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How do I run programs from a hard drive in an encolsure

13 years ago

Mother board on old computer died. Now have new Dell 570 desktop; 6G memory, 750G drive, Win 7, and working well.

I want to to retrieve images & Word docs from the old drive and will use that drive as external storage. So I installed the "old" drive in a Rocketfish 3.5 inch SATA enclosure. I now can easily access all my previous docs & images.

My problem is that I would like to run MS Office 2002-2003 and MS Office 2007 which are installed on the enclosed drive. (I can't install either program on the new machine because I used up my "quota" of installs.) I thought that would be easy to accomplish. Just find the exe file, right?

But not so.

So, is it even possible to run a program that's on the enclosed drive?

And if so, how do I do it?

Bounteous thanks are awaiting anyone who can help me through the required hoops.

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Comments (9)

azinoh
13 years ago
You could install Open Office on the new Dell. If it suits your needs, problem solved. Nothing to lose by trying...and it's free.
zep516
13 years ago
That's about your only choice and a good one. There are only a few portable applications I know of, MS Office isn't one of them.

Just find the exe file, right?

When you installed that program it created numerous registry entries, those are still on the old computer, and are needed to run Microsoft office.
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jean001
Original Author
13 years ago
zep,

You said "When you installed that program it created numerous registry entries, those are still on the old computer, and are needed to run Microsoft office. "

But I thought that sort of thing would be on the old computer's drive. Or is it elsewhere? If elsewhere, then of course, it makes sense that I can't run Word.

That said, I can open a Word doc but see a message to the effect that "not registered for use by this user."

Word isn't installed on the new computer, not even as a trial, so I don't understand why a Word doc would even open.
azinoh
13 years ago
This is perhaps an oversimplification, but the new computer expects those numerous registry entries to be on its own C:\ drive because thats where it expects to find them when you launch a program. Yours are still on the old drive...that won't work. If you must use MS Office, you're going to have to install it on the new Dell.
jean001
Original Author
13 years ago
Oh well; I thought I'd try.

Thanks all.
bpgreen
13 years ago
If you have the original installation disks, I think you might be able to call Microsoft to get the new machine authorized. since you're not using Office on the dead machine, that license should be available for you. It may not be able to be done automatically, but should be able to be done with a phone call.
genes
13 years ago
Its an authorizing thing...the MS program does not recognize the new BIOS on the new machine, looking for the BIOS of the old machine..licence is only good for one machine..as noted by bpgreen...best to call MS and they should give you an new Key #
ravencajun Zone 8b TX
13 years ago
agree as long as you are still only using it on the max number you are allowed you are good, so if the one machine has died and is being replaced and is fully removed from the old machine that would still make you only have the allowed number, they should authorize.
jean001
Original Author
13 years ago
Sounds good. Will try that.

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