Is there a free program or suite that will replace Microsoft Office?
Yes- go to OpenOffice.org and download the latest version. This is a suite of programs that includes a word processor, spread sheet, and presentation program. Each of these programs can read and write the equivalent MS Office files. There is an option to save files created in Open Office in the .docx, .xlsx and .pptx. These are the latest MS Office file formats. You can also choose the earlier versions of those formats.