I need to upgrade my office computers, but I dread the thought of having to switch to Vista and Microsoft Office 2007. I tried out the software, and I’m convinced it’s not for me. Aside from the expense, it’s too complicated; I’m uncomfortable with the applications. I’m told they’re more powerful than the XP version I’m using, but frankly I don’t need more power; I need convenience—tools that perform my critical tasks easily. I understand Microsoft plans to stop supporting XP next year, and that would leave me a software orphan. So I need to make a decision. Any suggestions?

Yes, Vista and Office 2007 are a bit hard to get used to, but once you do, you’ll appreciate the power and convenience of the upgrade. But I understand your concern and you do have options. Let’s explore a few.

My March 2008 column contained an item on page 79, “Make Vista’s interface look like XP’s—with no loss of functionality,” that suggested two ways to overcome some of the problems in making the switch. In addition, Microsoft offers some pretty good help tools at http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/word/HA100744321033.aspx .

But if you still don’t want to switch to Vista and Office 2007, there is a way to stay with XP and not be hampered by Microsoft’s move away from the older software. Although all the PC manufacturers are only loading Vista on their new machines, many also are making available what can best be described as “downgrade” discs—recovery discs that contain an upgraded version of XP designed specifically for their computers. Once you load those discs, Vista will be wiped out and replaced by the new XP. So even though Microsoft will no longer support the product, the update would keep you reasonably current for some time—or at least until it’s time to upgrade again.

Since you’ll be paying for Vista, the new PC will also come with Vista recovery discs (if it doesn’t, ask for them), so you can always switch back if you change your mind.

Another somewhat more radical option is to stick with the Vista operating system but say farewell to Microsoft Office and switch to OpenOffice, a suite of applications that do essentially everything Microsoft’s Office does—but without the frills and complexity. And the price is right: It’s free. But worry not: Unlike loads of other free software, it does not come preloaded with pop-up ads or expose you to junk mail.

OpenOffice can run on all major operating systems. Further, it can open files created in practically all versions of Microsoft’s Office—even some earlier ones that Office 2007 finds incompatible. OpenOffice also can handle the addition of the XML code in Office 2007. So the bottom line is this: OpenOffice can work for anyone using any Microsoft Office applications. Some of the options for OpenOffice documents are shown in the screenshot below.

For the last several years the migration to OpenOffice has been generally limited to tech-savvy users or organizations with strong IT support because there was a perception that the software was only for high-tech mavens and that it was difficult to install. But the opposite is true; it was designed for the average user yet has the muscle available for a technologically advanced user. Installation, even on a network, is generally straightforward and easy. And, if you do run into a problem, technical support via the Internet is free, friendly and comprehensive, including easy-to-follow tutorials ( http://plan-b-foropenoffice.org/glossary/index ).

As you can see by clicking here , the OpenOffice toolbar resembles Office 2003’s design. And all its functions are easily customizable to meet special needs.

 Many of the formulas in my spreadsheets are long and complicated. When I need to make an adjustment, I could click on the Formula bar and edit the formula in the target cell, but I prefer to keep my fingers on the keyboard—using the F2 key instead to give me access to editing the formula. And there’s the problem: Instead of giving me the immediate option of more easily editing the formula inside the Formula bar , the F2 key only let’s me do the editing inside the crowded space in the cell itself. If I want to do the editing in the less-confined space of the Formula bar, I have to take my fingers off the keyboard, grab the mouse and move the cursor up to the Formula bar. No big deal, you may think. But when you’re adjusting loads of formulas in many cells, that small step costs me lots of time. So, is there some way to get the F2 key to default directly to the Formula bar instead of the cell?

 Yes, you can program the F2 button to give you immediate access to the formula in the Formula bar so you can immediately edit the formula there…

…rather than in the crowded space of the cell.

To do that in Excel 2003, click on Tools , Options and the Edit tab. Then remove the check next to Edit directly in cell , and then click on OK .

In Excel 2007, access the F2 default switch by clicking on the Office Button and then on Excel Options at the bottom of the screen (see screenshots below).

And finally remove the check next to Allow editing directly in cells (see screenshot at left).

 I have a large e-mail list of business contacts in an Excel spreadsheet. When I send some of them an e-mail, I really don’t want to copy and paste each one into Outlook’s To … box. Is there some easy way to plug them into a list?

 There are several ways, but by far the easiest was suggested by a colleague, Stephanie M. Bryant, CPA, Ph.D., a professor of accounting at the University of South Florida, Tampa.

Format the list so it’s in a single column in the spreadsheet. Highlight the column and press Ctrl+C to copy it. Then open a new worksheet and select Edit , Paste Special and check the Transpose box at the bottom of the screen to transpose them from a column into a row.

If the cell width is so narrow you can’t see all the addresses, select Format , Column , AutoFit .

Now you’ll need a semicolon separator between each e-mail address. To do this, highlight the row and press Ctrl+F to do a Find and Replace . Find all the address endings (such as com) and add a semicolon (com;) as a replacement.

Finally, copy (Ctrl+C) all the addresses, open your e-mail application, and paste them in the block after To …

 I confess to being a shortcut freak. After all, why search through folders when you can open the file you want with just one mouse click? However, I am finding that the Quick Launch toolbar, as good as it is, is becoming somewhat limiting because I quickly run out of room on the toolbar. What are my options?

 I share your concern. Once that toolbar fills up, the labels of the minimized files just stack up, one on top of another; and it takes multiple clicks to identify your target file.

Fortunately, there is an option. You can replace Quick Launch , which is the default setup, with the Desktop toolbar, and that can conveniently display all the shortcuts you have on the desktop screen.

Terminology caveat : Don’t confuse the Desktop toolbar with the desktop screen , which is what is displayed on your screen when either no applications are running or they are all minimized.

To launch the Desktop toolbar, place your cursor in any empty area of the toolbar, right-click and then click on Toolbars to display this screen:

Click on Desktop and this small, faint image will appear on the right side of the toolbar at the bottom of your screen:

Right-click on that Desktop image and this screen will appear:

If you want your icons to be identified with their name and contents when you pass your cursor over them (see screenshot below), place a check next to Show Text and Show Title . Caveat : Sometimes, having Lock the Taskbar checked in this menu blocks these options from appearing; so just try unchecking it.

Now select from the Quick Launch toolbar any shortcut icons you want in the Desktop toolbar. The most important one is the Show Desktop icon, which looks like a pad and pencil. Hold down the left mouse button to drag them to the area just to the right of the Desktop icon so you can go to the desktop screen whenever you wish.

The next step is to hide the Quick Launch toolbar. To do that, right-click in the toolbar, left-click on Toolbars and click on Quick Launch to remove the checkmark.

Caveat : If your Desktop toolbar has doubled in height during these steps so that you now have two rows of icons, one stacked atop the other, grab the vertical selection handle (on top of the Desktop ) and pull it down. It sometimes takes several tries before you can squeeze the toolbar into a single row of icons.

With this arrangement, most of your toolbar is now empty, ready to show only open or minimized files. When you want to launch a shortcut or just see what’s on your desktop, click the double arrow next to the Desktop icon and all of them will appear in a vertical column on the right side of your screen.

As if that’s not enough, notice that some of the icons are identified with black triangles. As your cursor passes over one, a list of all the folders it contains will be displayed to the left of the shortcut icon.

Although it takes several steps to set up, once you’re done and get used to the
arrangement, you’ll find it very convenient; and it will save you loads of time.