Computer revamping help needed

[JStuart]

Ho hum, yet another plea for assistance from a person who used to think he could handle most computer file issues:
Last week, my HP motherboard died, the local computer repair guy I use said it was as expensive to get a new unit than to replace the motherboard. So he set me up with a new Dell, transferred my old hard drive data, and I'm running W7.
I had a functioning copy of Windows office, and the files are all there on the new drive, but W7 says there are incompatibility issues, and when I try to run Office 2010 (which I didn't have, I had 2007) it wants, obviously, a newer ID code. Does W7 not run any earlier versions of Office? I would prefer on general principles to use OpenOffice, but I've had powerpoint compatibility issues. This isn't a vital issue, but I don't want to buy another Office suite yet again.
Also, anyone know a good way to restore my Firefox bookmarks? Their Help instructions don't seem to work for me.
JStuart

[cspan37421]

IANAEULAE (I am not a EULA expert) but if your copy of MS Office was bought with the old HP computer, I think you'll find that the reason you can't run your old office suite on your new computer is that the EULA, and presumably the program, for MS Office specifies that you have the license to run it on the computer it came with, but you cannot transfer it to another computer.

If you bought MS Office in a retail pack, at, say, Staples, then you should be able to use the CDs/DVDs or whatever to reinstall it clean.

Their reasoning might work as follows: you paid less for the copy of Office by getting it "wholesale" through a new computer purchase. HP sells a lot of computers, so MSFT gives them a price break to sell MS Office along with their computers. However, part of that deal is that the software isn't transferable. It's not just that you can't copy it around the house to your spouse's and kids' computers. It's also that you can't move it with you when you get a new computer.

The only solution I can suggest is that if you had a backup of the install disks, or you could call MSFT technical support (probably on your dime) to inquire about your specific situation.

I too use OpenOffice (thinking about LibreOffice though), but for some editing work, I have an old PC around with MS Word. Yes, it's the higher end formatting functions that do me in (MathType equation editing particularly - it'll work with OpenOffice on its own, but OpenOffice won't translate the embedded MathType that's already in an MS Word document, so in effect, read/write compatibility with Word is limited to the non-Mathtype parts).

Regarding bookmarks in Firefox, did you ever back them up under

Bookmarks | Organize Bookmarks | Backup
Bookmarks | Organize Bookmarks | Export HTML ?

If not, see if you can find your data under something like (let's assume your name is Sam):

Computer > OS > Users > Sam > AppData > Roaming > Mozilla > Firefox > profiles > GARBLE.default > Bookmarkbackups

where GARBLE is some string of numbers and letters like 6ty9r140 or something like that, and look for a file called, say,

bookmarks-2011-04-30.json

(or do a HD search for *.json)

If you find that, or a similarly named file with the json extension, go into Organize Bookmarks | Import and Backup | Restore | choose file

and then choose the most recent such file.

HTH,

cspan

[Jarhead]

When it comes to Firefox try Mozbackup. By coincidence, I had the exact same thing happen to the HP I had for about a year. I say coincidence, but it may just be sloppy work by HP. Anyway, I was able to get to some of the stuff on the broken computer. The only part I had almost terminal difficulty with was with Firefox and Thunderbird. The rest of my problems were solved through the awesome auspices of this forum.

Mozilla turned out to be a piece of cake when I used the link above to download a program that found everything in Firefox and Thunderbird, including bookmarks, email and addresses. Seamless is the word. When I captured the Mozbackup (it's now a regular part of my backup procedures) stuff onto my new Toshiba laptop, I downloaded and installed both Firefox 3 and Thunderbird 3 from Mozilla, and, as if by magic, my email and browser were configured exactly as they had been on my crippled HP. I am now ready to buy Mrs. Jarhead a new computer, and it won't be an HP. emachine has caught my attention.

[Rich]

Ho hum, yet another plea for assistance from a person who used to think he could handle most computer file issues:
Last week, my HP motherboard died, the local computer repair guy I use said it was as expensive to get a new unit than to replace the motherboard. So he set me up with a new Dell, transferred my old hard drive data, and I'm running W7.
I had a functioning copy of Windows office, and the files are all there on the new drive, but W7 says there are incompatibility issues, and when I try to run Office 2010 (which I didn't have, I had 2007) it wants, obviously, a newer ID code. Does W7 not run any earlier versions of Office? I would prefer on general principles to use OpenOffice, but I've had powerpoint compatibility issues. This isn't a vital issue, but I don't want to buy another Office suite yet again.
Also, anyone know a good way to restore my Firefox bookmarks? Their Help instructions don't seem to work for me.
JStuart

I work for a big company so I know this isn't available to everyone, but my company, which uses Microsoft products, negotiated a deal that allows employees to download different Office products on their personal computers and use them under license while employed for a small fee. I was able to download and install Microsoft Office 10 to a home PC for $10. It's called the Microsoft Home Use Program (HUP) in case you want to look into it.

[JStuart]

Thanks so very much, Jarhead, CSpan, and Rich;
Was able to reinstall Office w/ original disks, and am slowly getting things back in order. I used to know how to do most anything under DOS (remember that?) before GUI's, but it doesn't help much these days!
Do you all do ghost backups onto a portable hard drive? That seems like a reasonable idea.
See ya,
JStuart

When it comes to Firefox try Mozbackup. By coincidence, I had the exact same thing happen to the HP I had for about a year. I say coincidence, but it may just be sloppy work by HP. Anyway, I was able to get to some of the stuff on the broken computer. The only part I had almost terminal difficulty with was with Firefox and Thunderbird. The rest of my problems were solved through the awesome auspices of this forum.

