Windows XP "office" too W10

sykotik

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Is it possible to copy some important data from microsoft office that is been ran on XP to a new PC that will have windows 10 running on it ?
my manages want me to build them a new PC and have W10, but there is some very important data to do with the business that is on old PC running XP - and copy or transfer it over to the new PC so that it can accessed at any given time ...
 
As long as the files are saved in the standard MS Office formats then you don't even need to have MS Office working on the new machine. There are several completely free (and legitimate) alternatives to MS Office that can understand and create/save files in MS Office format - by default if you set them up this way. I use Apache Open Office to do this and have yet to encounter any issues with spreadsheet (.xls) and document (.doc); I'm not a presentation user so can't comment on .ppt but I'd guess that works too.

So - find your files and copy them to external media (eg an SD card, external HDD, whatever). And then install such an app on your new PC, get into the options to set up save defaults - and then copy your files onto the new machine and open them to check....
 
'Data' is a too vague as it's depending on what data it is.

If it's just a document such as a spreadsheet it should transfer fine. If it uses some obscure feature you might need to do some manual work but I'd expect the majority to work as soon as you open them..

If you're talking about some other sort of data like a configuration setup then it very much depends on exactly what sort of thing it is as to how you'd go about transferring or re-creating it.

The operating system is unikely to make any difference, it'll be the respective versions of Office that matter for compatibility.
 
More important is what version of Office they'll be using on Win 10. But most likely it'll be able to open the files. The things that tend to break between versions of Office are macros as addons get replaced with later versions, functions change or code syntax changes.
 
It will be office professional 2016 that they want to use ..
and the "data" will be the finances for the week/month/year ( their run a pub/restaurant )
so at a guess, their will have what their have taken going back a few years..
as well as invoices for stock which have inputted into the PC for the week/month
not sure if there is anything else , as i don't really have anything to do with that side of the business .

so it's just a case of installing Office pro 2016 and then copy the files/data from the old PC to the new one from a USB drive ?

not sure what version is running on the old , all their said it's "MS office"
when i go back later today i'll try and find out which version it is ..
 
Yeah, it sounds like you're talking about files produced with office. Spreadsheets, word processing documents, maybe an Access database. The newer version of Office should be able to load them.
 
It will be office professional 2016 that they want to use ......
Unless it's already theirs, it's very probably a complete waste of money.
 
Because, as I said above, there are perfectly good, legitimate, free, compatible alternatives. At the very least - try one of them first, before buying MS Office.
 
Because, as I said above, there are perfectly good, legitimate, free, compatible alternatives. At the very least - try one of them first, before buying MS Office.
Agreed!

To the op, Google “Libre Office” or “Open Office” both good free alternatives if you don’t need Outlook email client.
 
If you have database files (Access) forget Open or Libre Office as they won’t work, (Likewise Outlook files) as to the rest they give good compatibility with Microsoft files up to Office 2007, but have limitations if the files use the advanced features of later Office versions, plus if the users are used to running the latest Office (2010 on) it can be a pain going back to the old style interface. (It certainly slows down productivity)

If it is just basic things in Word or Excel then you can use the free online versions to give you the latest layout, but obviously are devoid of the really advanced features.

As you mentioned invoices etc., they may be using a dedicated accounting program such as Sage Accounts, which may not run on Windows 10, (try compatibility mode) so they will need to purchase a newer program.

More information is needed for a more comprehensive recommendation.

Bill
 
If you have database files (Access) forget Open or Libre Office as they won’t work, (Likewise Outlook files) as to the rest they give good compatibility with Microsoft files up to Office 2007, but have limitations if the files use the advanced features of later Office versions, plus if the users are used to running the latest Office (2010 on) it can be a pain going back to the old style interface. (It certainly slows down productivity)

If it is just basic things in Word or Excel then you can use the free online versions to give you the latest layout, but obviously are devoid of the really advanced features.

As you mentioned invoices etc., they may be using a dedicated accounting program such as Sage Accounts, which may not run on Windows 10, (try compatibility mode) so they will need to purchase a newer program.

More information is needed for a more comprehensive recommendation.

Bill
I'll try and find out what programs is been used on the old PC , didn't get chance today
so i'll ask them in the morning ...
 

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