On my old PC I installed Microsoft Office 2000 and became very reliant on Excel, Word and Powerpoint. Recently, I acquired a new PC (Windows XP) and would like to transfer the PowerPoint and Excel applications from my previous machine, which is now defunct. Is it possible to select these applications only, or must one install the whole of Office 2000. With Windows XP, I operate Word XP and do not want to corrupt/overwrite this with the earlier version of Word on Office 2000. Recently I have also transferred to a broadband internet connection and have been strongly advised to install a Firewall. Is that really essential - and if so why? I understand there are several packages available free on the Internet. However, I have also been told that some of these packages cause inexperienced users lots of headaches as they can be difficult to use and even more difficult to uninstall. Your advice would be much appreciated.

Unforunately I don’t have a copy of Office 2000 so I cannot test if it is possible to have some components of Office 2000 installed with components of Office XP. However, in theory you should be able to do this. Before attempting the following procedure, ensure that you backup any of the settings in Word XP, in case this procedure doesn’t work as intended. Once you have done that, try installing Office 2000 as you would normally, except select the ‘Custom’ installation option. Then specify that you only want to install PowerPoint 2000 and Excel 2000. Be aware that if Word XP was installed into the default Microsoft Office directory (C:Program FilesMicrosoft Office) and you attempt to install PowerPoint and Excel 2000 into this same directory, it may cause problems. Therefore, it may be prudent to install these two applications into a different directory. Once the two applications are installed ,try running them. Also, ensure that you test that Word XP is running correctly. Regarding your second question on Firewalls, I believe that it is an excellent idea to have one installed, especially if you have a broadband connection. This is because when connected to the internet for long periods of time (such as with broadband) you will be quite surprised at the amount of computers which are pinging and probing your computer’s ports. Some of these may be harmless, for example your ISPs servers, however of concern are the others which could be people with the intent to gain access to your computer. Also, you need to be aware, that it is just not people trying to get into your computer which is the problem - it is also things trying to get out of your computer and ‘phone home’. Some software programs incorporate spyware which, once installed on your computer, collect information which is then sent back to the software developer, mostly for use as market research. One of the best firewalls is ZoneAlarm. This helps to prevent both problems; of people accessing your computer and other software phoning home without your permission. It does this by asking you each time a program wishes to access the internet: you can either grant the requesting program access or deny access. ZoneAlarm also has excellent stealth techniques that help prevent intruders gaining access to your computer. And best of all it is available in a free version or a professional version (which has more features). However, the free version would probably be fine for most users. You can find more information on ZoneAlarm at www.zonealarm.com.