# $150 for WORD? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 1, 2004, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/150-for-word/277448 "2004-12-01T04:08:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2004, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/150-for-word/277448/41 "2004-12-03T04:31:51Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > As long as it’s for personal backup purposes I don’t forsee much legal success in the clamping down. Provided, of course, you can afford the necessary legal fees to defend yourself in court. . . ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2004, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/150-for-word/277448/42 "2004-12-03T05:01:22Z")
Well, once Microsoft is granted the right to come and physically inspect my CD-R collection I’ll start to worry. Remember, I’m not flaunting a law here- merely the miniscule chance of a frivolous lawsuit. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2004, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/150-for-word/277448/43 "2004-12-03T05:07:30Z")
Meant to say, hypothetically. I honestly don’t have any perfectly legal backup copies of proprietary software. Nor any bootleg copies. I am, however, currently downloading the Linux upgrade CD for RH7.3. I generally find it very easy to meet my computer app needs with CD’s that came with systems,peripherals, freeware downloads - no law skirting required. ---
**Author:** ![Cardinal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardinal/32/4000_2.png) [@Cardinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardinal)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2004, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/150-for-word/277448/44 "2004-12-03T07:06:01Z")
> [@yosemite](#): > > There are plenty of ways to legally get a cheap word processing application. I lucked out and found a fully registerable upgrade of MS Office 97 for $15 on eBay. Exactly what I would do. Whatever it is that these newer versions of Office do, I don’t need them. MS is just putting in stuff mostly so they can claim it’s a new version and get people to upgrade. They’re worried for real about the lack of upgrading they’re getting on the Office products. Windows XP is a real improvement, but I can’t care about Office. ---
**Author:** ![Uncommon\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Uncommon\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncommon_Sense)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2004, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/150-for-word/277448/45 "2004-12-03T13:47:42Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > Like **Tuckerfan** said, basically: Yup. You realize it’s perfectly legal to make copies of software you’ve purchased, right? I’ve tried to backup some software that we bought for our youngest daughter at home and the backup copies don’t always work. Even when the game is installed off the original and then the backup is inserted to play the game it won’t work. Some won’t work when you install off the backup and try to run them. All of them work when the original is used. I thought there was some sort of encryption or some kind of software protection technology on the disk that prevented making direct copies. It would appear so in some cases. So, my thoughts were - if Infrogames can do it then Microsoft is doing it. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2004, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/150-for-word/277448/46 "2004-12-03T13:50:06Z")
> [@Regallag\_The\_Axe](#): > > When I sent it in for service they got deleted, now I have to pay $149 for them? why isn’t the store who did the service making it right? ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2004, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/150-for-word/277448/47 "2004-12-03T14:01:54Z")
This looks interesting [http://www.software602.com/products/pcs/](http://www.software602.com/products/pcs/) although I have only started checking it out. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2004, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/150-for-word/277448/48 "2004-12-03T15:46:49Z")
> [@Uncommon Sense](#): > > I’ve tried to backup some software that we bought for our youngest daughter at home and the backup copies don’t always work. Even when the game is installed off the original and then the backup is inserted to play the game it won’t work. Some won’t work when you install off the backup and try to run them. All of them work when the original is used. > I thought there was some sort of encryption or some kind of software protection technology on the disk that prevented making direct copies. It would appear so in some cases. > So, my thoughts were - if Infrogames can do it then Microsoft is doing it. You need to make sure that you are making a bit-for-bit copy of the CD. I do it all the time, except I create image files (and load them into image drives) for games, so I don’t have to play the “insert CD” game. I have found that when I do that I sometimes have to do a reinstall from the image file to get the program looking at the right drive for the CD image. Look into something like Nero 6 Ultimate. You carry over the copy protection, as it’s a bit flag, by making the bit-for-bit copy. Sure, I could crack it, but those cracks never work when the game has been updated and Russian websites are not exactly the friendliest part of the internet. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2004, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/150-for-word/277448/49 "2004-12-03T22:13:50Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > Meant to say, hypothetically. I honestly don’t have any perfectly legal backup copies of proprietary software. Nor any bootleg copies. [Lumberg]Yeeeaaaah.[/Lumberg] 😉 ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2004, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/150-for-word/277448/50 "2004-12-04T02:13:30Z")
