A message from Microsoft on Office 2010..

"Instructions and Resources
Important: Microsoft strongly recommends the use of 32-bit (x86) versions of Office 2010, Project 2010, and Visio 2010 applications as the default option for all platforms."

Before you rush to load Office 2010 in 64-bit guise, bear in mind also that it will not work alongside 32-bit versions of Office 2003 elements e.g. Microsoft Office FrontPage 2003. I have also heard that Xobni (http://www.xobni.com/) doesn’t play ball with the 64-bit variant, and no doubt there will be other casualties.

Preparation/installation

I copied all of the PST folders to an external location first, then removed Office 2007 Ultimate. I think that it is always best to remove earlier versions of Office, and start with a clean slate.The 2010 installation ran easily, and I still had all mail accounts, notes, address books intact and usable by the time that it had finished.

First impressions

The default layout is clear, easy to read, and should not be a culture shock for former Outlook users. The folder lists are not as bunched up as they were in previous versions, so moving items from he inbox to local folders is not such a fidgety task as it used to be.

The Ribbon and its tabs are just so much better than the old drop down menus and gone forever are the tool bars which sometimes seemed to have a will all of their own.

The FILE tab is where all of the tools are now and is the only heading from which anything drops down. Microsoft refer to it as ‘backstage’ I like the fact that ‘mailbox cleanup’ has been made more obvious, and again, all is very clear and nicely laid out.

The HOME tab is the centre stage and has all of the most used functions on display. The more casual e-mail user would be able to conduct all business from this tab without ever having to go out to the wings that are the other tabs.

I admit to liking Outlook anyway, and this version is the best so far if only because the layout of everything is so much clearer. It has some new features and has lost some old ones which may not suit all people, but for me it works.