Mac to run Microsoft Office 2003 in Parallels??

Joined
Dec 18, 2009
Messages
2
Reaction score
0
Points
1
I have recently decided to go freelance and got myself a lovely macbook pro. However one client needs me to frequently use Microsoft Office 2003 (mostly PowerPoint). For this I am using my battered old PC which nearly dies on me every time I turn it on and it would be fantastic to be able to do this on my mac using Parallels (will this work??) (or similar, using spaces so I don't need to re-boot). I definitely need to use Microsoft Office 2003 as have tried using 2004 for the mac and many features aren't the same, e.g. I've not been able to view notes (although I am aware of the compatibility report tool). Any suggestions?

Thanks!
 
Joined
Nov 11, 2009
Messages
97
Reaction score
1
Points
8
well you could most certainly put it on parallels but the problem would be where would you get the software? you could find it on ebay but the code would be used and you would need to use a keygen, which is illegal and really hard to find for a 6 year old program. also, what are the notes for? i never knew about that feature.
 

chscag

Well-known member
Staff member
Admin
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Messages
65,248
Reaction score
1,833
Points
113
Location
Keller, Texas
Your Mac's Specs
2017 27" iMac, 10.5" iPad Pro, iPhone 8, iPhone 11, iPhone 12 Mini, Numerous iPods, Monterey
I'm not sure I understand when you say many features of MS Office 2004 for the Mac are not the same as Office 2003? All you really need to worry about is file compatibility. I don't have Office 2004 for the Mac, I have Office 2008 instead. And I find Office 2008 for the Mac provides great compatibility with either my copy of Office 2003 or Office 2007.

You can certainly spend $60 or so for Parallels if you choose, but if you really need to run Office 2003 in a VM you might consider using the free VirtualBox from Sun instead. Take a look at it and give it a try. LINK

Regards.
 

cwa107


Retired Staff
Joined
Dec 20, 2006
Messages
27,042
Reaction score
812
Points
113
Location
Lake Mary, Florida
Your Mac's Specs
14" MacBook Pro M1 Pro, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD
I'm not sure I understand when you say many features of MS Office 2004 for the Mac are not the same as Office 2003? All you really need to worry about is file compatibility. I don't have Office 2004 for the Mac, I have Office 2008 instead. And I find Office 2008 for the Mac provides great compatibility with either my copy of Office 2003 or Office 2007.

You can certainly spend $60 or so for Parallels if you choose, but if you really need to run Office 2003 in a VM you might consider using the free VirtualBox from Sun instead. Take a look at it and give it a try. LINK

Regards.

And let's not forget that you'll need to purchase Windows as well.

I think I'd recommend downloading MS Office 2008 trial and see how well that suits your needs. Powerpoint compatibility should be a no-brainer, considering Powerpoint was originally developed on the Mac before Microsoft bought the product.
 
Joined
Mar 30, 2004
Messages
4,744
Reaction score
381
Points
83
Location
USA
Your Mac's Specs
12" Apple PowerBook G4 (1.5GHz)
I definitely need to use Microsoft Office 2003 as have tried using 2004 for the mac and many features aren't the same, e.g. I've not been able to view notes (although I am aware of the compatibility report tool).
That's particularly weird, since notes are exactly the same in 2004 and 2003. They're in a pane under the slide.

Perhaps you should take another look, and maybe ask the Help file, which is pretty good once you turn off the animated character.
 
M

MacInWin

Guest
You can also look at NeoOffice, or OpenOffice for the Mac. Both can open and save Powerpoint presentations, and both are free.
 

Shop Amazon


Shop for your Apple, Mac, iPhone and other computer products on Amazon.
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites.
Top