I have heard a rumour that you cannot install legacy applications without going through the app store in Windows 8. So I decided to try and install Microsoft Office 2007 on my test machine. I knew that I would have to install .NET Framework 3.5 as it is a prerequisite. I decided to see if I would have any problems if I just chose to install it without installing .NET Framework 3.5. I was surprised when Windows 8 asked me if I wanted to have the Windows Installer download and install the prerequisites (that were from Microsoft) from their website. I chose yes and I got .NET Framework 3.0 along with 3.5.

The installation completed with no problems and everything works just fine. The rumor that you cannot install legacy applications is false.

Ryan Orser.