Microsoft system and software updates
Student PCs
(includes presentation PCs in lecture theatres and seminar rooms)
For this academic year 2009/10 the PCs are running Office 2007 on Windows Vista.
Options for upgrading work PCs to Office 2007
If you would like to use Office 2007 on a PC you use for your work at Kent, contact the helpdesk.
- Using a home PC for work purposes: you can buy a licence and pickup the installation DVD from IT Reception (cost: £12.50).
- Using a Staff Managed Desktop
- Using a University PC: see Gill Donaldson
Student PC software via Microsoft SoftGrid
Microsoft SoftGrid, a new method of delivering some of the software to the desktop is running on student PCs. It provides a method for delivering extra software to the desktop part way through the year. Conferences sometimes want to run software which we don’t include in our service and currently this can be problematic. Not all software can be delivered this way but SoftGrid does provide us with a powerful new tool.
Staff PCs
Office 2007
Opening Word and Excel 2007 files in Office 2003
Staff who will continue to use Office 2003 will need to install a converter that allows them to open Office 2007 files. Office 2007 will be on all student PCs from September so students are likely to submit work in this format.
Install the converter on the Staff Managed Desktop service:
Click: Start, Control Panel, Add or Remove Programs, Add New Programs,
Microsoft Office 2007 File Format Converters for Office 2003.
Staff that are not using a Managed Desktop can download the Microsoft Compatibility Pack.
The main file extensions for Word and Excel files in the new format are .docx and .xlsx instead of .doc and .xls. Note that some of the new features offered in 2007 will be altered when opening files in 2003.
Vista
The Staff Managed desktop service will continue to run Windows XP (Vista will be reconsidered later this year).