connecting old computer to new laptop

i am having a clear out and trying to get rid of some clutter.

i have an old (5+yrs) computer that i have transferred most of the data over to the new laptop, but need excel for one vital program that i run on my old computer. i haven't yet got excel on the new but hope to get it in the next month or so.

in the meantime ... i know you can plug a monitor into a laptop via a usb cable and use the monitor for viewing ... but ... can one use a double ended usb cable to use the laptop as the monitor for the old hard drive? i hope i'm making sense here.

what i want to do is be able to give away my old, bulky monitor/keyboard/mouses etc and just use the laptop - but i do need access to the old computer program so have hung on to them until now.

alternatively - is there any free download excel version that i can pince in the meantime?
 
in the meantime ... i know you can plug a monitor into a laptop via a usb cable and use the monitor for viewing ... but ... can one use a double ended usb cable to use the laptop as the monitor for the old hard drive? i hope i'm making sense here.

I'm sure some of the tech savvy users got a bit of a laugh at this one :D, sorry lizzie :eek:

I'd try moyjos's recommendation and give Open Office a whirl
http://www.openoffice.org/

Who knows, you might even like the free alternative better!
 
Sounds like a hassle

D/load Windows Office like winston said for free onto your laptop

Copy your files for your pc onto disc and then put them on your laptop

now you can do everything on your laptop and you no longer need your pc and can get it out of your way
 
I agree with others you should try Open Office first.

Your spreadies should work in that if they aren't too complicated with macros and the more uncommon excel formula.

I think over the next 3-5 years, Linux and Open Office will make tremendous inroads into Microsoft's market share, and rightfully so.
 
I'm sure some of the tech savvy users got a bit of a laugh at this one :D,

haha - i don't even understand what half of you are saying ... installing clients and crossover cables et al ...

i'll try the open office idea tonight.

thanks
 
okay - i now realise i've had (and used) open office for 6 months now ... i am sooooo computer illiterate! i also have the spreadsheet on my system but my excel program is not opening. appears there is a security problem with the program on the old computer that was created by the person who wrote the program.

damn thing.

wonder how i can overcome that?
 
Do you mean the spreadhseets are not opening in Open Office?
If so, it could be because the sheets have macros in them, which Open Office can't deal with.
ie. you will have to use MS Excel to open them.
If that's not what you mean, then I'm confused :confused:
 
okay - i now realise i've had (and used) open office for 6 months now ... i am sooooo computer illiterate! i also have the spreadsheet on my system but my excel program is not opening. appears there is a security problem with the program on the old computer that was created by the person who wrote the program.
damn thing.
wonder how i can overcome that?
It would help a lot if you posted a screenshot of what you are seeing...or at least post what the message says (that stops you opening the program/file).
 
It would help a lot if you posted a screenshot of what you are seeing...or at least post what the message says (that stops you opening the program/file).

it doesn't tell me anything - it just doesn't "do anything" when i hit the "behind the scenes" buttons. i don't want to post a screen shot as it's a vendor finance client statement.

i think it's what rob said regarding macros - i'll have to wait until the friend get excel to me. her boyfriend is an IT wizz coming up from adelaide for a visit next week.

thanks anyhow.
 
Yes just get excel as it most likely has some macros or something in the doc. I don't have Open office installed although I used it for awhile but then I missed a few things I needed and I found some problems with it in formatting etc. But it's a good alternative if you don't want to pay for office or just don't like Microsoft.

If your old computer is still working then you could open the excel file up in that and then disable all the macros if you can work out how to do that. Then try opening the new version up in the laptop.

The easiest way for you to grab old files from your old computer and take them to the laptop is to just buy a $20 USB stick which you can store gigs of files and then once transferedyou can delete them on the stick and have it blank to use again.
 
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