I bought an Acer netbook in June 2012, pre-loaded with Windows 7 Home starter. As I only use Excel and Word that is sufficient for my needs. Recently in trying to open either, I get the message, " There was a problem in sending the instruction..."etc., After acknowledging this message, the 2nd attempt usually opened the file. More recently, 2nd and subsequent attempts can and do fail. Of more concern is the new warning that MS Office is downloading the necessary components. There is no visible evidence that anything happenned, however if I am not On Line, MS Office will insist that to complete the download I must re-connect to the Internet.

As the MS starter was trouble free for 18 months and should open regardless of any connection to the internet, what can I do? Am reluctant to Uninstall in case of Data loss, or being forced to buy a new version of Office. Any suggestions welcome.

• Edited by kimsoraz 1 hour 40 minutes ago