- Joined
- Feb 18, 2002
How to install both MS Office 2003 and MS Office 2013 2016 on the same system
DOWNLOAD:
View attachment @Use both Office 2003 and a lter version on the same system.zip
EDIT: <THIS IS AN OLD THREAD> I JUST UPDATED IT WITH OFFICE 2016 INFORMATION.
I just got an email attachment from my kid's teacher and it was a .docx file which my MS Word 2003, of course, could not open. Contents were one paragraph, a simple plain text file ...
Sure... there is a Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack, but as most of us using classic MS Office found out the hard way, more often than not, .docx and .xlsx files still cannot be opened with classic pre-Ribbon versions of Microsoft Office.
So Microsoft won. I had to get new MS Office even though technically there is zero justification for me to upgrade my Office 2003 for what I do.
My reasons and goal: Only Office 2003 allows me to permanently display my own custom icon menu which contains virtually all functions I ever use so that with a quick laser mouse I can work lightning fast without accessing any Menus or Ribbons. It's all there permanently whenever I open a new document and my mind was trained to know exactly where each icon is:
If you are into super-fast computing, you know how much of a big deal 0.1 seconds is vs. 0.5 seconds. I can't be clicking through Ribbons or even clicking once to get to a single submenu. It has to all be there in front, in a customized single display - so that we can put that overkill fast Gaming Mouse to use doing real work!
Unfortunately, since Customizations are not a priority for Microsoft developers, the goal is to successfully install MS Office 2013 while keeping MS Office 2003 installed, and then keep MS Office 2003 as default for .doc and .xls standard files *only* but let MS Office 2013 handle, by default, .docx, .xlsx and everything else.
To use both MS Office 2003 and MS Office 2013 on the same system:
[Full Disclosure: There are official Microsoft support pages stating this cannot be done, but I have yet to find the down side.]
To use both MS Office 2003 and a later version of MS Office on the same system:
1. Install MS Office 2003, without installing Outlook 2003 if you plan to use a later version of Outlook for email and apply MS Office 2003 Service Pack 3 and other updates.
If custom installing, be sure Outlook is not selected on the final custom setup screen before installation begins.
2. Reboot.
3. Start Word 2003 once. Rename Microsoft Office Start Menu folder to Microsoft Office 2003, so a higher version doesn't conflict with the name of that folder.
4. Install and activate a later version of Office, (you may need to uninstall Outlook 2003 if you want to use a later version of Outlook for email, otherwise do not install a later version of Outlook).
If custom installing, be sure Outlook is not selected on the final custom setup screen before installation begins.
IT IS OKAY TO INSTALL A HIGHER VERSION OF MS OFFICE FIRST and then MS OFFICE 2003 SECOND.
5. If Microsoft Office 2003 is installed in its default location under either 32-Bit or 64-Bit Windows,
double click on 1O2003SYMLINKS.bat.
If it is installed elsewhere, go to Custom Location Install folder and edit 1CustomO2003SYMLINKS.bat in Notepad. Only Edit for custom location installs.
Edit line
pushd "E:\Program Files\Microsoft Office 2003\OFFICE11"
so that it points to your custom location of OFFICE11 folder.
then double click on 1CustomO2003SYMLINKS.bat
6. Double click on 2NoReReg.reg > Yes
7. If Microsoft Office 2003 is installed in its default location C:\Program Files (x86) under 64-Bit Windows, double click on 3O2003OPENWITHx64.reg
If it is installed elsewhere, or if you are using 32-Bit Windows, go to Custom Location Install folder and edit 3O2003OPENWITHx64.reg in Notepad. Only Edit for custom location installs.
Edit all lines to point to correct location of OFFICE11 folder.
Remember to use \\ instead of \ [see reg file].
8. Rename Microsoft Office Start Menu folder to Microsoft Office [insert version installed]
9. After you start a later version of Outlook, conversion may take 5 minutes or longer.
Follow these instructions carefully and specifically:
• Word 2003 > Help > Detect and Repair > Start > Close Word 2003 when this finishes.
