Which Office?

1.1 I agree that Microsoft 365 Family is the only option [£80 each year].
Find the right solution for you - MS
Microsoft 365 Family FAQ - MS
- they need Outlook so Home & Student is not suitable
- They have 2 users so 365 Personal is not suitable.
- They will be able to add it to their laptops as well, because they can have a total of 6 'users', and the only significant implication is of increased internet use for Office updates. But they might choose to stick with their existing versions - you don't mention what they are but I think you mean that they are Office 2007 or later [I still use Office 2007 and intend to keep doing so].

1.2 Yes, they will need an MSAccount to install.

MS said:

As part of signing up for a trial or purchasing Microsoft 365, you will be prompted to sign in with a Microsoft account. You must be signed in with this account to install and manage your Microsoft 365 subscription, or to use some subscription benefits, including OneDrive storage

- they also need to connect to the internet "regularly" to allow updates [I think that is monthly but I don't think I have seen MS state that]

2 Yes, you could get Office 365. I think the Personal version [£60 each year] would be better for you unless you might get an additional computer in the future [rather than a replacement].
- I don't know where you get the "on 2 PCs" from. As I understand it, Office Personal is only for a single PC & a single user. If the links I posted do not help you resolve that question then perhaps that annoying MS agent icon that keeps appearing on those webpages can provide the answer.
- Yes, you will need an MSAccount just as your friends will.
- The database capabilities of Excel 2007 & onwards [mainly its Filter capabilities] are so extensive that I have gradually reduced my Access usage to a single database {one that requires extensive use of forms}.

- - Businesses tend to distrust Access as being impossible to secure so they commonly use other database applications.
- - Perhaps studying Excel & VBA would be a more productive use of your time. If part of your motivation is to be more valuable at work then I'd say Excel & VBA is definitely the way to go.

Best of luck,
Denis

Interesting. Thanks for posting back.

In filing your post away, I stumbled over a link that confirms what the agent told you
Switch to Microsoft 365 Family or Microsoft 365 Personal - MS

MS said:

You can install premium Office apps on all your devices and be signed in to Office on 5 devices at a time

Denis

You can find some cheap Office licences on Amazon and eBay. Ensure any download link given works with a genuine MS server before you buy.

Took the plunge this morning and bought Microsoft 365 Personal for my 2 PCs. Downloaded & installed it on my desktop, no problems. All the apps I use/want - Outlook (5 POP mail boxes), Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Publisher, Access. All functioning fine. Just had to change a few defaults to suit me.

I notice that in the installed program list it refers to Microsoft 365 - en-us. I'm in the UK so is that normal for me or did I miss something during install?

I'll do similar on my laptop this afternoon.

I notice that Office 2010 is still installed and available. Clearly I intend to use 365 from now on unless major issues arise so will probably keep 2010 for a couple of weeks - just in case.

When I do decide to remove 2010 which is the best method? Normal uninstall, Revo, or what?

If I may, I wouldn't worry about getting rid of Office 2010 before installing a newer version except in the issue of having to make a choice of which to use. It's simply an issue with us older folks in remembering. I'm 80 with the advantage of working with/on computers daily, right now it's a Vizio 24" All-in-One CA24t with everything built into the base of the stand.

Office 2007 was the first to have the new file formats which added the x to the file name extension such as .docx, .xlsx, etc. Office 2010 was the first with a choice of either 32-bit or 64-bit installations, going from Office 2003 32-bit to Office 2010 64-bit cost me the loss of FrontPage, wasn't compatible.

My experience is that Office 2007 and later have good compatibility with files created as early as in Office 97. If anything gives trouble it's usually with Macros.

Berton,

Office 2007 was, in fact, the first to offer itself in both x86 & x64 versions.

Office 2007, Disk 1, x64 installation folders


Denis

Try3 said:

Berton,

Office 2007 was, in fact, the first to offer itself in both x86 & x64 versions.

Denis

Technically you are right but I don't mention that as I could get it only from the Microsoft Partners program I was in.