Best place to buy MS Office software...
 

After reformatting my laptop due who knows what, I lost my MS Office that I had from work years ago. Now I need to replace it.

So what and where is the best/cheapest way to buy the disk or download it?

Before you spend money see if Open Office will do it for you.

OpenOffice.org - The Free and Open Productivity Suite

MS should replace - call them

Home/Business can be had at Costco, or various online places like Newegg. I know that with recent versions you can also download it, but the buy button built in is probably MSRP.

Without Access it's only about $200ish, and includes Outlook now.

Searching eBay shows Office 2003 for about $45+

I looked at Open Office, but since the wife and kids use my laptop some, it would be easier to have all the same programs.

How would that work? I got it from work a couple of years ago, so does it belong to them?

Yes

That was my thought and reason for looking for it somewhere else.

$45 sounds like a deal. I seem to recall a thread here on OT about Windows 7 and Office 2003 working pretty well together.

If it is $45, it is either used, or it has a bogus license. I found real copies (including the MS hologram stickers) for around $99 last year on Amazon.

+1

I don't use it but I would if I didn't Office as part of the MS Partner program.

-1

I've used it, and for spreadsheets it's not as full-functioned as Excel. Conditional formatting is lacking, doesn't support VBA, just all around kinda klunky (sure wish I could type backward K's).

It's free, so it's got that going for it, but in the end I bought MS Office just to put the aggravation behind me.

Get an academic license. I bought Office 2007 Pro for $100. Sign up for one unit at a JC if you have to in order for the school bookstore to sell it to you.

uTorrent

If your employer uses it, you might be able to take advantage of Microsoft's home use program. Mine recently switched over from XP to Win7, and employees were able to purchase Office for $15.

Yes, the two best legal options. If you have an employer that has the "HUP" available, then that's a great deal. I bought Office 2010 Professional Plus for $9.95 and paid an extra $12 for a DVD.

Also, if you or anyone that you know has a school ID or are currently taking courses, you should be able to get an academic license. Just do a Google search for it. It's the real deal and much, much cheaper than the retail version.

One more option is the Action Pack subscription. If you can say that you are a business that installs or sells MS products, you can get the action pack subscription. I had it once. I said I was a business that helped another business with their IT stuff. The "other business" was my wife's Internet business. Basically, I kept her PC going. Anyway, at the time, the APS got you a 1 server license for every server that MS made, and a 10 PC license for just about every piece of client side software they made. Back when I did it, it was $300 a year, and they sent you the CDs 4 times a year. I think it's a little more now, and then even more if you want the CDs, but if you can pull it off, it's a hell of a deal.

https://partner.microsoft.com/40016455

Home use program, if you are eligible.

I spent $10 for Office 2010, direct from Microsoft.

Does the "home use" or "accdemic" version have Outlook? From what I've read it doesn't.

I'm looking for work, so I have no employer to fall back on to get it.

Office home and business is only $210 on amazon

I'll check when I get back home tonight, but if my aging brain remembers correctly, the Home Use version is the full monty - Office, Word, Outlook and Access.

$118 plus 3.99 shipping at Amazon. Microsoft Office Professional Edition 2003 Upgrade [OLD VERSION] (CD-ROM)