Office XP Basics

What is Office XP?

Office XP is Microsoft’s popular business software suite. The Office XP suite—or group—of software programs is used in home and office settings to accomplish a variety of computing tasks.

You may already be familiar with previous versions of Microsoft Office such as Microsoft Office 97 or Microsoft Office 2000.

Because everyone has different computing needs, Microsoft developed different versions of Office XP. They include:

• Office XP Standard (Word 2002, Excel 2002, Outlook 2002, and PowerPoint 2002)
• Office XP Professional
• Office XP Standard for Students and Teachers
• Office XP Developer

Before you upgrade your computer to Office XP, consider the following:

• Does your current software meet your current or future computing needs? Why or why not? If you're a typical home user, Office XP Standard (Word 2002, Excel 2002, Outlook 2002, and PowerPoint 2002) may meet your needs. If you currently own a previous version of Office, you may be eligible to purchase the upgrade. Visit Microsoft's website for pricing information.

• Check for compatibility. Will Office XP run on your computer's processor? Is Office XP compatible with your current operating system? (It doesn't work with Windows 95.) How much RAM will it require? How much hard disk space is needed? What drive, display, or peripherals may be needed?

• Conduct additional research. CNET offers several informative reviews and articles. Learning about the software’s new enhancements and capabilities may convince you it’s worth the cost of upgrading.

• If you have the opportunity, test Office XP (at a friend's house, a library, school, or work) before buying. For a small fee, you can order a 30-day trial version of Office XP from the Microsoft website.

• Don't be afraid of change. Although Office XP takes some getting used to, you may find that working with the new interface is easier than ever.

Why upgrade to Office XP?

• The Task pane allows you to accomplish more in less time.
• You can quickly and easily access information from the Web while working within an Office program.
• Send for Review helps you easily track changes made to your documents.
• You can manage all of your email accounts using Microsoft Outlook.
• Smart tags alert you to important actions such as formatting options for pasted information, formula error correction, and more.

To learn more about Office XP, check out our Office XP tutorial.

For pricing and complete descriptions of each version, visit Microsoft.