Windows Worries

[ffutures]

Gradually sorting out the transfer to Windows 11 and facing the fact that a lot of my old software is VERY old now.

In particular, I think that it is probably time for me to replace Office 2003 with something a little more recent, but I really prefer something a lot more minimalist than later versions of Office - I really hate the way the menus occupy such a big part of the screen - is Open Office Libre Office a bit more user friendly than it used to be? And is it fully compatible with older Word, Excel, etc. files? I'm downloading it anyway, but if there are alternatives I should look at please let me know.
- Later: I think Libre Office should be OK for my purposes.

I also need something like Adobe Acrobat pro for PDF file creation - previously using Acrobat X from 2010 - you can create PDFs by printing from a lot of applications, but if you want to replace pages etc. or make the  table of contents link to the relevant page etc. or get rid of all the non-displayed bloat that finds its way into documents you need something better. Given the price of later versions I would appreciate suggestions on alternates.
- Update, I may have been panicking over noting - when I summoned up the nerve to try it, Acrobat installed without problems - haven't tried any big documents yet, but it's a good start.

Finally, I gather that Coreldraw 12 is not going to work - it was badly unstable on Windows 10 so I'm not surprised. Inkscape seems to be the recommended alternative and is free, any good alternatives?
- Later: looks like Libre Office is pretty good for this too.

Also, it looks like my scanner is not supported at all - any suggestions for a basic flatbed scanner that isn't hideously expensive?
Sorted; on a hunch I tried installing the last version, for Windows 7, and it works perfectly - in fact I think it was easier than when I installed it on windows 7...

Comments

[dragoness_e]

Don't know which brands are best supported on your side of the pond, but for scanner-copier-laser printers, I highly recommend Brother. They don't engage in any of that DRM-protected hardware fuckery that HP is infamous for, and their all-in-one office thingy ( scanner-copier-laser printer ) has been very reliable for me. I've been using the same one for about 10 years now. If you need a printer, I also recommend laser printers over inkjet, if you are only an occasional user, because laser toner doesn't dry up and expire the way inkjet ink cartridges do.

[ffutures]

I've got a Brother duplexing colour network laser, Windows found and installed it without me having to do anything apart from open the install printer dialogue. Unfortunately it's purely a printer, not a scanner etc., and since it's working well and cheap to run I'm not going to replace it. I don't use scanners often these days so a basic model should be all I need.

[ffutures]

On a hunch I tried installing my scanner even though it is not supposed to be compatible. No problems whatever - in fact it went better than with Windows 10 - and it's working well. Panic over!

[dragoness_e]

Yay! Good to hear the problem solved itself.