How To Get a Free Office Suite

Ever wanted to open or edit an Office document but soon realized you needed to fork out $200 on a Microsoft Office suite? Thanks to the wonderful world of Open Source, you no longer have to! Sure it's not as fancy, but that only means better performance.

1. Downloading:
   • Go to http://www.openoffice.org.
   • Click on "Get OpenOffice.Org."
   • Click on "Download OpenOffice.Org" or select another method to obtain the program.
   • Select your operating system. If you're unsure, it's probably "Windows."

     Note: Make sure there is a checkmark beside "Include the Java JRE with this download" unless you already have the newest version. Again, if you're unsure, leave the checkmark there.

   • Click "Continue to download."
   • Select a location on your computer to save the file. If you are unsure where to save it, put it on the desktop. It can be removed later.
   • Wait for the download to finish.
2. Installing (Windows):
   • Run the file you just downloaded by double-clicking on it.
   • Alternatively, when the download finishes, you can click on "Open" in the download complete dialog box.
   • Click "Next," then "Unpack."
   • Follow the installation instructions.
   • Once you finish the installation, the dialog box will disappear. You can now safely delete the folder called "OpenOffice.org 'Ver #' Installation Files" and also the downloaded file.
3. Configuring:
   • Launch OpenOffice for the first time and follow the onscreen instructions. It will generally be located in Start -> Programs -> OpenOffice.Org (depending on the operating system you're running), then select 'Writer' or one of the other programs.
   • NOTE: To agree with the license agreement, you have to scroll to the bottom of it first. Also, the registration is optional.
   • Once in the program, click on "Tools" then "Options."
   • Click the '+' sign beside Load/Save and then click "General."
   • Under "Document type," it should say "Text Document" and under "Always Save as:" change it to "Microsoft Word 97/200/XP." Repeat for "Document type" = "Spreadsheet" and "Always Save as:" = "Microsoft Excel 97/2000/XP." Repeat again for "Document type" = "Presentation" and "Always Save as:" = "Microsoft PowerPoint 97/2000/XP." This will make it save as the same file type as Microsoft documents automatically so when you send a file back to someone, they can still open it.

     Note: You can also Right Click on the new icon in the bottom right hand corner that showed up after launching OpenOffice and click on "Load on Startup" to remove the checkmark so it will not longer launch when the computer starts.

Congratulations! You now have a free fully operable Office Suite! Enjoy!