Office 2003 SP1

Office 2003 Service Patch 1 - Released July 2004.
Information, Links, and Opinions

How to update:

There are two methods. You can use the Windows Update feature for an almost totally automated process. The drawback is you will need to download over 20 MB of data on each and every PC you update.

An alternative is to down load the patches as files (see links) to your hard drive once. You can then burn the patches to a CD-Rom or write to a USB Drive. Then you can take the patch files and run them on many computers.

Should I Update?? - Yes.

WHEN should I Update? - It Depends.

Woody's Office Watch newsletter #9.14 (Sept 1). Still wait "a few weeks". Do the Win XP SP2 update first.   Check for stability.   Then update Office.

Woody's Office Watch newsletter #9.13 advises that you should wait a few weeks.    Let other people discover problems and fixes before they you invite gremlins into your PC.

I recommend waiting until mid-August UNLESS:
    - you have not run Windows Update in several months, or
    - you use Excel 2003's RAND(), FORECAST,() STEYX(), SLOPE() or INTERCEPT() functions.   There was a patch for a serious bug in these functions that only became part of the Windows Update in about April 2004.   If you use Office 2003 and workbooks that use RAND or any statistical functions, then I think you should run the update immediately.

There are few new features except for OneNote.   SP1 add many improvements you will notice to OneNote.   If you use OneNote or do not use OneNote because you feel it is too constrained (I am in that category), then take a look at the 5-Aug-2004 WindowsSecrets newsletter for a description of what is new to OneNote.

Can I uninstall the patch if I have Problems? - NO

Installing with Windows Update:

Start Menu, Windows Update

Click the link: "Scan for Updates...." - to update you Windows.

after updating Windows first

From the Windows Update screen, click the submenu "Office Update"

Under Download, Office update:, click "Check for Updates"

After it scans, click the "Start Installation" Button.

Installing by Downloading Links manually.

Download Links for the SP1 patches - note there are more than one.

SP1 for Main Office 2003 (Excel, Access, Word, Outlook, Powerpoint, IE, FrontPage) - 18MB
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=9C51D3A6-7CB1-4F61-837E-5F938254FC47&displaylang=en

SP1 for OneNote 2003
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=07408348-26C9-43BB-9E7E-6151CF15D415&displaylang=en

SP1 for Visio 2003
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=AFCA0578-E1FB-4540-B0CC-FF83DEF61CC6&displaylang=en

SP1 for Project 2003
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=1B04C073-E58F-4F42-B76D-6B565A45CDC3&displaylang=en

SP1 for Project Server 2003
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=5DEA5862-D534-4F17-AB08-7C9B790C5B15&displaylang=en

If you have any of the products installed on your computer, then run these patch files. Running some Office 2003 applications with SP1 and some without the patch is asking for trouble.

Office 2003 Service Patch 1 - Released July 2004. Information, Links, and Opinions

How to update:

Should I Update?? - Yes.

WHEN should I Update? - It Depends.

Can I uninstall the patch if I have Problems? - NO

Installing with Windows Update:

Installing by Downloading Links manually.

Office 2003 Service Patch 1 - Released July 2004.
Information, Links, and Opinions