OFF: How to Maintain Multiple Office Versions Concurrently

The information in this article applies to:

• Microsoft Office Standard for Windows, versions 4.0, 4.2
• Microsoft Office Professional for Windows, version 4.3
• Microsoft Office Standard for Windows 95, version 7.0
• Microsoft Office Professional for Windows 95, version 7.0

SUMMARY

This article explains how to concurrently maintain two versions of Microsoft Office on the same machine. It is important to note that this setup is not supported or recommended by Microsoft.

MORE INFORMATION

By following the guidelines below, you can maintain multiple versions of Microsoft Office on the same computer.

First, and most important, place the second and subsequent installation of Microsoft Office in a separate directory (folder) from the first (original) version of Office. Change the directory to something other than the default directory during the first part of Setup to prevent overwriting and replacing the existing files.

Second, be sure that all the .ini files associated with the installed applications show the correct path to their respective applications.

NOTE: If you are running Windows 95, this information is stored in the registry.

Before you run Setup for any Microsoft Office products, make sure that all currently installed Office programs are closed, including the Office Shortcut Bar and the Microsoft Office Manager (MOM). You will be prompted if a program is running; you can close it and resume the installation.

REFERENCES

Microsoft Office Online Help, version 7.0