Beware of Office 2010 Updates!

[Dave-H]

Good luck!
The Office 2007 Compatibility Pack doesn't officially work on Windows 98, but I did get it to install, and it will allow you to read (I don't know about write) .docx Word documents in Windows 98.
There's a bigger problem with newer Excel and PowerPoint files unfortunately.

[DrWho3000]

On 5/19/2019 at 1:42 PM, Dave-H said:

Windows 98!)
The Compatibility Pack is out of support now.
Office 2010 is very good on XP, at least it was until recent security updates broke it!
It's the last version to work on XP, and the first version to have a 64 bit version, which I use on Windows 10.

Did you have to install any kb updates for this Compatibilty pack to work (I know where to get them in the windows catalog) or was it hust a simple install

I found this compatibilitypacksp3-kb2526297-fullfile-en-us

also this OfficeXpSp3-kb832671-fullfile-enu

with XP 2002 I'm sure I only had the 1 installl disc (which is AFAIK a full one), but have seen there is a upgrade  ro it with a 3 disc

I seem to have 3 folders  here C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared Office Office 10 11 and 12 all withe the mso.dll dile

I Still have ALot of the old 95 A & B ,98, 98SE official install CD's

Edited May 22, 2019 by DrWho3000

[Dave-H]

@Mathwiz @DrWho3000

The Compatibility Pack should work with just a base install, but there is a SP3 update for it (KB2526297) plus many other subsequent security patches.
See this thread where @actinium has kindly given links to a repository of all the necessary files to install the pack, both for installation and updates until EOS.
As an off-topic aside, I never managed to get the Windows 98 installation beyond base level, SP3 would not install on Windows 98.

[Mathwiz]

On 5/21/2019 at 4:54 PM, Mathwiz said:

Just scored one for $7.75 ($5 + $2.75 shipping). Even included a valid product key!

I'm gonna try upgrading my old Win 98 PC from Office 2000.

I got an unexpected bonus for my $7.75: An Office 2010 Home and Student disk with a valid product key!

I just installed it, and to my surprise, it activated online! Didn't even need to call.

I'm now installing about a bazillion updates though. (Of course, I made a copy of the last working MSO.DLL first, so I can put it back after 4462223 breaks it .)

[Dave-H]

Office 2010 wouldn't activate online for me on Windows XP, it also rather worryingly said that telephone activation was no longer available!
Fortunately when I tried it did actually work, although I had to go through the tedious business of inputting eight six number blocks of the installation ID and getting back eight six number activation code blocks to put in! Still, at least that does still work and you can activate it on XP.
Just to add insult to injury, I had to do it all over again when I changed my motherboard too, presumably because it was considered to be a different computer!

Edited June 25, 2019 by Dave-H
Typo

[dencorso]

I've had a similar experience twice last year (I) activating a legal, brand new, never before used, XP Pro SP2 FPP (= boxed) and (II) activating the 3rd license of a 3-license-pack Home & Student Office 2007 on XP (then already SP3) on the same machine. Go figure! 

[Mathwiz]

Well after installing all Office 2010 updates offered, then restoring mso.dll, Excel 2010 works again. However there's one nagging problem left. There were three updates that wouldn't install: KB2881030, KB2999465, and KB3213638. Every time I try to install them, the installation fails, then they are offered again!

I suppose I could just hide them, but the latter two are security updates. I assume there are log files somewhere which might tell me why they fail to install. How can I find the install logs?

Update: Well, I managed to get them all installed, by downloading them all manually, then in two cases extracting the updated files with 7-Zip and moving them to my Office14 folder (and in some cases, renaming them).

In the third case, KB2881030, for some reason it was looking for ofv.msi, which is included in the Office 2010 File Validation Add-In installer, which I didn't get a disk for, but can be downloaded and installed online. So even though it was already installed, I downloaded the installer again, extracted ofv.msi with 7-Zip, and told the patch to use that file.

Now Windows Update shows no more updates needed, except for KB2553347 which I'd hidden long ago. Now I'm trying to remember why.... Was it one of the updates that's incompatible with XP?

Edited June 26, 2019 by Mathwiz

[Dave-H]

AFAIK KB4462223 is the last broken update which has to be left uninstalled for Office 2010 to carry on working on XP.
All others are either safe to install, or have been superseded by KB4462223, which replaces the last working MSO.DLL (14.0.7214.5000) with an incompatible version..
KB2553347 seems to be a very old update from 2015, so I doubt it would have any relevance now.

Edited June 27, 2019 by Dave-H
Addition

[NojusK]

NEW Office 2010 Update!

Probably the last one for XP this month

[Dave-H]

It is a week early, "Patch Tuesday" isn't until the 9th, so there could be more then.

[Mathwiz]

1 hour ago, Nojus2001 said:

Probably the last one for XP this month

Probably the last one for XP ever since the Windows Update servers XP uses will be shut down this month.

Well, I take that back - you might still be able to get Office 2010 updates via the Windows Update Catalog. But I'm not sure they'll install if they change the signature algorithm. Office 2010 updates may become a tedious process of downloading, extracting, and installing the updated files manually.

[Dave-H]

Oh dear, I do hope not!
When is Office 2010 out of support anyway?
It's usually 10 years after the first release isn't it, so I guess next year sometime.

[NojusK]

1 minute ago, Dave-H said:

Oh dear, I do hope not!
When is Office 2010 out of support anyway?
It's usually 10 years after the first release isn't it, so I guess next year sometime.

Extended support ends on October 13, 2020

[Dave-H]

Ah thanks, quite a while to go then!

[heinoganda]

I'll stay with Office 2003 with the Office 2007 Compatibility Pack. Then we have Office 2007 complete with updates. Last but not least Office 2010, if I have time then I will also insert the updates in the Updates directory on the Office 2010 disk, then a new installation is very easy and fast. Incidentally, I have the Office 2007 compatibility pack (FileFormatConverters) available in all language versions incl. Sp3 and the latest Undates. The installation takes only seconds with me. If interested, send me a PM.