Well, I don’t think I do. If Microsoft wants to come over and organize all my boxes in the basement they’re free to prove me wrong. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2004, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/150-for-word/277448/51 "2004-12-04T20:08:51Z")
> [@JRDelirious](#): > > Well, the OS is _not_ the equivalent of the windshield… but yeah, these analogies are useless… with a computer OS, it’s a different world, one that _does_ work that way, never mind that our cars don’t. Ever since WXP was rolling out in '01, I’ve been hearing warnings to not assume a commitment to retrocompatibility. Hmpf. Here’s the thing. Inspired by this thread, I went to the ArcSoft website, because of all the software I lost that was one I’ve been missing. I found a 15-day trial download and I thought I’d do it to see if it was the same thing (it has been three years, after all, and ArcSoft, too, might have done some tinkering which changed my opinion of the quality of their product and its usefulness to me). When I tried to download it, it detected an existing copy of the application and warned that I could not try this but would be charged for it, as it was an upgrade. So, I got out of there and went looking on my hard drive (which is much harder now, in XP), and sure enough–all the old software is still there, taking up disc space and not working. Is there anything I can do to help XP find this software? As I said, it’s been three years and I guess I wouldn’t mind paying 69.95 to get the software, if in fact it works the same way, but if I don’t have to then, hmm, I’d rather not. The ArcSoft (on the website) said it was compatible with XP . . . maybe XP just can’t find it? I remember during the installation something about a “partition.” ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2004, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/150-for-word/277448/52 "2004-12-04T22:35:34Z")
If you can find the files then the partition is probably not the problem. What happens when you double click the exe file? (now that you found it) Maybe your shoprtcuts are just screwed up. ---
**Author:** ![prisoner6655321](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5f8ce5/32.png) [@prisoner6655321](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/prisoner6655321)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2004, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/150-for-word/277448/53 "2004-12-05T03:34:05Z")
**OPEN OFFICE SUCKS** Sure, it’s pretty freaking cool for being free. But compared to word, it really really sucks. Maybe it works okay for simple tasks, but get into the more advanced tasks such as background images, bullets, hanging indent (which is hardly advanced), and you will quickly see that it really pales in comparison to word. If you don’t believe me, open one of your open office .doc files with [microsoft’s free .doc viewer](http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb%3BEN-US%3Bq165908). Now, since you do legally own the software I can legally recommend that you purchase a “backup” copy from one of the websites on the web that deals with backups (and \*\*appears \*\* to be selling software illegally). You can get the office suite for something like $20. But if you have a friends copy, then even better. I wouldn’t feel guilty one bit about using a friend’s copy, especially if I had my own keys. Your best bet still is to get the software from wherever you got your computer. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2004, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/150-for-word/277448/54 "2004-12-05T03:40:20Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > If you can find the files then the partition is probably not the problem. What happens when you double click the exe file? (now that you found it) Maybe your shoprtcuts are just screwed up. Perhaps the shortcuts are the problem, but it could also easily be mislinked or missing DLLs. That’s a problem that can only really be solved by reinstallation. At least, it’s the easiest way. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2004, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/150-for-word/277448/55 "2004-12-05T03:42:51Z")
I predict that in the future Microsoft will charge $1000.00 for each copy of Microsoft Office. $1 for the original file and $999 for all the illegal copies. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2004, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/150-for-word/277448/56 "2004-12-05T04:17:38Z")
> [@](#): > > _asterion said :_ > Perhaps the shortcuts are the problem, but it could also easily be mislinked or missing DLLs. That’s a problem that can only really be solved by reinstallation. At least, it’s the easiest way. Well I was hoping for best case. Before a reinstall, a setup.exe file (if also discovered) for the software might be save the trouble also. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/150-for-word/277448.md?page=2)