Win 11 - trying to install copy of Office 2003 and getting issues

netrate · Dec 30, 2024

My father got a new laptop and he wants the version of Office he knows - which is Office 2003. I have installed it on the computer and everything seems fine - a blank document opens when the app is used - however, when trying to save the document, the dialogue box pops up and freezes while it is trying to find the directory. I have left it for 10 minutes and it doesn't budge, it just freezes. The same thing happens when trying to "open" an existing file. Click OPEN > it brings up the dialogue box to search for the directory of the .doc and it freezes. I have installed it three times now with the same result. Any ideas how to fix this issue?

pseymour · Dec 30, 2024

Steve says to install it compatibility mode for Windows 7.

Office 2003 with Windows 11

Hi from a newbie on this forum... I've just received my shiny new HP desktop all in one to replace my damaged old one (Hard drive rescued and in fine condition). It comes with Windows 11 which is fine and it's asking me to install Office 365 but I still much prefer the older Office 2003 for my...

www.elevenforum.com

antspants · Dec 30, 2024

Right under the Apps and Software forum, there is a forum section called Office and Productivity.

Apart from pseymour’s (to Steves) wise advise, where are you trying to save the documents to? Have you tried different locations to save to?

antspants · Dec 30, 2024

Also, FYI

Microsoft released a total of three service packs for Office 2003 throughout its lifecycle. Service Pack 1 was released on July 27, 2004, and Service Pack 2 was released on September 27, 2005. Support for Office 2003 ended on April 8, 2014.

So any vulnerabilities are not supported, Office 2003 is dead to Microsoft.

antspants · Dec 30, 2024

Also… sorry, oddly enough, the presence of OneDrive can apparently cause the dialog box freeze issue. I couldn’t tell you why.

You could try saving to a folder outside of a OneDrive folder (if OneDrive is used) also, move the current files you want to edit, outside of a OneDrive folder and try again.

Alternatively, you could try disable or even uninstall OneDrive to see if you have the same issue and results as others.

Some extra steps you may want to look at

How do you fix Microsoft Word if it keeps freezing when opening or saving documents?

Answer (1 of 3): If Word is freezing up it’s an indication of a hardware issue or maybe a complete re-installation of the operating system and then Word is in order. Before doing that, install LibreOffice and see if it has the same issue. If so, that indicates an I/O problem. Maybe a bad storage...

www.quora.com

netrate · Dec 30, 2024

It doesn't even let me get far enough to choose a different folder. It freezes before the folders come up.

antspants · Dec 30, 2024

netrate said:
It doesn't even let me get far enough to choose a different folder. It freezes before the folders come up.

netrate, does the computer use OneDrive?

antspants · Dec 30, 2024

Try in safe mode for Word (if it still works)

Hold down the Ctrl key and then click on the Word icon to open it. If it opens without freezing, the issue may be with an add-in or setting.

If it works, try disabling the add-ins

Go to File > Options > Add-ins.
At the bottom, select COM Add-ins from the dropdown and click Go.
Uncheck all add-ins and click OK. Restart Word to see if the issue persists.

netrate · Dec 30, 2024

I didn't look but I bet it does.

antspants · Dec 30, 2024

netrate said:
I didn't look but I bet it does.

Scroll down this thread to the first Green (accepted) answer and then read the responses that follow. It would appear from the posts, Word 2003 and OneDrive, can apparently have a conflict:

Unable to Open or Save files Office 2003 Basic Edition - Microsoft Q&A

After purchasing new computer, I loaded my old software Office 2003 basic edition onto Windows 11. It loaded fine, however, when trying to open or save a file in either Word or Excel the program stalls and the hour glass appears. I click within the Save…

learn.microsoft.com

antspants · Dec 30, 2024

I’ve given you a lot of options to consider. before going wild with OneDrive, I would suggest:

First; try running Word 2003 in Windows 7 compatibility mode (as mentioned above)
Second; try changing the default file location in the settings, to somewhere outside of a user folder like the user folder Documents. You could choose a secondary drive or an external drive perhaps.

Thirdly; I’d consider your options with OneDrive. Perhaps having the folder that contains the documents outside of a OneDrive sync folder (which are user folders) could fix this issue people I linked to reported.

Marcus Vinicus · Dec 30, 2024

There are lots of posts over a long period at the MS Forums about this issue. Not an easy one to solve apparently. I do sympathize with the OP and understand why he's trying to get it to work.

Good luck! :thumbsup:

dacrone · Dec 30, 2024

if its a fresh install of office 03 on win 10 or 11, i would recommend installing the office 03 compatibility pack

Redirecting

netrate · Dec 30, 2024

It is at my dad's house - I will try tomorrow and report back. Thank you

netrate · Dec 30, 2024

Dracone : I am looking here -

Redirecting

Is there one of in particular I should download for testing it tomorrow?

XxXxX · Dec 30, 2024

netrate said:
My father got a new laptop and he wants the version of Office he knows - which is Office 2003. I have installed it on the computer and everything seems fine - a blank document opens when the app is used - however, when trying to save the document, the dialogue box pops up and freezes while it is trying to find the directory. I have left it for 10 minutes and it doesn't budge, it just freezes. The same thing happens when trying to "open" an existing file. Click OPEN > it brings up the dialogue box to search for the directory of the .doc and it freezes. I have installed it three times now with the same result. Any ideas how to fix this issue?

in word 2003 options you will have to change the default 'save' to file location.

Office 2003 Templates: Change default save location

Whenever I open Office 2003 templates at work and save them, the default location is "My Documents". How can I change this?

superuser.com

also it is wise to first open Word 2003 as Administrator from the Start menu. make and save any changes.
then open Word 2003 as normal and repeat the changes that are used in that account.
its seems to be a 2003 thing.
best of luck, Steve ..

dacrone · Dec 30, 2024

netrate said:
Dracone : I am looking here -

Redirecting
Is there one of in particular I should download for testing it tomorrow?

i would run those 2 and then reboot and then run Windows Updates (from the windows 11 settings) and let it pickup any additional compatibility updates it may be missing for office 03

XxXxX · Dec 30, 2024

just an add on to the good advice above.
it maybe worthwhile checking in settings > windows update > advanced options
'receive updates for other Microsoft products' is enabled.

best of luck, Steve ..

cereberus · Dec 31, 2024

In the end, even if you get it working, you cannot fix the security risks it poses.

It would be a far better plan to upgrade to a more modern supported version.

You could lease MS 365 for up to 6 people for around £80 per year - great new years present. That includes 1TB onedrive per person.

Alternatively, there are many cheap paid modern version deals.

Another optional is to install one of many free clones.

Ask youself if it is a good plan to keep using a 20+ year old version no longer supported?

antspants · Dec 31, 2024

cereberus said:
In the end, even if you get it working, you cannot fix the security risks it poses.

Exactly

Win 11 - trying to install copy of Office 2003 and getting issues

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