How to set Microsoft Office Client Virtualization Handler (Microsoft Word Starter and Excel Starter) as Default?

Question

I have Microsoft Word Starter and Excel Starter. It came with my new Dell computer.

I downloaded the Microsoft Office trial version. it has expired. Now i want to delete it but when i do that, my Word and Excel files have no association. The files does not open in Microsoft Word Starter or Excel Starter. When i tried to find the default folder for these two programs, i find it in "Microsoft Office Client Virtualization Handler".

So i want to know how to i delete the trial version and then set Microsoft Word Starter and Excel Starter as defaults again?

I am running on Windows Vista.

These are the programs currently in my control panel, i do not know which ones to delete to get rid of the trial:

Microsoft office starter 2010- english

Microsoft office outlook connector

microsoft office home and business 2010-english (Is this associated with the "Starter" programs?)

Microsoft office click-too-run 2010 (Is this associated with the "Starter" programs?)

Microsoft office 2010

Answer 1

Before you try to uninstall anything else Office related, find out what your computer manufacturer set up for reinstalling Office Starter 2010.  I have seen it where some manufacturers require that you do a full PC recovery just to get Office Starter 2010 back, while others provide a selective applications recovery that will put just Office Starter 2010 back onto the computer after it's uninstalled.

If you have to do a full PC recovery, that would certainly be a PITA :-(

Answer 2

thanks for the link but i tried to remove Microsoft office 2010 trial earlier via control panel and uninstall and it messed up everything. i had to do a system restore. it did not reset the file associations when i did the un-installations.

i do not see uninstall under the "Licensing Operations" either.any other solution?thanks you

Answer 3

Follow these instructions:  http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/word-help/remove-or-uninstall-office-2010-trial-HA101972584.aspx

I am curious to see if the Microsoft Installer service will reset the file associations back to Office Starter 2010.  Let us know :-)