Mozilla turned out to be a piece of cake when I used the link above to download a program that found everything in Firefox and Thunderbird, including bookmarks, email and addresses. Seamless is the word. When I captured the Mozbackup (it's now a regular part of my backup procedures) stuff onto my new Toshiba laptop, I downloaded and installed both Firefox 3 and Thunderbird 3 from Mozilla, and, as if by magic, my email and browser were configured exactly as they had been on my crippled HP. I am now ready to buy Mrs. Jarhead a new computer, and it won't be an HP. emachine has caught my attention.

[Rich]

Thanks so very much, Jarhead, CSpan, and Rich;
Was able to reinstall Office w/ original disks, and am slowly getting things back in order. I used to know how to do most anything under DOS (remember that?) before GUI's, but it doesn't help much these days!
Do you all do ghost backups onto a portable hard drive? That seems like a reasonable idea.
See ya,
JStuart

I have a Western Digital My Book World hard drive that automatically backs everything up on my "network" (which is two computers) and I also subscribe to Carbonite, which backs everything up remotely. I also use SyncToy to sync docs and photos between the two computers.

I guess I'm paranoid, but I had a house fire as a kid and lost most of my family photos so for the cost it just seemed to make sense to have multiple layers of backup protection. BTW, Ozzie convinced me to get Carbonite and by signing up for that service he got a free month. If you want to sign up then PM me and I'll give you my info.

[cspan37421]

Thanks so very much, Jarhead, CSpan, and Rich;
Was able to reinstall Office w/ original disks, and am slowly getting things back in order. I used to know how to do most anything under DOS (remember that?) before GUI's, but it doesn't help much these days!
Do you all do ghost backups onto a portable hard drive? That seems like a reasonable idea.
See ya,
JStuart

Glad to hear you got things the way you want it. Yes, I remember DOS [regale audience with boring stories from the old days].

Backups: yes, I run Cobian Backup 8, a free utility, with some enigmatic settings, but it does the job. Many external HDs come with backup software; I've not bothered with them, as I also rely on flash drives, which often do not have such programs. Here's how I do things:

My files are organized first by year, then by work vs. personal, then by type (doc, spreadsheet, pdf, jpg, etc).

I use an external HD and flash drives for backup. One flash drive I keep off site at a relative's house, for reasons stated by Rich. I swap it out periodically with an updated one.

For purposes of long drive life, I don't keep the external HD plugged in all the time. I try to update it monthly.

However, I update current-year files daily on a smaller flash drive that is plugged in all the time. The idea here is that I don't need to back up (again) prior years' files on a daily basis.

On my older desktop PC, I had added a second hard drive for backup. That was easy and neat ... but I realized that if I ever had to rescue data, it would require buying an enclosure and hoping for the best. That seemed time-consuming and fraught with risks of incompatibility (pins, power requirements, etc). So for the newer desktop, I have opted for removable media. That has its own risks, of course, mainly ease of theft.

PS: I also use Mozbackup, it's a very good program. I run it manually, not on a schedule (not sure it can... should look into that). I've read that the backed up files for email are effectively zip files, but have a different extension (pcv I think). However, I've not found that they are searchable, which is a bother to me, as periodically find a need to find something in an old email.

[OZZIE4DUKE]

I have a Western Digital My Book World hard drive that automatically backs everything up on my "network" (which is two computers) and I also subscribe to Carbonite, which backs everything up remotely. I also use SyncToy to sync docs and photos between the two computers.

I guess I'm paranoid, but I had a house fire as a kid and lost most of my family photos so for the cost it just seemed to make sense to have multiple layers of backup protection. BTW, Ozzie convinced me to get Carbonite and by signing up for that service he got a free month. If you want to sign up then PM me and I'll give you my info.

And I thank you again for using my referral to Carbonite. I think it actually turned out to be two months free added to my subscription! My hard drive is acting up (making intermittent funny noises), so there's a good chance I'll be using the restore function in the not too distant future if/when I have to replace my current HD with a new one.

[Highlander]

I have a Western Digital My Book World hard drive that automatically backs everything up on my "network" (which is two computers) and I also subscribe to Carbonite, which backs everything up remotely. I also use SyncToy to sync docs and photos between the two computers.

I guess I'm paranoid, but I had a house fire as a kid and lost most of my family photos so for the cost it just seemed to make sense to have multiple layers of backup protection. BTW, Ozzie convinced me to get Carbonite and by signing up for that service he got a free month. If you want to sign up then PM me and I'll give you my info.

I piddled around with local backups for a while, but just signed up with Carbonite this week (per Ozzie's suggestion). It's ~$59 a year for an unlimited, secure, offsite backup. I'm still on the free trial completing my initial backup, but given the threat of fire or robbery, the idea of having things offsite seems like a good one. Plus the cost is only minimally more expensive, if you consider an externalHD probably has a shelf life of 3-5 years. After that, the size of the drive or the technology it leverages may render it less than ideal.

[OZZIE4DUKE]

I piddled around with local backups for a while, but just signed up with Carbonite this week (per Ozzie's suggestion). It's ~$59 a year for an unlimited, secure, offsite backup. I'm still on the free trial completing my initial backup, but given the threat of fire or robbery, the idea of having things offsite seems like a good one. Plus the cost is only minimally more expensive, if you consider an externalHD probably has a shelf life of 3-5 years. After that, the size of the drive or the technology it leverages may render it less than ideal.

Good for you, Highlander, I'm sure you'll be happy with the service. If anyone else does this, PLEASE contact one of us for an email referral from Carbonite. Both the referring user and you get a free month (or two) added to the year's subscription, but you've got to do it through the referral link. There is no extra cost to you, and you still get the free couple of weeks trial to test it out. Unfortunately in Highlander's case, there is no "going back" to get a referral after the fact.