Microsoft Office OneNote 2003

A Review  By  Algird G. Leiga

 

Installation

 

 As background information, OneNote will be used on my desktop PC, running MS Windows Media Center 2005 sp2.  The computer is a Dell Dimension 8400, with a Pentium 4 CPU running at 3.2GHz and one GB of Ram memory.

 

Overall, the installation of the program went well.  However, upon opening the package, there were no installation guidelines.  After inserting the program disc, it did not start automatically, but that could be something peculiar with my computer.  After typing D: the contents of the disc came up and it seemed that the obvious icon to double click to start the installation was Setup.  On the first question, I chose the full installation, since I did not want the hassle of adding program features at a later date.  I have enough HD storage to handle the extra space needed.  The next decision point was to check for updates. I always find it very annoying that the purchased program is "defective" without going for an update. The worst example of this is the tax programs.  I checked yes to the update and hit finish. Windows Internet Explorer started to load a website, but nothing came up. The update seemed to fail, so I moved on to using the program.

 

After searching, I found OneNote as a subset of MS Office and double clicked on it to run the program.  A message flag came up on the lower right program tray asking if wanted to run some feature, which indicated to me that I could have started the program using that button rather than going to "all programs".

 

On the first screen I chose to run the tutorial, but an error message came up indicating that I may be asking to run a "dangerous" program. Since it was Microsoft, I chose to run the script.  The tour was good and certainly made me want to try to use the program. However, since I don't have a tablet pc the handwriting feature did not seem useful at this time.  The tutorial was not enough to help me use many of the features without more explicit instructions, but later I found that the resource disc has more information.  After reviewing the tutorial, it became clear to me that it would be better to have the program on both my desktop and laptop computers. It does not seem likely that the license will allow me to run OneNote on both, which is unfortunate.  For the best use of OneNote, it should be designed so that I can use both computers without any hassle from MS. Otherwise I can't get the full benefits. I like to keep most of my work on the desktop but at meetings and on vacation, etc. I use the laptop. The program needs to be on both for full effectiveness.

 

The activate screen came up upon first use. I clicked cancel so that I could  complete the review, before activating the program. There is probably enough time to complete my evaluation before the ugly Microsoft activation has to be carried out.

 

 

 

Using the Program

 

I initially tried to use the program without consulting the resource disc, just to see how intuitive the menus would be.  I am familiar with Word, Access, Excel, Outlook, etc., so I thought I should be able to figure it out.  On first try, I had problems figuring out how to navigate the various pages and sections of my notebook.  It just does not seem intuitive, compared with Word and other programs.  It took me a while to convert my ongoing notes on my review from WordPad to a Word document, and then pasting into a Projects section of OneNote.  After trying various tasks, it became clear what I needed to do for text in the various sections of OneNote.  I found the "grey" block does define the location of text and images, and it is very useful and really provides an easy way to “paste” notes or other information on any part of the page. 

 

My attempts to selectively bring Internet pages or sections of pages into my work area went well.  I was able to copy several pages from the Internet to the projects page with ease.

 

Next I attempted to install the resource disc.  It did not start automatically.  Using Run and D: brought up the disc contents and the auto launch icon.  I clicked on that icon to start the process.  Overall, the resource disc looks very useful, and it helped me to explore additional features of OneNote.  I continued to work with the various menus, trying to insert pictures, and web pages into projects that I have set up.  Everything works slick.  The pen option is very good when you want to highlight an item.  You can put your text, picture, or whatever, any place on the screen.  That's great if you want to have a notebook type look.

 

From what I have been able to do, I think I know enough now to put together a presentation I am planning, using OneNote with pictures, text, screen capture materials, highlights, etc.  After composing it in OneNote, I will move it into a PowerPoint format.

 

In contrast to my first look, now after exploring the menus, etc., the options seem more intuitive to use, especially since I am familiar with Word and the other programs in Office.

 

 Another item I like is the backup feature. It looks like I don't have to worry about losing something when I perform a stupid action.

 

My next actions were to set up my workspace and create specific projects using OneNote.  I continued to work on bringing clips from the internet to selected folders, etc.  It works very well and is very easy to do.  Using the Start button, I was easily able to go to Outlook and bring selected e-mails into my OneNote Desktop.  I created a list of names and addresses for an event I am planning in a special projects folder.  I selected the address list and e-mailed it  directly from OneNote.  It worked fine. I inserted a very large image file into a folder without any problems.

 

The mailing I was working on  was easy to create, just like in Word, but I could not create a two column list.  Maybe I just need to look further, or is this a limitation in OneNote?

 

I used the help menu to find a solution to the two column issue.  I typed in "create a two column document”.  The search went to MS Online and one answer was how to create a table.  I tried the approach and was able to make it work to create columns on my notes.  But the procedure was very awkward and I don’t' think I can use it.  Also, going to MS Online may be problem at times when I am not online.

 

 

Summary

 

 

There is much more to explore in OneNote, but from my current efforts, I found the program to be very useful and I will keep it as my operational desktop.  The description  of the program on the OneNote box  promises an all inclusive, digital, note-taking program, that allows the user to easily organize, find, use, and share notes.  The program certainly meets that promise.  The program provides good value for the price, but the value would be enhanced if the program could be used on both my desktop and my laptop without additional license fees.  Overall, this is a very impressive program that I will find useful for organizing my various activities at home and as board member of government and non-profit organizations.

 

 

Office OneNote 2003

Microsoft Corp.

$99.95

CD-ROM

http://www.microsoft.com/products/info/