If you, like myself, have done your best to avoid the bell-and-whistle laden world of Windows Vista, you’ll have undoubtedly run into some pitfalls along the way. One of the most significant is that of compatibility.

Having long preferred the 2003 version of Microsoft Office, the availability of Office 2007 on XP has in no swayed me to make the change. For some, simplicity comes in the form of large abstruse buttons. For others, it is in the form of logical drop down menus.

But viewing Office 2007 files by emailing them to yourself is not a solution. It’s a workaround. Luckily, Microsoft has refrained from forcing us to make the change through the release of the Microsoft Compatibility Pack.

From here it’s simply a case of pretending you’ve read the license terms and clicking continue.

Let the software do its thing. While waiting, admire the logical use of the hourglass, knowing that what it lacks in aesthetics it makes up for in RAM.

Once loaded, simply click OK.

And you’re done. Feel free to open those pesky DOCX. files now with ease, knowing full well that you’re still a minimalist at heart.

Download the Microsoft Compatibility Pack from microsoft.com