I just got a new PC with Windows 7.   I have installed the MS Office 2003 
standard edition (retail purchase) and I am trying to upgrade to MS Office 
2003 professional (also a retail purchase).  Error message says it is looking 
for Office 97 or 2000 version to complete install.  I don't have the 97 
Office CD any longer and I understand 2003 is the oldest version Windows 7 
will allow.  Any help would be appreciated.  Thanks

Did you first uninstall any Trial version & Activation Assistant, then 
reboot?
So why did install 2003 Std and not go straight to 2003 pro?
If pro is an upgrade version you need an earlier version to use as your 
qualifing product, Std is not a qualifying version
(You dont need to install the qualifying version, you just need the cd 
available during the upgrade)

"11helpneeded" <11helpneeded@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message 
news:EB6BA43C-A22E-4380-98B8-BA1704AD0946@microsoft.com...
>I just got a new PC with Windows 7.   I have installed the MS Office 2003
> standard edition (retail purchase) and I am trying to upgrade to MS Office
> 2003 professional (also a retail purchase).  Error message says it is 
> looking
> for Office 97 or 2000 version to complete install.  I don't have the 97
> Office CD any longer and I understand 2003 is the oldest version Windows 7
> will allow.  Any help would be appreciated.  Thanks 

I didn't uninstall any of the Trial Versions or Activation Assistant.  I will 
uninstall and do that.  I installed Standard 2003 since I had the full 
license for that.  I had purchased the upgrade version of 2003 Office 
Professional.  What would be the qualifying verision if 2003 Standard is not? 
  Thanks
"DL" wrote:

> Did you first uninstall any Trial version & Activation Assistant, then 
> reboot?
> So why did install 2003 Std and not go straight to 2003 pro?
> If pro is an upgrade version you need an earlier version to use as your 
> qualifing product, Std is not a qualifying version
> (You dont need to install the qualifying version, you just need the cd 
> available during the upgrade)
> 
> "11helpneeded" <11helpneeded@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message 
> news:EB6BA43C-A22E-4380-98B8-BA1704AD0946@microsoft.com...
> >I just got a new PC with Windows 7.   I have installed the MS Office 2003
> > standard edition (retail purchase) and I am trying to upgrade to MS Office
> > 2003 professional (also a retail purchase).  Error message says it is 
> > looking
> > for Office 97 or 2000 version to complete install.  I don't have the 97
> > Office CD any longer and I understand 2003 is the oldest version Windows 7
> > will allow.  Any help would be appreciated.  Thanks 
> 
> 
> .
> 

Office 2000 or Office XP or an appropriate version of Works.

11helpneeded wrote:
> I didn't uninstall any of the Trial Versions or Activation Assistant.  I will 
> uninstall and do that.  I installed Standard 2003 since I had the full 
> license for that.  I had purchased the upgrade version of 2003 Office 
> Professional.  What would be the qualifying verision if 2003 Standard is not? 
>   Thanks
> "DL" wrote:
> 
> 
>>Did you first uninstall any Trial version & Activation Assistant, then 
>>reboot?
>>So why did install 2003 Std and not go straight to 2003 pro?
>>If pro is an upgrade version you need an earlier version to use as your 
>>qualifing product, Std is not a qualifying version
>>(You dont need to install the qualifying version, you just need the cd 
>>available during the upgrade)
>>
>>"11helpneeded" <11helpneeded@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message 
>>news:EB6BA43C-A22E-4380-98B8-BA1704AD0946@microsoft.com...
>>
>>>I just got a new PC with Windows 7.   I have installed the MS Office 2003
>>>standard edition (retail purchase) and I am trying to upgrade to MS Office
>>>2003 professional (also a retail purchase).  Error message says it is 
>>>looking
>>>for Office 97 or 2000 version to complete install.  I don't have the 97
>>>Office CD any longer and I understand 2003 is the oldest version Windows 7
>>>will allow.  Any help would be appreciated.  Thanks 
>>
>>
>>.
>>

"11helpneeded" <11helpneeded@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message 
news:EB6BA43C-A22E-4380-98B8-BA1704AD0946@microsoft.com...
> I just got a new PC with Windows 7.   I have installed the MS Office 2003
> standard edition (retail purchase) and I am trying to upgrade to MS Office
> 2003 professional (also a retail purchase).  Error message says it is 
> looking
> for Office 97 or 2000 version to complete install.  I don't have the 97
> Office CD any longer and I understand 2003 is the oldest version Windows 7
> will allow.  Any help would be appreciated.  Thanks

Microsoft actually has a KB article in reference to this.  Here is the link. 
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/315995

You can NOT use Office 2003 to upgrade to Office 2003 in any version.  You 
need one of the older version CDs to use as the upgrade qualifier.  To 
upgrade to the Pro version all you have to do is insert the previous 
version's CD when it says it can't find a qualifying program installed.  It 
does not have to be installed.  Since you say you don't have an older 
version of Office than the 2003 standard you can't use the pro version 
upgrade disk.

