Updating Concerns (Office 2000 SBE)

[baumgrenze]

Paranoia in Redmond has triggered paranoia in my office.

Earlier this year I purchased a new computer and requested that it come with XP Pro SP2 installed.

I reasoned that my copy of MS Office 2000 Small Business Edition which I purchased with my previous, now reduced to parts, Dell computer would serve me just fine. Over time I've grown accustomed to Word 2000 and Excel 2000; I don't use much else from the package. Mozilla SeaMonkey works for me as a browser and tracks contacts for me just fine.

My copy of Secunia PSI RC-3 warned me that I should update my copies of Word, Excel, and Outlook. When I run Help>About in Word it tells me that I have Word 2000 (9.0.3821 SR-1). I used the link on the Secunia report and found myself on the Microsoft Download Page for "Office2000-KB950250-FullFile-ENU.exe" I downloaded it and ran it and was told "The expected version of the product was not found on your system." Is this because I need to run an SP-2 update (and probably some others as well) for the installer to recognize the software?

I got confused as I navigated around the MS website. I even pulled up my socks and opened IE and went to "Office Online" to have MS check my system for updates. I gathered that they wanted me to download an "Office WGA ActiveX" file, but suggested that it was not wise to do it twice. I can't remember if I've done it. I assume there is a WGA ActiveX for the XPPro; it was professionally installed in March 2008.

1) Am I correct that if I installed Office from a Genuine Copy of Office 2000 SBE I probably need to run a whole set of updates to make my software secure?

2) Is it straightforward to find a complete list of the updates I need to install without surrendering access to my machine to Redmond?

3) Can anyone reassure me that my copy of Office is seen as legitimate my Microsoft? I have a product key for it. I no longer recall if I registered it when I installed it on this new machine. I'm pretty sure I did so on the Dell(s) (there were two because one failed so miserably that they eventually gave up and replaced the original Dimension XPS-R with an Optiplex GX200.)

Thanks!

[macropod]

Hi baumgrenze,

To bring your copy of Office 2000 up to date, you'll need to install the SP3 update, plus the minor updates that were released after SP3. There's no need to install the individual pre-SP3 updates or SP2. When you're done, Word and Excel should both report the version number as 9.0.8950 SP-3.

[Argus]

"Is this because I need to run an SP-2 update (and probably some others as well) for the installer to recognize the software?"

No, or sort of. On the download page for the Word 2000 update (KB950250 from May this year) you mentioned it says: "To install the update, you must have the following: Office 2000 Service Pack 3 (SP3)". MSFT support the earlier service pack with updates for a year or so, and SR1 has been replaced a long time ago.

Your Office is on Office 2000 SR1 level, the service pack 3 is cumulative, i.e. it will include all updates since SR1 (SP2, post SP2, as well as other updates). There will post SP3 updates (from October 2002 until today), as the one you mentioned.

Office 2000 Service Pack 3 (SP3)
Description of the Office 2000 Service Pack 3 (SP3)

Finding a list of updates post SP3 is a bit tricky. At Microsoft Security Bulletin Search one can find security bulletins for different products, with links to different security updates at MSFT Download center. It can be a bit cumbersome if one isn't used to read bulletins or download updates via bulletin links.

It is possible to select a product and service packs level, and eventually exclude updates replaced by more recent, and do a search for updates released after that SP.

But a check today show some really odd results; I have seen this some times before. So it seems it can't be trusted.

Another list of updates can be found at Office Online, under Downloads; Downloads for Office 2000 (select program then Updates)

But then you would have to check for all individual programs as well as for Office, and only look for those released after the latest service pack (SP3) since you would start with installing that one. The lists at Office Online are even more cumbersome.

[baumgrenze]

Thank you Paul and Argus for the help.

I updated to SP-3 and then downloaded all the updates issued since the date on SP-3 for Word, Excel, and Outlook and discovered that when I tried to execute the install files in most cases the update had been already been included in something I'd already installed.

One Outlook file, Security Update for Outlook 2000 (KB946986), reported that it was installed but when I run Secunia it says the update is missing. I do not use Outlook. Should I be concerned at all? Might a trojan make use of the program and take advantage of what Secunia is reporting?

Paul, when I look at Help>About for Word and Excel they report Version 9.0.6926 SP-3 not 9.0.8950 SP-3. I see that there were 4 versions issued, Standard, Sm Business, Professional, and Premium. Mine is SBE. Perhaps the number you included was for one of the other three?

Thanks again for all the help.

[johnhutchison]

I was interested in reusing a copy in Windows XP Pro that came preinstalled on a now dead Dell Laptop, but I could not activate it. The produce key was rejected.

When I rang Microsoft, I was told the licence that came with that copy only allowed it to be used with the original laptop.

Was the Office preinstalled? What did the licence say?

[Rebel]

Office was probably preinstalled (at least that's the way most Dell computers ship if a customer orders Office with the machine). Unlike a RETAIL version of Office (which may be installed on a "primary device" and a secondary "portable device", this type of OEM version of Office may only be used on the original computer. If you try to activate that package on another machine (even if you uninstalled it from the original machine), the activation will fail. The OEM license does state that restriction.

[Argus]

I don't think Office 2000 used activation (however, think MSFT tested it with O2k in some parts of the world).

[Rebel]

Yes, the thread is about O2000, but I don't think <!profile=johnhutchison>johnhutchison<!/profile> was referring to that particular version. He specifically said "but I could not activate it".

[Argus]

Hi John,
Ah, sorry, maybe should have posted it to johnhutchison.

We'll see what the OP says about the # 3.

[baumgrenze]

Thank you everyone for your clarifications.

I think that my copy of Office 2000 SBE is 'unusual' in that the original Dell Dimension came with Office 97 installed, but it was one of those 'you will be upgraded when the new version becomes available' arrangements. I checked my old documents and I see that I first installed it when the Optiplex arrived. At least the shift from Word 8.0 to Word 9.0 happens in documents created at that time. You can see which version created a document if you use Word>File Open with the Properties option selected.

I am willing to purchase a copy of Office 2003 (non OEM) if there is some way I can do so and obtain one with a COA that Microsoft will recognize and honor. I understand that it would give me control over a 'feature' in Excel 2000 that irks me regularly, the conversion of fractions, copied and pasted from a table on a web page, into 'dates' whether or not that is my intention.

From what I've seen, too many bells and whistles were added to Office 2007 for it to be what I would want. At age 68 I'm getting tired of being asked to 'relearn' basic procedures in programs like Word and Excel. With Woody's help, I became pretty competent at writing macros for Word back in the Win 3.1 days. When the next version of Word I encountered adopted VBA I gave up. What I found was something that looked very 'developer friendly' (go back to school and take a few courses in computer programming) but not 'user friendly.' Word Basic was kind of fun.

Thanks for all the support.

[JoeP517]

If you can qualify Microsoft Office Discount for Students - The Ultimate Steal is a terrific deal.

Joe