Windows 8.1 Word processor

Question

Let me get this straight, am I correct in saying that with the new computer that I just purchased only a month or so ago, Windows version 8, updated to 8.1, there is NOword processor unless I purchase Microsoft Office? There is nothing other than Word Pad? Not even Microsoft Works? Shouldn't that be part of the operating system I purchased with the computer? I've looked through some comments and questions, but all I can find on the matter is someone representing Microsoft telling another customer with the same concern as mine to download Open Office.org. SERIOUSLY? So much money spent on this new computer, not having a choice but to buy a one with Windows 8 because Windows 7 is no longer available and there is no word processor unless you spend more money? Funny, but I still use my computer for business related matters, my kids use it for school projects and I am shocked that there is no word processor! My new computer now is nothing more than a GIANT CELL PHONE!

Please tell me this is an oversight!

Answer 1

Your computer is just a computer. It is even less functional than a cell phone.

But then again, your smart phone is pretty dumb without installed software beyond the operating system.

At the heart, they are both just organized piles of sand (chips), metals (wires) and oils (plastics), that can't do ANYTHING other than act as large paperweights without their software!

Correct, "MS Office", or MS Word is NOT part of Windows.  Many builders include a "free trial" of Office with the other crapware they install, but Office is not part of Windows.

The good news is there ARE 2 simple word processors included with Windows, including 8.1.  They are Notepad, which is text only and WordPad which can do simple word processing and can save to RTF and DOCX formats.

Yes, if you want a full function Office Suite or "Word Alternative" there are a number of freeware and cheapware suites and programs you can get. Here is a list of some of them:

Office Suite Alternatives

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2013 10 01- 10 comparisons between Google Apps and Office 365

http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/google-in-the-enterprise/10-comparisons-between-google-apps-and-office-365/

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2013 07 24- Cost breakdown toolkit: Google Apps vs. Office 365

http://www.techproresearch.com/article/cost-breakdown-toolkit-google-apps-vs-office-365/

Topics discussed include hosted email, mobile email from an array of devices, ability to host a public website, ability to use a company’s own domain name and email addresses, ability to manage user accounts, calendar sharing, encrypted connectivity for security, 24/7 phone support, and a 99.9 percent uptime guarantee.

The cost analysis includes a toolkit in the download to allow for quick comparisons of Google Apps for Business, Google Apps Vault, Office 365 Small Business, Office 365 Small Business Premium, Office 365 Midsize Business, Office 365 Enterprise E1, Office 365 Enterprise E3, and Office 365 Enterprise E4.

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2011 08 29- Google Apps vs. Office 365 vs. Zoho Docs: Cloud-Based Office Suites Showdown

https://

www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/236722/google_apps_vs_office_365_vs_zoho_docs_cloudbased_office_suites_showdown.html#tk.nl_bpx_h_cbintro

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2013 08 28- Help migrate users from Microsoft Office to LibreOffice 4.1

http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/smb-technologist/help-migrate-users-from-microsoft-office-to-libreoffice-41

<snip>

it will save users the headache of having to learn yet another iteration of the Microsoft Office interface. LibreOffice, held steadfast to the tried and true menu drop-down system.

It won’t take long for your end users to feel comfortable with LibreOffice 4.1 because of the interface. When you break it down, almost every office suite works the same -- it’s how and where you click that makes a difference. But just in case you find the migration a challenge, here are tips to make the process smoother.

</snip>

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2013 08 00- Battle of the Office Suites: Microsoft Office 2013 and LibreOffice 4.1 Compared

http://lifehacker.com/you-may-switch-to-libreoffice-but-the-rest-of-the-busin-1148504264

We’ll spare you the suspense and tell you Microsoft Office won this battle, but only due to one reason. To find out what that is, check out the full article!

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2013 08 00- Feature Comparison: LibreOffice 4.1 - Microsoft Office 2013

https://

wiki.documentfoundation.org/Feature_Comparison:_LibreOffice_-_Microsoft_Office

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2013 07 25- Two days after OpenOffice 4, LibreOffice 4.1 is released

http://www.ghacks.net/2013/07/25/two-days-after-openoffice-4-libreoffice-4-1-is-released/

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2013 03 13- Two free, full-blown alternatives to MS Office - Open Office / Libre Office

https://

windowssecrets.com/newsletter/two-free-full-blown-alternatives-to-ms-office/

As Microsoft’s Office has grown in size and complexity, more than a few users have wondered whether there’s a viable alternative — especially when it comes time to pay for an upgrade or new copy.

<snip> After using both for a couple weeks, I didn’t notice any major features missing in either. Writer is a capable word processor that does pretty much everything Word can do and more. In fact, we picked Writer as the best word processor for Windows. If a word processor is all you really need, then Writer will do everything Word can do and more.