• Excel 2003 > Help > Detect and Repair > Start > Close Excel 2003 when this finishes.
Now:
• Control Panel\Programs\Default Programs > Associate a file type or protocol with a program:
.docx > Change program... > More options > [scroll down] Look for another app on this PC > Browse to a newer version of MS Office installation folder, [...]Office1x > WINWORD.EXE > * Configuration Process will start *
.xlsx > Change program... > More options > [scroll down] Look for another app on this PC > Browse to a newer version of MS Office installation folder, [...]Office1x > EXCEL.EXE
> Close
Now get four test files:
• Excel 2003.xls (made in Excel 2003)
• Excel.xlsx (made in later versions of MS Excel)
• Word 2003.doc (made in Word 2003)
• Word.docx (made in later versions of MS Word)
Right click on .doc > Open With > Choose Default Program... > CHECK: Use this app for all .doc files > More options > [scroll down] Look for another app on this PC > Browse to MS Office 2003 installation folder, [...]Office11 >
!!!STOP!!!
Do not select WINWORD.EXE from this folder, instead select WINWORD2003.EXE > Open
Right click on .xls > Open With > Choose Default Program... > CHECK: Use this app for all .doc files > More options > [scroll down] Look for another app on this PC > Browse to MS Office 2003 installation folder, [...]Office11 >
!!!STOP!!!
Do not select EXCEL.EXE from this folder, instead select EXCEL2003.EXE > Open
Test all four test files to make sure they open in their respective programs.
Later versions of MS Office test files will initially need to Configure themselves, upon first test start.
==========
• To set newer MS Office 2013 as a default program again: Control Panel > Programs and Features > RIGHT-CLICK on a new version of Microsoft Office > Change > SELECT: Repair > Continue
or
• Control Panel > Default Programs > Associate a file type or protocol with a program:
.doc > Word
.xls > Excel
• To set Word 2007 as default: Word 2007 > Office button > Word Options > Resources > Diagnose
DOWNLOAD:
View attachment @Use both Office 2003 and a lter version on the same system.zip
EDIT: <THIS IS AN OLD THREAD> I JUST UPDATED IT WITH OFFICE 2016 INFORMATION.
I just got an email attachment from my kid's teacher and it was a .docx file which my MS Word 2003, of course, could not open. Contents were one paragraph, a simple plain text file ...
Sure... there is a Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack, but as most of us using classic MS Office found out the hard way, more often than not, .docx and .xlsx files still cannot be opened with classic pre-Ribbon versions of Microsoft Office.
So Microsoft won. I had to get new MS Office even though technically there is zero justification for me to upgrade my Office 2003 for what I do.
My reasons and goal: Only Office 2003 allows me to permanently display my own custom icon menu which contains virtually all functions I ever use so that with a quick laser mouse I can work lightning fast without accessing any Menus or Ribbons. It's all there permanently whenever I open a new document and my mind was trained to know exactly where each icon is:
If you are into super-fast computing, you know how much of a big deal 0.1 seconds is vs. 0.5 seconds. I can't be clicking through Ribbons or even clicking once to get to a single submenu. It has to all be there in front, in a customized single display - so that we can put that overkill fast Gaming Mouse to use doing real work!
Unfortunately, since Customizations are not a priority for Microsoft developers, the goal is to successfully install MS Office 2013 while keeping MS Office 2003 installed, and then keep MS Office 2003 as default for .doc and .xls standard files *only* but let MS Office 2013 handle, by default, .docx, .xlsx and everything else.
To use both MS Office 2003 and MS Office 2013 on the same system:
[Full Disclosure: There are official Microsoft support pages stating this cannot be done, but I have yet to find the down side.]
To use both MS Office 2003 and a later version of MS Office on the same system:
1. Install MS Office 2003, without installing Outlook 2003 if you plan to use a later version of Outlook for email and apply MS Office 2003 Service Pack 3 and other updates.
