[longframbri]

Hi Guys,

I purchased Office 2010 Professional back on 8 Jan 2011 and it has worked faultlessly (well almost) on my PC since then. Recently, I suffered a hard disk failure, which the Geekstogo guys (Wolfeymole & Phillpower2) helped me with enourmously, and have been re-instating what I can from the damaged hard drive onto a new hard drive. My Windows 7 re-installed OK as did most my other stuff, but when it came to the Office Prof suite I have been getting screens up on each application asking me to Activate and all atempts have failed.

When I purchased the package originally back in Jan 2011 it was from a 100% reputable dealer on Amazon and it came in a pucker properly MS sealed (Made in USA) carton and had a genuine Product Key, which back then allowed me to install and activate with no issues and as I say I have used the product since up until the drive failure this February, literally 2 years later. The online activation choice from the MS Activation Wizard screen that pops up on opening any pakage (Outlook; Excel, etc) says "This product cannot be activated because the Product Key is not valid". When I tried the phone option I got similar results and, when I spoke to a distinctly unhelpful barely English speaking individual in some sub-continent somewhere AKA MS UK Support, I was advised that my product was not genuine.

Whilst I have to accept that I may have been sold a pup back in Jan 2011, all signs are that it is/was genuine and if not why would it function without hiccup for 2 years?? I assume that this all has in some way to do with the recent hard drive failure - Is it possible that because I could not retrieve (or Uninstall)the original version fromthe damaged drive that the original disk when used again to install onto my new drive thinks that i am making an illegal copy or something like that.

Before I accept defeat and have to shell out for another copy of Office (and i'll use the MS Store this time to be sure!!) can any of you guys out there shed any light on this??

Longframbri

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I'd ring them again this time insisting on speaking to someone who speaks intelligible English.

If they still state that the key is not genuine then demand to know why.

I see no reason whatsoever why Office cannot be activated Longframbri because unlike a mainstream OS install that identifies a system hardware profile, Office does not.

Their reasoning is possibly because the key has already been used once you are nothing more than a common pirate.

[Wolfeymole]

I'd ring them again this time insisting on speaking to someone who speaks intelligible English.

If they still state that the key is not genuine then demand to know why.

I see no reason whatsoever why Office cannot be activated Longframbri because unlike a mainstream OS install that identifies a system hardware profile, Office does not.

Their reasoning is possibly because the key has already been used once you are nothing more than a common pirate.

[phillpower2]

Try activating it through the control panel, choose uninstall a program, right-click Office 2010 and then choose "Change" from the setup dialog box that comes up, it may take a while and if it does not work first time try uninstalling the software and repeating the above process, other than this I agree with Wolfey insist on speaking to a person who can both understand you and be understood by you.

[Macboatmaster]

I agree with all that has been said by my colleagues.

After you have tried the suggestions from Wolfeymole and phillpower2, it may be worthwhile seeing what this says.



https://www7.downloa...B&culture=en-GB

[longframbri]

Hi Guys,

Sorry I haven't responded previously, but have been in deepest darkest (and coldest!) Scotland for a break - driven to it by the MS Gremlins perhaps!!! Anyway, keeping it brief, I have now given up getting any sense out of the MS Helpline (a misnomer if ever there was one!)and have tried all of your valued suggestions but to no avail. Either I do have a rogue copy of Office Professional 2010 (pretty good one I guess given that I got over two years use out of it without a hiccup)or the tragic disk failure has trigger some sleeping bug that between us refuses to be fixed. So, where does that leave me - well since today is the last official day I can use the Office suites, according to the MS screen pop-up that appears every time I open any Office application, I can hold my breath and see what happens tomorrow (just like the millennium - remember that?!)or bite the bullet and purchase an allegedly "genuine" version of the latest Office 2013. On the assumption that whatever happens I have to make the purchase anyway - would greatly appreciate any comments or advice you gurus have on the latest 2013 editions. Should I go for the full version of Office Professional that will leave my wallet smouldering or could I live with the new fangled Office 365, that seems to do everything I want and allows me to have it not only on my PC but a laptop and/or the wife's iPAD giving me more portability/accessibility on the move?? Its also significantly cheaper, albeit on an annual subscription basis but would take a good few years to rack up the same cost as the full blown article.

What's your feelings guys??

Best Regards - Longframbri

[Macboatmaster]

So what please was the result of the link in my post 4



AND if you can still produce proof of purchase by any chance - to Microsoft, showing that you had every reason to believe you were buying genuine software, I would be very surprised if they did not offer SOMETHING towards whatever you do now buy.

Or give Office org a try


http://www.openoffice.org/

all free and I still use it on one computer, and with very few exceptions it will open all Microsoft office docs.

Edited by Macboatmaster, 17 March 2013 - 03:21 PM.

[AstraNut]

Have you thought about dumping M$ Office and looking into using either OpenOffice or OfficeLibre? Both free and compatible with M$' Office. You should be able to do everything with these that you do with M$ Office.

[Macboatmaster]

Indeed and as I said

Or give Office org a try

http://www.openoffice.org/

all free and I still use it on one computer, and with very few exceptions it will open all Microsoft office docs.