…

If you’re new to spreadsheets or just a light user, Calc gets the job done. However, if you’re working in an environment where you’re sharing a lot of macros then you’re best off sticking with Excel. Both of them are easy to get started with, support the same file formats, and offer a pretty close selection of features.

….

LibreOffice’s Impress is a perfectly capable program, but if you’re working with people who usually use PowerPoint you might run into some compatibility issues still. If you’re just making presentations for your own purposes, then Impress should work for you.

…

Unlike the rest of the software in the suite, database software is really more about what you and your company use. Base has fantastic integration with MySQL, PostgreSQL, and Thunderbird, whereas Access integrates better with Outlook and Paradox. Both manage to do what they need to do well, so which you use really depends on the context you use it in.

….

For the most part, LibreOffice and Microsoft Office have the same suite of software with the exception of one thing: Outlook. LibreOffice doesn’t come packed with an email client, so if you need Outlook or an equivalent, you won’t find it here. The rest of the suite is pretty similar.

It’s pretty obvious that if money is tight, LibreOffice is the office suite for you. Even still, if Microsoft Office isn’t actually required at your work (especially with Outlook), LibreOffice has a lot to offer these days. LibreOffice also supports extensions, which means you can customize the look, features, and feel of the suite to suit your needs. Fortunately, the two office suites usually play nice together, so if you want to give LibreOffice a try for a few days you should be able to continue working with documents you’ve already created in Microsoft Office (though as stated above, you may run into a few small issues).

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2013 07 16- Geek level comparison of LibreOffice and OpenOffice program code and their future

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/07/16/libre_office_hardware_acceleration/

Provides overview of underlying code changes to LibreOffice and it’s future use of video card to speed up processing

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LibreOffice 4.0 ships with new features, better looks

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/02/08/libreoffice_40_ships/

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https://

www.libreoffice.org/download/4-0-new-features-and-fixes 

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Review: LibreOffice 4 liberates you from Microsoft Office

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2042552/review-libreoffice-4-liberates-you-from-microsoft-office.html#tk.rss_all

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LibreOffice 3.5: The best Office killer yet

https://

www.infoworld.com/d/applications/libreoffice-35-the-best-office-killer-yet-187534

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Ultimate Collection of Best Free Alternatives to Microsoft Office Suite

http://www.askvg.com/ultimate-collection-of-best-free-alternatives-to-microsoft-office-suite/

  10 superb free tools for all of your basic business needs 2013 01 14

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http://www.pcworld.com/article/252603/the_15_best_free_business_tools_apps_and_services_of_2012.html

15 Best Free Business Tools, Apps, and Services of 2012 – 2012 04 23

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http://www.techhive.com/article/258102/the_best_freeware_for_small_businesses.html

Best Freeware for Small Businesses

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5 Free Open Source Alternatives to Microsoft Office

http://www.cio.com/article/716346/5_Free_Open_Source_Alternatives_to_Microsoft_Office?taxonomyId=3000

Apache OpenOffice  LibreOffice  NeoOffice  Google Docs  KOffice

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2010 09 27- Google spikes old MS file formats - Withdraws support for .doc, .xls, .ppt

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/09/27/google_kills_old_ms_file_formats/

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Five alternatives to Microsoft Office 365

http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/five-apps/five-alternatives-to-microsoft-office-365/1860

Zoho, OX, Google Apps, Think Free Office, Live Documents

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2013 04 18- Going Google (apps), Part 1: Move your mail

http://windowssecrets.com/newsletter/going-google-apps-part-1-move-your-mail/

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Part 2: Move your docs

http://windowssecrets.com/newsletter/going-google-apps-part-2-move-your-docs/

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Part 3: Share/collaborate

https://

windowssecrets.com/top-story/going-google-apps-part-3-sharecollaborate/

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2012 12 12- Review: The new Corel Office

http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/window-on-windows/review-the-new-corel-office/7017

Winodws 8 compatible, (2010) Ribbonized

Bottom Line: Corel’s reboot of their fabled office suite brings a fresh look to WordPerfect and company. However, unless you are a diehard fan of the brand or work specifically with documents designed with the software, stick with something else.

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Duracell 8GB USB2 with Corel Home Office (full)

http://store.worldstart.com/product/7621

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Windows Live Essentials

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-live/essentials-other-programs

Mail, Writer, Photo Gallery, Movie maker etc.

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SSuite Office Free – several versions

http://www.ssuitesoft.com/ssuiteofficepremiumhd.htm

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http://www.ssuitesoft.com/wordgraph.htm

• Description of Word processor app

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Ashampoo Office 2010

http://www.ashampoo.com/en/usd/pde/0338/Office_Software/Ashampoo-Office-2010/Details

Textmaker (Word), PlanMaker (Excel) and Presentations (PowerPoint) menu, NOT ribbon, based equivalents. If you sign up for their newsletter they offer software for sale at prices ranging from $5-15 at various times in the year. But at US$40, even full price is cheap.

