Foo - where can i get obsolete software?

here's the problem... i want to isntall office 97, from my original cd on an old computer. the problem is that it's an upgrade version, and i long ago trashed the software i was upgrading from [i think it was smartsuite, but i could be wrong]. i want to use the office 97 software for a nuumber of reasons, but i don't have anything i can use for it to upgrade... any ideas where i could get such software [hey, i'd be happy with the contents of the first install disk...]?

ebay ?

kazaa

a dumpster at microsoft. what cant you with current office products that you can do with 97?

DJ-

If you bought an upgrade version, it looks for the "old" software before the upgrade.....thats what he is looking for.

the thing is that i want to do this on the really cheap. i can get an educational copy of office 2003 profesional for $110 Canadian [about $80 US]. barely seems worth it to spend US$40 on obsolete software.

never mind... i just called microsoft and they gave me a full-version cd-key. thanks.

Micro$soft GAVE someone something?

somebody call Dan Rather...

theres staroffice which is free, ifyou want to go legit.

the point is that i am legit. the copy of office 97 that i have is one that i bought. the problem was that i no longer have the software that i had upgraded from.

i respect staroffice and open office -- and i've used them both -- but i find some things about them pretty maddening. in fact, i'm goingback to office 97 because i have been using open office.

Micro$soft GAVE someone something?

somebody call Dan Rather...

Its obsolete. They do it often. Old software is basically considered freeware once its life is done. You can get keys for 98, 95 and maybe even NT (not sure on that one) just by calling.

First, I was being smarmy and sarcastic.


Old software is basically considered freeware once its life is done. Uh, no. No its not.
If that were true I suppose we could just stick up 95 installs on an ftp server lake other freeware right? While Microsoft technically does not support windows 95 for example, all of its original license and copyright restrictions remain intact.


You can get keys for 98, 95.....just by calling.
Sure, if you own the software like velocipedio does, they will likely issue a replacement key based on the product ID code they may or may not ask you for. Again, the key is restricted by the license that came with your software, so technically you cant load it on more than one machine anyway.

Trust me, the only thing Microsoft has ever given out freely is a major headache to those of us who have to keep up with their ever-changing licensing schemes and MOLPs.