Purchase a copy of Office earlier than 2003 from eBay or the like.  You need 
the CD and it can even be a complete copy.  While this is not "legal" if the 
copy was pirated a legitimate version would be OK to purchase and use to 
upgrade to 2003. 

I heard anything prior to version 2003 is not compatable with Windows 7.  

"LVTravel" wrote:

> 
> 
> "11helpneeded" <11helpneeded@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message 
> news:EB6BA43C-A22E-4380-98B8-BA1704AD0946@microsoft.com...
> > I just got a new PC with Windows 7.   I have installed the MS Office 2003
> > standard edition (retail purchase) and I am trying to upgrade to MS Office
> > 2003 professional (also a retail purchase).  Error message says it is 
> > looking
> > for Office 97 or 2000 version to complete install.  I don't have the 97
> > Office CD any longer and I understand 2003 is the oldest version Windows 7
> > will allow.  Any help would be appreciated.  Thanks
> 
> Microsoft actually has a KB article in reference to this.  Here is the link. 
> http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/315995
> 
> You can NOT use Office 2003 to upgrade to Office 2003 in any version.  You 
> need one of the older version CDs to use as the upgrade qualifier.  To 
> upgrade to the Pro version all you have to do is insert the previous 
> version's CD when it says it can't find a qualifying program installed.  It 
> does not have to be installed.  Since you say you don't have an older 
> version of Office than the 2003 standard you can't use the pro version 
> upgrade disk.
> 
> Purchase a copy of Office earlier than 2003 from eBay or the like.  You need 
> the CD and it can even be a complete copy.  While this is not "legal" if the 
> copy was pirated a legitimate version would be OK to purchase and use to 
> upgrade to 2003. 
> 
> .
> 

There is a lesson here:  NEVER get rid of your old copies of software if 
you are using "upgrade" versions of later editions.  CDs don't take up 
much space.  You need to keep them around.  As the reply noted, you 
don't need to actually install them, but the later upgrade versions will 
require that you have them (it will "look at" them to be sure you have 
them, but it does not install them, or, for that matter, actually use 
ANY files from them).  But if you don't have the older CDs at all .... 
you are screwed.


LVTravel wrote:
> 
> 
> "11helpneeded" <11helpneeded@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message 
> news:EB6BA43C-A22E-4380-98B8-BA1704AD0946@microsoft.com...
>> I just got a new PC with Windows 7.   I have installed the MS Office 2003
>> standard edition (retail purchase) and I am trying to upgrade to MS 
>> Office
>> 2003 professional (also a retail purchase).  Error message says it is 
>> looking
>> for Office 97 or 2000 version to complete install.  I don't have the 97
>> Office CD any longer and I understand 2003 is the oldest version 
>> Windows 7
>> will allow.  Any help would be appreciated.  Thanks
> 
> Microsoft actually has a KB article in reference to this.  Here is the 
> link. http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/315995
> 
> You can NOT use Office 2003 to upgrade to Office 2003 in any version.  
> You need one of the older version CDs to use as the upgrade qualifier.  
> To upgrade to the Pro version all you have to do is insert the previous 
> version's CD when it says it can't find a qualifying program installed.  
> It does not have to be installed.  Since you say you don't have an older 
> version of Office than the 2003 standard you can't use the pro version 
> upgrade disk.
> 
> Purchase a copy of Office earlier than 2003 from eBay or the like.  You 
> need the CD and it can even be a complete copy.  While this is not 
> "legal" if the copy was pirated a legitimate version would be OK to 
> purchase and use to upgrade to 2003.

You are missing the point.  The old CD is not going to be installed. 
And not one single file from that CD will actually be used.  But the 
later version (2003 in your case) requires that you have, FOR LICENSING 
(legal) REASONS.  And it won't let you install 2003 unless you let it 
actually see and look at the older CD (by putting it in the drive).  But 
it's only looking at it for the purpose of making sure that you have it. 
  It's not going to actually install it.  So the fact that it is 
incompatible and could not be installed is irrelevant.


11helpneeded wrote:
> I heard anything prior to version 2003 is not compatable with Windows 7.  
> 
> "LVTravel" wrote:
>