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2013 05 30- 10 reasons why Kingsoft Office is better than the competition

http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/10things/10-reasons-why-kingsoft-office-is-better-than-the-competition/3745

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Kingsoft Office Suite 2012

http://www.topshareware.com/Kingsoft-Office-Suite-Free-2012-download-91031.htm

It’s highly compatible with MS Office. Features spell check, a PDF converter, small package size, multi-tab interface, paragraph adjustment tool, drag-and-drop table feature, group convert hyperlinks and more.

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Free Editor Version 2.0.1.0

http://www.freeeditor.com/

http://www.freeeditor.com/supported-file-types

  -

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Works 9.0

http://msft-dnl.digitalrivercontent.net/msoffice/pub/X14-02658/X14-02658.exe

I haven’t tried this link myself, but others have said it still worked in Dec 2013

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Word Alternatives

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WordPad

http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-use-the-new-wordpad-in-windows-7.html

http://www.pcmag.com/slideshow_viewer/0,3253,l=255105&a=255105&po=3,00.asp

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WordPad

<snip> WordPad is a basic word processor included with almost all versions of Windows from Windows 95 onwards. It is more advanced than Notepad but simpler than Microsoft Works Word Processor and Microsoft Word. </snip>

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AbiWord

http://www.abisource.com/

Review here: http://www.davescomputertips.com/2012/08/word-processors-2-best-free-alternatives-to-microsoft-word/[http://www.davescomputertips.com/2012/08/word](http://www.davescomputertips.com/2012/08/word)-processors-2-best-free-alternatives-to-microsoft-word/

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A user written comparison of Word 2010 and OpenOffice.ORG Writer 3.5

http://user.services.openoffice.org/en/forum/download/file.php?id=14667 (ODT)

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http://user.services.openoffice.org/en/forum/download/file.php?id=14666 (DOCX) . 

This comparison of the 2 document editors was performed by a “user” evaluating them for use by his company.  If you have the 2 apps installed and download the 2 files you can compare them side by side.

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Windows Live Writer

http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=8621

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Jarte

http://www.jarte.com/

Review here: http://www.davescomputertips.com/2012/08/word-processors-2-best-free-alternatives-to-microsoft-word/[http://www.davescomputertips.com/2012/08/word](http://www.davescomputertips.com/2012/08/word)-processors-2-best-free-alternatives-to-microsoft-word/

Jarte is a free word processing program based on the Microsoft WordPad word processing engine that’s already built into Windows. It’s a fast-starting, easy-to-use program that offers word processing capabilities well beyond the WordPad feature set. The documents it produces and works with are fully compatible with Word and WordPad.

·      Opens files with file extension RTF, file extension DOC, and file extension DOCX

·      Fast start up

·      Small size, efficient operation, and compact display (perfect word processor for netbooks)

·      Hot Connect lets you use Jarte with other programs

·      Optional “Clickless Operation” feature greatly reduces clicking

·      Can be run as a portable word processor directly from a USB flash drive, CD, or DropBox folder

·      High quality spell checker with custom user dictionary

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WriteMonkey

http://www.writemonkey.com/

Scrivener

http://www.makeuseof.com/pages/your-guide-to-scrivener

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FocusWriter

http://gottcode.org/focuswriter/

Answer 2

No kidding!  I just purchased my new Dell laptop a couple of weeks ago and - low and behold - encountered the same thing.  Ridiculous!

Next thing you know, they'll be charging us for each of the components that make up a computer individually (like the motherboard, cd rom drive, power cord).  On 2nd thought.  Forget I mentioned this.  If they bother to read this post, I might just have given them a new idea.  :(  :(  :(

Greedy, greedy company.  With all the ?gazillions? of $$$$$$$ that they make, you would think that they could at least provide us with what (as you mention above) has always been considered 'the basics'. 

Shame.  Shame.  Microsoft.

Answer 3

Type WordPad in the search

Or look on the Apps screen

Answer 4

yup, its a pain in the ****, i had my old laptop wich was ****, with photoshop and office etc, to this to help my uni studies, and its got nothing really, i got open office which is just word from a few years past by the looks of it. but it works for word documents and such.

you do get something for nothing, but for some reason you also get nothing for a significant something... like a months wages...

Answer 5

Thanks for your thorough reply, but I have to agree with Sandy on this one.

Windows 7 came with Word Starter - not the full fledged Word program, but more than adequate for basic word processing tasks. I even used it to put together a simple newsletter for my volunteer group. Previous versions of Windows came with Microsoft Works

• again not full fledged, but more than adequate for us non-business users.

Now Windows comes with only WordPad (and I'm not even going to comment on the advice that "NotePad" can be used as a word processor).  WordPad won't save in .doc format - the almost universal document format.  So now we're stuck purchasing a full version of Office.  Most of us home users will never use 75% of the features in this program.

Yet another reason for the almost universal dislike of Windows 8.