013/20130514\_google\_now\_offering\_15gb\_free\_cloud\_storage.htm******
FileServe - 500 GB 60 days storage
**http://www.fileserve.com/signup.php******
How to encrypt your cloud storage for free
**http://www.itworld.com/storage/298504/how-encrypt-your-cloud-storage-free******
Bottom line, for normal cloud storage you should encrypt the data BEFORE you upload to a file share site. Of course that does not apply to files you want to share <grin>.
Boost Skydrive 7GB storage to 25GB
**http://office-watch.com/t/n.aspx?a=1688******
Microsoft is offering 7GB of Skydrive storage for all comers but past Skydrive users get a boost to 25GB. Here’s how to get it.
Login to skydrive.live.com
In the left column, at the bottom there’s a ‘Manage Storage’ link. This is where you go to buy extra storage capacity.
If you qualify for the bonus storage the ‘SkyDrive Free’ line will have a link next to it. Click on that and you’ll magically switch to the 25GB limit.
http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/australia/claim-25gb-from-microsoft-on-updated-skydrive/900?tag=nl.e019
http://www.infoworld.com/d/cloud-computing/10-file-sharing-options-dropbox-google-drive-and-more-197709?source=IFWNLE\_nlt\_daily\_2012-07-31
http://www.freewaregenius.com/2012/05/02/a-comparison-of-free-cloud-storage-services/ -
A comparison of FREE Cloud Storage Services
Here are some other file sharing sites for you to choose from:
**http://www.howtogeek.com/133761/the-best-free-programs-and-online-services-for-sending-and-sharing-large-files/**Best Free Programs and Online Services for Sending and Sharing Large Files
BoxCryptor encrypts data in the cloud - Works with Skydrive too
http://www.pcworld.com/article/2040265/review-boxcryptor-encrypts-data-in-the-cloud.html
encrypts and protects them using the AES-256 standard.
How to encrypt your cloud storage for free (Using BoxCryptor)
http://www.pcworld.com/article/2010296/how-to-encrypt-your-cloud-storage-for-free.html
Here is a link to a list of tools that can help you identify how much space you really need for your personal files. You may be pleasantly surprised to find it is substantially less than your current guess:
10 Best Free Tools to Analyze Hard Drive Space on Your Win PC – tree map HD – Space Map
**http://www.howtogeek.com/113012/10-best-free-tools-to-analyze-hard-drive-space-on-your-windows-pc/******
Hint: if you do decide to buy an external drive ( which is A VERY good idea), wait a couple more months and go for a 1-3TB drive rather than just a 500GB drive. I have seen 500 gb drives for around $70, but I have also seen 1TB drives starting around only $10
or 20 more. Do some shopping, wait for a sale. Actually if you have to wait a couple of months, I have found the sales right after X-mass to be an especially good time for external HDs.
Hint: when doing backups, the tools often include compression options. I personally select the highest compression available. That way you can put more backup copies on your external drive. It just means the backup will run a little longer, which I find is
an acceptable trade off.
************************ OT "advanced level suggestion" **************************
AFTER you have your data backed up, you may want to consider another strategy. It is called "Partitioning your HD". Briefly, computers typically ship with everything setup to work inside the "C:" drive. But, the HD can be split into smaller logical (rather
then physical) drives called "Partitions". The prime example is the "recovery partition". Windows ships with tools that allow you to redefine how the HD is split up. My personal preference is to make the C:\ drive MUCH smaller than default, 40-80GB depending
on how many programs you have installed, and allocate the rest to a new "D:" drive for "Data" (I actually label mine that way), all of your personal data files, including the Windows User profiles (desktop, my documents, favorites, pictures etc). That way,
you can re-install Windows (and applications) without affecting your personal data files. And you can setup more logical backup strategies. Say monthly (just before or After Windows Updates, and more frequent, daily or weekly for DATA partition (depending
on how much change that you don't want to lose there is in your data files.
Partition HD
Manage partitions During & after setup - OS and Data Partitions
**http://www.zdnet.com/blog/bott/vista-hands-on-11-manage-partitions-during-setup/228******
******http://www.zdnet.com/blog/bott/vista-hands-on-12-manage-partitions-after-setup/230**
http://www.7tutorials.com/how-manage-your-disks-using-disk-management-utility
Repartition HD - Create “Data Drive” Partition & Move data
**http://www.howtogeek.com/101862/how-to-manage-partitions-on-windows-without-downloading-any-other-software/******
**** **http://www.zdnet.com/blog/bott/vista-hands-on-7-move-user-data-to-another-drive/215******
**** **http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/window-on-windows/quick-tip-create-a-new-partition-with-windows-7-tool/3636******
**** **http://www.worldstart.com/move-your-my-documents-folder/print/**- move mydocuments to new location
**** **http://www.zdnet.com/blog/bott/windows-7-and-ssds-cutting-your-system-drive-down-to-size/2941?pg=3**- Move
**** **http://www.askvg.com/ultimate-collection-of-best-free-partition-manager-software-for-windows/******
User profile info to Data drive
If the reason you are doing an image copy backup is that you are re-installing windows, now is a good time to consider re-partitioning your HD to create a separate DATA partition. That way, in the future, if/when you have to re-install
windows again you are at risk of losing less personal data simply by saving all personal files to this new drive. With a little extra effort, you can also redirect much (all) of your personal windows "profile" files. That way, even if you don't re-use them,
you lose even less of your personal files
Redirect a folder to a new location (Win7)
**http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/Redirect-a-folder-to-a-new-location******
How to Manage Partitions with the Disk Management Tool, in Windows 7 & 8
**http://www.7tutorials.com/how-manage-your-disks-using-disk-management-utility******
I prefer to split my HD into at least 2 partitions. One for OS and Applications and the other for Data.
Both Windows 8 and Windows 7 come with a handy disk management utility that allows you to create, resize and delete hard disk partitions on the fly, without having to boot into a special disk utility or purchase additional software. In this tutorial, I'll demonstrate
how to use the Disk Management utility in order to manage your partitions. As you will be able to see from this tutorial, the tool is quite easy to use and you don't really need third party software.
Windows Hard Drive Partitions vs Folders – A Couple Options
**http://www.davescomputertips.com/windows-hard-drive-partitions-vs-folders-a-couple-options/******
Good luck.
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