If custom installing, be sure Outlook is not selected on the final custom setup screen before installation begins.
2. Reboot.
3. Start Word 2003 once. Rename Microsoft Office Start Menu folder to Microsoft Office 2003, so a higher version doesn't conflict with the name of that folder.
4. Install and activate a later version of Office, (you may need to uninstall Outlook 2003 if you want to use a later version of Outlook for email, otherwise do not install a later version of Outlook).
If custom installing, be sure Outlook is not selected on the final custom setup screen before installation begins.
IT IS OKAY TO INSTALL A HIGHER VERSION OF MS OFFICE FIRST and then MS OFFICE 2003 SECOND.
5. If Microsoft Office 2003 is installed in its default location under either 32-Bit or 64-Bit Windows,
double click on 1O2003SYMLINKS.bat.
If it is installed elsewhere, go to Custom Location Install folder and edit 1CustomO2003SYMLINKS.bat in Notepad. Only Edit for custom location installs.
Edit line
pushd "E:\Program Files\Microsoft Office 2003\OFFICE11"
so that it points to your custom location of OFFICE11 folder.
then double click on 1CustomO2003SYMLINKS.bat
6. Double click on 2NoReReg.reg > Yes
7. If Microsoft Office 2003 is installed in its default location C:\Program Files (x86) under 64-Bit Windows, double click on 3O2003OPENWITHx64.reg
If it is installed elsewhere, or if you are using 32-Bit Windows, go to Custom Location Install folder and edit 3O2003OPENWITHx64.reg in Notepad. Only Edit for custom location installs.
Edit all lines to point to correct location of OFFICE11 folder.
Remember to use \\ instead of \ [see reg file].
8. Rename Microsoft Office Start Menu folder to Microsoft Office [insert version installed]
9. After you start a later version of Outlook, conversion may take 5 minutes or longer.
Follow these instructions carefully and specifically:
• Word 2003 > Help > Detect and Repair > Start > Close Word 2003 when this finishes.
• Excel 2003 > Help > Detect and Repair > Start > Close Excel 2003 when this finishes.
Now:
• Control Panel\Programs\Default Programs > Associate a file type or protocol with a program:
.docx > Change program... > More options > [scroll down] Look for another app on this PC > Browse to a newer version of MS Office installation folder, [...]Office1x > WINWORD.EXE > * Configuration Process will start *
.xlsx > Change program... > More options > [scroll down] Look for another app on this PC > Browse to a newer version of MS Office installation folder, [...]Office1x > EXCEL.EXE
> Close
Now get four test files:
• Excel 2003.xls (made in Excel 2003)
• Excel.xlsx (made in later versions of MS Excel)
• Word 2003.doc (made in Word 2003)
• Word.docx (made in later versions of MS Word)
Right click on .doc > Open With > Choose Default Program... > CHECK: Use this app for all .doc files > More options > [scroll down] Look for another app on this PC > Browse to MS Office 2003 installation folder, [...]Office11 >
!!!STOP!!!
Do not select WINWORD.EXE from this folder, instead select WINWORD2003.EXE > Open
Right click on .xls > Open With > Choose Default Program... > CHECK: Use this app for all .doc files > More options > [scroll down] Look for another app on this PC > Browse to MS Office 2003 installation folder, [...]Office11 >
!!!STOP!!!
Do not select EXCEL.EXE from this folder, instead select EXCEL2003.EXE > Open
Test all four test files to make sure they open in their respective programs.
Later versions of MS Office test files will initially need to Configure themselves, upon first test start.
==========
• To set newer MS Office 2013 as a default program again: Control Panel > Programs and Features > RIGHT-CLICK on a new version of Microsoft Office > Change > SELECT: Repair > Continue
or
• Control Panel > Default Programs > Associate a file type or protocol with a program:
.doc > Word
.xls > Excel
• To set Word 2007 as default: Word 2007 > Office button > Word Options > Resources > Diagnose
Last edited: