Office Casual: How to work with the ribbon

Anith » Office Casual: How to work with the ribbon

Anith » Office Casual: How to work with the ribbon — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 01:40:08 GMT

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re: Office Casual: How to work with the ribbon

Matt Evans — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 19:55:53 GMT

Great video Doug. I love the desk cady analogy. I didn't know that's what that thing was called, either.

re: Office Casual: How to work with the ribbon

Judi Sikes — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 19:13:30 GMT

My friend created a sign up sheet with clip art on her Microsoft Office 2007. She sent it to me in email for me to print off on my HP three-in-one color photo printer. Here is the problem. It will not open on my computer. I am running office 2003 on my computer. Is there anyway for her to send this document to me so I can open the clip art. I can open the spsread sheet only.

Thank You

re: Office Casual: How to work with the ribbon

OfficeOnline — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 21:08:41 GMT

Judi: You need the free Compatibility Pack to convert your docs.

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=941B3470-3AE9-4AEE-8F43-C6BB74CD1466&displaylang=en

I NEED A REVISED EDITION OF ALL MICROSOFT OFFICE PACKAGE

IMOSSAN — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 16:34:23 GMT

PLEASE SEND ME A REVISED EDITION OF ALL MICROSOFT PACKAGES. EMAIL alphalaxiz@yahoo.com

re: Office Casual: How to work with the ribbon

John Simmons — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 15:04:48 GMT

Would be great if the programme worked > it keeps breaking up amd it is imposible to hear the commentary

re: Office Casual: How to work with the ribbon

EDH — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 22:23:39 GMT

I hate the ribbon interface. I have been working with it for months now and I think it is horrible. Formatting photographs and objects is worse than the last 5 versions of Office. Not only did the menus move, they have been subdivided so it takes more steps to get done what was previously merely tedious and fiddly. I could at least resize, format, layout, edit brightness/contrast, and set text wrapping in one set of tabbed submenus. Now it is divvied up into three different submenus with their own sub-submenus, tripling the number of clicks I have to do for every !!!!!!!! image or object I have to put into a document, which in some of my reports run into the hundreds. In addition, the old problems of photos wandering around the document, or creating their own table cells, or edging out and superimposign themselves on already edited photos and objects have not only not been solved, there is an additional kink in the fact that now when I copy images and objects from photo software, excel or access, it can be pasted into the appendix but then pastes itself in the text section in a separate instance of Word on another monitor and of course, below the visible text so I'm in some Lucy skit trying to repaste the same image or object into the appendix while it is randomly locating itself in another document entirely.

How can I make the rotten thing go away and get my old menus back? Or make the rotten ribbon thing act like Offices 97, XP, 2003? If I wanted a Mac or a Fisher Price toy I would have bought one.

re: Office Casual: How to work with the ribbon

Eddie — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 18:46:30 GMT

Dear EDH,

Err... no ribbon on the Office for Mac. The toy seems to be the Windows version. Not trying to rub it in, though.

I have to suffer the Windows Office at work and I resent the fact that I have to manually add the functions and icons I would like to use. I am an intuitive person, but this ribbon thing has just defeated me and slowed me down.

In addition the the help is just plain rubbish. I don't need videos, I just need a quick demo of where can I find what.

re: Office Casual: How to work with the ribbon

cec — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 17:57:51 GMT

Great. I need to learn the Ribbon fast (in one day at the outside), and all I can do is get an ActiveX block, and videos. I can't download videos... takes too long! Why don't you have an easy-to-access how-to? Oh, Yeah. I forgot this is Microsoft we're talking about. Everything is PROPRIETARY. Change for change's sake! Get it together Microsoft. you want MSPs and whatever else you call them, and yet you go OUT OF YOUR way to make it difficult to learn/use your products! And I actually LIKED you products...

re: Office Casual: How to work with the ribbon

R. Carney — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 22:34:32 GMT

I cant stand the new "ribbon", Im using a 60 day trial of office, and I wont be buying it. I'll be reinstalling my office 2000 as soon as I get round to it!

re: Office Casual: How to work with the ribbon

Phupaa — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 12:30:51 GMT

Not sure if the following link can help those who has a problem with ribbon or those who cannot find the command. http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/training/HA102295841033.aspx

re: Office Casual: How to work with the ribbon

Phupaa — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 12:35:48 GMT

this link also contain a good information.

http://www.microsoft.com/video/en/us/details/b2222d4d-15f6-4ef7-b021-b741bcdefcb5?vp_evt=eref&vp_video=Office+Casual%3a+How+to+work+with+the+ribbon

re: Office Casual: How to work with the ribbon

bill — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 23:45:56 GMT

cannot get microsoft office to quit, so ican go back to the way i was using computor

re: Office Casual: How to work with the ribbon

jaws — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 01:17:37 GMT

SURE wish hotmail hadn't given my old laptop an infection AND/OR that my desktop hadn't crashed -- combination of both forced me to buy new computer ... Gee, ain't I the lucky one ... instead of working with XP and Office 2003, I get the 2 most unfriendly programs on earth -- Vista and Office 2007, whose customer service consists of: go find the answers yourself because we don't care ... but, if you want to pay us to tell you that, too, we'll be happy to take more of your money.

re: Office Casual: How to work with the ribbon

imagonner — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 00:16:51 GMT

I'm with you EDH, someone please put me out of my misery. My office as just gone to this crap, I was the PowerPoint go to man. What used to take seconds now takes me minutes, and it only seems to be getting worse . . .

re: Office Casual: How to work with the ribbon

Eater Beneath — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 17:47:21 GMT

Been messing around with the ribbon for the last three days and it has done nothing but confuse and demotivate myself and co-workers. As several people have stated before, is there a way to go back to the 03 style toolbars?

re: Office Casual: How to work with the ribbon

Grandma — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 22:46:30 GMT

Microsoft must realize there are LOTS of us in our 80's who are retired from administrative positions who can't figure how to do simple things, like make my document single space!!!! HELP!

re: Office Casual: How to work with the ribbon

Grandma — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 22:47:35 GMT

I don't have a lot of time - or patience right now.

re: Office Casual: How to work with the ribbon

TP — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 04:26:07 GMT

I've given Office 2007 two months and I'm going to unload it and go back to Office 2003. 2007 is impossible to use, not in the least bit intuitive, and an absolutely botched design. If the 2003 features I depend on are in the ribbon (or anywhere) I can't find them. I am not an idiot. I'm a pretty advanced computer user. If you are considering wasting money on 2007, don't. Wait till Microsoft gets the message that they have designed a user-hostile hulk that must be replaced. This is doorstop material.

re: Office Casual: How to work with the ribbon

SpaceCase — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 09:22:20 GMT

hey guys I found a great solution!!!

since microsucks opps sorry microsoft... seems to take the side of noone but themselves why not use "Open Office" its free does not have the "Ribbon Interface", and has all the easy to use classic style menus that that we have grown so fond of and are comforatble with. http://www.openoffice.org/

re: Office Casual: How to work with the ribbon

DAVE — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 19:00:00 GMT

DITTO ALL BEFIRE ME

SURPRISE OPEN OFFICE ANNOUNCED "THE RIBBON"

YOICKS!!!!

FOILED AGAIN!!!!!

re: Office Casual: How to work with the ribbon

Josie — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 21:20:44 GMT

Is there a way to download and save this video? Our server doesn't support prolonged streams.

re: Office Casual: How to work with the ribbon

OfficeOnline — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 18:54:47 GMT

Josie:

Our partner, Channel 10, has a download feature of this video: http://on10.net/blogs/tina/Office-Casual-How-to-work-with-the-ribbon/

--Doug

re: Office Casual: How to work with the ribbon

arlene — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 09:32:00 GMT

i need to change the ms word 2007 menu/ribbon language from thai to english. how can i do it? thanks?

re: Office Casual: How to work with the ribbon

OfficeOnline — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 19:50:34 GMT

Arlene: Here's how to change language:

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/help/HA100910041033.aspx

re: Office Casual: How to work with the ribbon

Annedreya — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 01:12:14 GMT

Thank goodness for Open Office and WordPerfect. Productivity has slowed to a crawl for me using Office 2007. Too many clicks to get me where I need to be. Ridiculous.

re: Office Casual: How to work with the ribbon

mw2k — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 10:22:57 GMT

Its all come down to a bunch of stupid hieroglyphics now? At least a pull down menu had, what's that...oh yeah...f'n "words" to let me know what I needed. Now a bunch of stupid pictures that make no sense, and are in no particular order. Just a garbled mess of icona all over the screen.

So what if everything up to Office 2003 was designed back in 1992, it still works. Change for the sake of change is just retarted. I hate that about microsoft more than anything else about them. And this crap that the ribbon saves space (ie Real Estate) on the screen....what a load of crap, that ribbon is friggin huge

WIndows 7 start menu, classic mode gone. Why? That new start menu is so small and cluttered, but no, microsoft's way or the highway.

Ribbon and no classic menus, microsofts way or the highway. I will continue to use 2003 and not give a single penny up for 2007+

re: Office Casual: How to work with the ribbon

Gail — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 04:36:43 GMT

What a bunch of cry babies. I really like office 2007

I think it has a lot more creative options, not everyone can adapt to change, I know it is not easy but your old prgrams will go away some day, and besides this is good excecise for your brain, instead of same old thinking process, oh my God you have to think and search, that is the world we live in now. Hey if I can adapt anyone can, I am over 60yrs old and have seen a lot of changes in the world I had to adapt, when most of you were born in a world that we Grandmas had to learn with no training. Quit complaining and go find out what you need to know.

re: Office Casual: How to work with the ribbon

Andrew — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 04:57:08 GMT

The Office 2007 interface has to be the most un-intuitive piece of crap that I have ever had the misfortune to get stuck with. I work in IT support so I need to stay up to date but as for the other 15 workstations in our office, there is no way in hell I would consider purchasing upgrades for current Office 2000 and 2003 installations. Nor switch any of the operating systems to Vista. Both have proven to be nothing more than a huge waste of time, in particular the Office 2007 suite. I have been working with Computers and Windows for over 15 years and have never before been so disappointed with a Microsoft product as I am with Office 2007.

Wake up Microsoft and LISTEN to the people who are keeping you in business!

re: Office Casual: How to work with the ribbon

Ricky_b — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 18:02:11 GMT

I got switched over to Office 2007 at work three weeks ago. My productivity has dropped significantly because of the Ribbons. This is one of the worse things Microsoft has ever pushed on consumers. You can tell it was developed in a lab without real user input.

I have used Word & Excel for over 20 years. I embraced all of the previous updates because for the most parts, the benefits of the upgrades outweighed the negatives. Ribbons change that. As stated before, Ribbons is THE most UN-intuitive function I have seen on a computer in a long time.

If Windows 7 and WindowsMobile 6.5 & 7 take this approach, then they're doomed.

re: Office Casual: How to work with the ribbon

Charlie_J — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 04:52:16 GMT

I loaded Office 2007 months ago. I've tried to get used to it but it is far from intuitive. I rarely use it - I'll find another computer with 2003 on it. It works great for the simplest of tasks, but at that point you should just be using WordPad? or how about Text Editor? or how about edlin! I was a power-user on Office; now I can only do the simplest of tasks like the rest of the world I guess. I am reloading 2003, especially since the office isn't going to 2007 anytime soon. If MS had any sense, they would put a 2003 skin option on this thing quick before they lose much more market share.

re: Office Casual: How to work with the ribbon

oldpro — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 01:33:26 GMT

first of all, shove it, Gail! some of us have made out own toolbars and have adjusted according to out own changing needs over the years

BUT THE 07 RIBBON HIDES THE COMMANDS WHERE YOU WOULDN'T THINK TO FIND THEM and will not allow any creativity at all. I ALSO hate the soft-edged shapes and the gold-gold-gold selection. can't this be adjusted to colors I can tolerate? not blue, not silver, not black. happy to make it up myself--just give me a chance!

re: Office Casual: How to work with the ribbon

SG — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 16:09:39 GMT

Try using the quick access toolbar. It will give you one click access to your favorite commands.

re: Office Casual: How to work with the ribbon

Cindy — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 18:11:45 GMT

well, people don't realize how hard it is too change or experience difference. If ya quit complaining and except the ribbon, one does 'get used' to it just like ya got used to the old way. I'm am extremley visual and intuitive and I am getting used to it. Yes, it is different, open your mind and it'll be like second nature just like the old menus became, in a few years! ha ha, it's not that bad, didn't slow me down long.... it's all in your ATTITUDE and THOUGHTS not your intelligence. and bet a 2 year will like it too, they don't have to read.... change is for the future generation.

re: Office Casual: How to work with the ribbon

Cindy — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 18:19:08 GMT

and do you all realize the ribbon is the similair menu just displayed horizontally as opposed to vertically as in the old menu. same diff! the old way ya go down the menu, the new way ya go across the menu. actually kinda nice the menu doesn't hide the file when it goes down as opposed to across the file.

re: Office Casual: How to work with the ribbon

Robbie — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:08:28 GMT

After seeing what this f.king Ribbon is doing, I have switched finally to OpenOffice; more precisely GO-OO (http://go-oo.org/). Fortunately, I have not seen any announcements that GO-OO is going to use this ugly interface. I have nothing against or for Microsoft or Opensource or Novell or any sw company. I only need a tool for working, not a sh.t that forces me to do things in the way that I do not like to do.

re: Office Casual: How to work with the ribbon

David — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 09:08:48 GMT

I like the ribbon. It's not so bad. It doesn't take too long to find your way around. I'm a Mac user, recently upgraded to Office 2008 and I'm disappointed it isn't more like Office 2007, including the ribbon. I'll probably run Office 2007 native in OS X using Crosswire, rather than use 2008.

I like the fact that on first use the ribbon looks completely insane and makes no sense whatsoever. As you get used to it, it works well I think. Like Cindy says, just open your mind.

My biggest gripe is that I haven't managed to find out how to display the icons only, without text.

re: Office Casual: How to work with the ribbon

Bri — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 17:40:54 GMT

I agree with most of the comments concerning this new Ribbon that MS has created - not user friendly, not intutive.

I have been working with computers since "DOS", yes, my age is showing, and this is the worst "upgrade" that MS has come out with. Since I started on computer's before the mouse, I am a keyboard person. As such I have found that MS has left most of the keyboard commands available.

While not the best work around, it may bring up your productivity.

re: Office Casual: How to work with the ribbon

Allan — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:00:39 GMT

I've been struggling with the ribbon for about 6 months and my seasoned judgment is, like most other commenters, that it is a real step backwards. I used to be able to really customize my taskbar -- including editing the icons to group them and make them easy to see -- and most of that has been taken away. I have yet to find a way to have all my frequently-used commands visible at once. Here's my guess as to why this was allowed to happen. MS seems to be very concerned about first-time users. I can see that the ribbon might be easier to learn for a newbie. But MS is now forcing everyone to take baby steps to do simple things when many of us are already sprinters. I don't see why the ribbons can't be customized like the toolbars used to be. My ribbon is crowded with icons I never use and would at least like to get rid of.

re: Office Casual: How to work with the ribbon

Larry Stanford — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:02:14 GMT

Immediate Problem - Can't get the d---ed things to collapse when I want them to???

I've been managing programmers for >20years, and I realize 1) you have to have new "cool" things for them to do, or you'll lose them and your budget 2) Fixin bugs is grunt work, put em on that, same result 3) No new relases, no revenue 4) No new releases, you have to continue to support the old ones, and somebody else may come up with "cool" new things

Guys, enough is enough! I don't like Mac's, but I may have to go to them for cludged up clones of old microsoft software; keyword "old".

When I find my old Office CD's, I'll get rid of this mess.

re: Office Casual: How to work with the ribbon

Bruce Norrell — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 01:34:10 GMT

My only complaint is they should have done like Corel did with Wordperfect (which I think is a far superior program), which gives you the ability in options menu to select a "classic" interface so if you did not like the new one you could use still use the old one you were used to. Microsoft should have done this with Office 2007 and honestly I dont know why they didn't because as a result they irritated a lot of users by forcing them into using this new interface. Now I use Wordperfect for generating 80% of my Word documents and the only ones I dont use it for are the ones that require embedded VBA code custom specific to certain Microsoft applications. I had to modify the Word 2007 toolbar quite a bit to be compatible with how I use Word but really do not like this new layout at all. MS Word 2007 is very limited on how you can customise the toolbars compared to Word 2003 so it is still not the way I like it. So far Wordperfect has not changed their layout and even has a Microsoft Word compatible keyboard and toolbar you can select if you prefer it. My suggestion is if you have to use MS Office, dump 2007 and use Office 2003 and just download the 2007 compatibility pack to use with it. The few features you gain with 2007 are not worth the trouble if you are a busy person and need to get the job done. The other problem I have with 2007 is it is slower to react. I had to drop my windows Vista into "Classic Mode" in order to speed up the reaction time and its still not close to Office 2003 and I have a fast machine; God forbid if you have a slower one. I hate to say it but this tech thinks Microsoft has bitten the hand that feeds them.

