If you have recently purchased a new computer from a retail outlet, chances are that the computer came preloaded with a trial version of Microsoft’s Office 2007 or 2010. If you have been using the trial software, you will quickly realise that Microsoft only allow you to use certain applications for up to 60 days and some for 25 launches of the program only. Once the trial is over, the user needs to purchase a key online or enter a key from a purchased Office package to unlock the software for unlimited use. However some people would rather not pay for Office or do not want to use Office and this is where various freeware software offers come in.
There are software companies that develop and distribute a Microsoft Office replacement package that is free of charge to individuals and business alike. This is a free software that is designed to feel and operate like a particular program e.g. Microsoft Outlook, in some Office packages. We will be using OpenOffice to replace Word and Excel in this installment of How to.... We will also try Mozilla’s Thunderbird email client to replace Microsoft’s Outlook.

1. Firstly, we must uninstall Microsoft Office from your computer. Follow the instructions in How to Uninstall a Program from Your Computer.
2. Once you have uninstalled Mictrosoft Office, go to and download OpenOffice.org
3. Once the download is completed, run the installer and follow the onscreen instructions
4. Once finished installing, you should now be able to view, edit and create Microsoft Word type documents (you will need to be wary of file type when you create/save documents using OpenOffice’s applications as they will default to saving in their own format instead of .doc, .docx, .xls, .xlsx)
5. For an Outlook replacement, go to and download Thunderbird
6. Once the download finishes, run the installer
7. Follow the onscreen instructions to install the program
8. Once the program has finished installing, launch the program
   Configure email account/s

Note: You do not need to uninstall Microsoft Office if you do not wish to do so.

If you would like Mobile Geeks to set you up with such software, please call 1300 883 021 to order a Geek