Microsoft Office apps won't open after Windows Update

Microsoft Office 10 (limited edition of only Word and Excel, stripped down) came with my Toshiba Satellite laptop. After some automatic Windows Updates that happened last night, I find that I cannot open my Word or Excel, and all my documents and spreadsheets are inaccessible. The programs were on some sort of virtual drive called "Q:\" , already installed when I bought the laptop computer. The computer will not let me access it nor open documents and spreadsheets that were created with those programs. Can anyone help? I am essentially out of business.
 
Forget Microsoft Office and download one of the numerous free packages that will happily open and allow you to work with your documents. OpenOffice and LibreOffice are just two of those available. You'll be up and running very quickly.
 
Forget Microsoft Office and download one of the numerous free packages that will happily open and allow you to work with your documents. OpenOffice and LibreOffice are just two of those available. You'll be up and running very quickly.

So many people say stuff like this. For very large segments of the base of people that use MS Office, there really is no other option. The business world requires stuff to adhere to strict specifications, this includes how documents look. Universities, well at least science/engineering ones essentially 'require' you to use MS Office because it is the standard, when you start collaborating with other researchers with data and multi meg to hundreds of meg documents, the files need to be exactly the same. You can't go messing with the data and making new graphs/charts/whatever in LibreOffice and then saving it as .xlsx and have it work when someone has real MS Office.

Sure it works great for some simple things, but the research and often times the business world isn't simple.

If you just need 'Office'-type apps to do some home stuff, or exchange whatever with friends and family, then sure, a free alternative is fantastic. But, the reality is, without MS Office itself, you aren't going to fit in with the rest of the world.
 
Thank you truly to all of you who replied. I do have Open Office on my computer, it is a bit of a wild thing, sometimes jumps in when I think the document is being opened by Microsoft Office 2010. It may be the best option to just use it, and save the files as a Microsoft Office document. But this issue affects Excel spreadsheets too. I really would like my Office 2010 back.
 
While I acknowledge that the answers given on this forum are good they often fail to deliver. Re-read the original post.

" Can anyone help? I am essentially out of business."

The need was for an immediate solution. Fiddling with Windows runs a small risk of screwing up the computer completely which would be a catastrophe for Danielle and as time is of the essence the sensible option is for her to get up and running as soon as possible. Hence my suggestion. I use Microsoft Office 2003 and have never tried the alternative free programs. Reviews do indicate that some of the alternatives give Microsoft a run for their money.

Please, I'm not trying to turn this thread into an open ended discussions by framing the question "which freeware office program is best to replace Microsoft Office?" Unfortunately the next post will probably do exactly that.

Microsoft give little away so maybe an upgrade to the full Office package is called for if you are in business and want the best. You get what you pay for.
 
The need was for an immediate solution.
The immediate solution would be to back track and erase the issue that caused the problem. System Restore Points are perfect for this type of issue.

In hindsight:
It is probably not a good idea to have automatic updates turned on, if there is a chance they will disrupt your business. The term "If it is not broke, don't fix it.", applies in this situation.
 
I do have Open Office on my computer, It may be the best option to just use it, and save the files as a Microsoft Office document. But this issue affects Excel spreadsheets too. I really would like my Office 2010 back.
OpenOffice has a spreadsheet too. The spreadsheet component of OpenOffice.org is called Calc. It can save worksheets as .pdf files and Excel 2003 compatible formats; and it can open the newer .xlsx format files.

As to whether this alternative will do the job for you, you can find out yourself by trying, and you have nothing to lose, since it's free. There's also a portable version you can take with you on a USB stick.

If it must be MS Office itself, try a system restore as suggested above, or uninstall the updates (which is possible) or contact whoever sold you the PC for re-installing the software, hopefully at minimum cost.
 
Thank you truly to all of you who replied. I do have Open Office on my computer, it is a bit of a wild thing, sometimes jumps in when I think the document is being opened by Microsoft Office 2010. It may be the best option to just use it, and save the files as a Microsoft Office document. But this issue affects Excel spreadsheets too. I really would like my Office 2010 back.


Not really sure this will work for you..But it did for me. Go on to your C drive. Once there you will need to Click on Program data file. Which is a hidden file. (You will need to unhide this file. In folder options in the control panel.) Once the program date file opens. Scroll down to the Microsoft file. Click on it. Once this file opens. Scroll down to OMEoffice14 folder. Click on it. Then scroll down OStarter. Click on this folder .Once this opens .There will be a sub folder called en-us. Click on this.Then scroll down to Consumer C2 Rowl-Application and click on this.This will reinstall Office10. This should give you back your acess to your Documents and so forth. It did for me. After this last updates from Microsoft. Crashed my Office 10.
 
Forget Microsoft Office and download one of the numerous free packages that will happily open and allow you to work with your documents. OpenOffice and LibreOffice are just two of those available. You'll be up and running very quickly.


thanks
 
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