re: Office Casual: How to work with the ribbon

Roger — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 07:41:23 GMT

Okay... So, I've got Flash 10 installed, and the "Interactive Video Tool" will not load fully. Gets to 93% and STOPS DEAD.

So, MS FAIL.

THEN... the other stuff - trying to make Word more efficient by making it INefficient doesn't strike me as terribly smart. As many users have commented - I shouldn't be required to click 90 times (I exaggerate slightly) as often to achieve the same effect.

Listen: I don't mind learning new programs, or new interfaces. But there's a lot of CRAP in the ribbon that I NEVER USE. And there's a lot of stuff that's NOT in the ribbon that I use a LOT. I often enough write documents that actually USE 6 heading styles. Only two show up in the "Recommended" styles. I have to go in and change the "Recommend" list.

And, I often edit the header and footer - to nothing at all like the "default" choices the ribbon gives me. So, I'd like to put "Edit header" and "edit footer" on the ribbon, not an additional menu reference from which to select those.

So, how do I change the ribbon? Evidently not possible from the user interface. If it were REALLY like a DeskCaddy, I could put whatever the heck I wanted to on it. Unfortunately, I'm stuck with whatever MS GLUED onto it.

I'm really tempted to keep the verdammt ribbon minimized, put what I use on the "Quick Access Toolbar", and hope for the best.

There's an answer, though, for all those who hate the ribbon interface: http://www.addintools.com/english/menuoffice/ changes the menus to look like O2003 - for $30.

re: Office Casual: How to work with the ribbon

Bill Opengates — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 09:56:51 GMT

The ribbon requires you to learn . Use the help , watch the video or buy the book .

If you are not open to learning then how can you progress .So many people have left negative reviews of an application that really is a fantastic leap forward , but one must give it a chance and learn the new steps .

i love the new look and the thought that microsoft team have applied makes it a joy to use . I urge you to take your time and get to understand the new look ....... think back to when you where learning how to use office back in 95 ........ it took time and then and it may do now but hey it will be worht it.

re: Office Casual: How to work with the ribbon

Ray Corson — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 18:04:42 GMT

My first (and second) reaction to the ribbon is that I don't need the hassle! I have been using Word for as long as it has existed, and I thought I knew how!

It is like driving a car - we all have known for all our lives that if you turn the steering wheel right, the car will go right. If you turn the steering wheel left, the car will go left. But what do you do when you get in a car with NO STEERING WHEEL??? Sure, there is some other sort of control that might even be somewhat intuitive. But while you are trying to learn how to use it, you are likely to run over several pedestrians. (At least, you will be so focused on the new user interface that you won't even think of chatting on your cell phone at the same time.)

Office tools are about productivity. Productivity does not require constant re-education. It requires practicing the same skills over and over. Microsoft has taken away my skill set and told me that I need to be re-educated to become productive again. For a new worker, that might be OK - they only have to get educated once. For us folks that are already productive, just let us keep being productive!

re: Office Casual: How to work with the ribbon

el guicho — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 04:02:28 GMT

Is anyone from Microsoft going to comment about all the complaints above? or they just don't even bother to read these comments?

re: Office Casual: How to work with the ribbon

chris — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 18:18:35 GMT

I am not a superuser, I just created a db for first time in 15 years. It seems to me that you would for the most part want to hide the ribbon from the user. How can this be done easily?

re: Office Casual: How to work with the ribbon

OfficeOnline — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 16:13:25 GMT

Chris: The Ribbon can be hidden several ways including CTRL + F1. See more ways here:

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/help/HA101663291033.aspx

--Doug

re: Office Casual: How to work with the ribbon

Sandy L. — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 23:00:22 GMT

I HATEHATEHATE THE FREAKING RIBBON. Download the Ubit utility, it's free and it makes Word and Excel look like their old selves again.