Chris Pratley offers some OneNote 2007 tips

Microsoft’s Chris Pratley, who headed up the OneNote team, has offered some good tps for beta users and those just getting in to OneNote 2007. I’ve included some of his suggestions below. You can check out his entire post here

Current beta users:

If you have decided you will keep using OneNote now that you’ve experienced the beta, and I am sure that is every single one of you, the simplest thing to do would be to go buy the full version (version 4518 in Help/About). You can uninstall the beta version and then install the final code of OneNote. All your notes will be there – no worries. I personally wouldn’t even bother with a backup, but that is me.

OneNote 2007 trial users:

If you have the trial right now, when you buy the full version just activate your trial installation in Help/Activate Product using the product key of the final version. Don’t bother to uninstall and reinstall because the code is the same.

Of course a better option than buying standalone OneNote is to get the Home and Student edition of Office 2007. For just a few dollars more than OneNote standalone you get not only OneNote but also Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 – and they rock.

I’m also hearing from people who recently got a computer that came with a trial version of OneNote 2003 installed (PC makers are still selling some machines with that installed). Obviously I suggest you not bother with that and recommend you go get the 2007 trial. Even if you have already started using the 2003 trial, just uninstall it and download the 2007 trial – it will pick up where you were, extend the expiry date, and no data will be lost.

some resources to follow ( in addition to GBM! ):

1. Dan Escapa, a program manager on the OneNote team has taken on the mantle of regular OneNote poster now that I am no longer an “insider”. Go bug him and ask him questions. He is really great at responding. In particular, go ask him to create 2007 and 2008 calendar templates for OneNote (he did the 2006 ones).

2. If you have a support question about OneNote (not working right as far as you can tell), please ask your question in the newsgroup. I am of course happy to help if I can but like any good designer I only know what the product is supposed to do. People in the newsgroups can respond quicker and also tell you what the product actually does.