Needs Pictures Needs Pictures:  0
Picture(s) thanks Picture(s) thanks:  0
Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 15 of 19
  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jul 2004
    Location
    Adelaide
    Age
    76
    Posts
    768

    Default MS Office problem

    I have had my laptop for about 18 months, running windows 10 bundled with office 2016.
    When opening Word, or Excel a message now comes up saying office is unregistered and only 1 day left to register.
    My understanding that when I bought the laptop from Lenovo the loaded programs were legit.

    Not sure what to do now as I don't have a registration key, and not sure how to go about it.
    Surely Microsoft would not allow an unregistered version to go on for about 18 months before saying something.
    Has anyone had this problem, or know how to fix it ?

    Regards
    Keith

  2. # ADS
    Google Adsense Advertisement
    Join Date
    Always
    Location
    Advertising world
    Age
    2010
    Posts
    Many





     
  3. #2
    Join Date
    Nov 2018
    Location
    Newcastle
    Posts
    1,014

    Default

    give microsoft a call (if you click the activation link you should find a phone option). They've always been pretty good at sorting out activation issues when I've spoken directly to them

  4. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2019
    Location
    Kingston TAS
    Posts
    42

    Default

    This happened to my with a "cheaper" deal on a laptop found out later that the version was a limited time licence and I was required to purchase a new licence to continue, if that the case shop around there are a number of online stores that sell licence keys (Legally) for a fraction of the price from other places - I think I paid $48 for mine,

  5. #4
    Join Date
    May 2012
    Location
    Woodstock (Cowra)
    Age
    74
    Posts
    3,372

    Default

    Libre office, free to down load and will read all MS office products as well as save them in MS format as well, substantially less drain on your computer as well
    The person who never made a mistake never made anything

    Cheers
    Ray

  6. #5
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Location
    Sydney
    Posts
    749

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by rwbuild View Post
    Libre office, free to down load and will read all MS office products as well as save them in MS format as well, substantially less drain on your computer as well
    First - have you changed your Win10 login? The activation key will be locked to the MicroSloth account that you used when you first logged into the machine & used Office. If you have changed this MS account, try logging back in with the original.

    If that's not the issue, try & get the key - it should have been stored in your MS account (the one you used when you set up the laptop) when you first used Office.

    1. Sign in to your Microsoft Office Account page.
    https://account.microsoft.com/

    2. Select Services & subscriptions

    3. Click "View product key & install" on bottom right.

    4. Click te little button in middle of bottom of screen (should be a few alphanumeric characters before it) That should copy the key to clipboard

    5. Paste the key into Notepad & save it. Make a backup on a USB or some such!

    Activate your software.


    If that does not work see this MS article
    Office repeatedly prompts you to activate on a new PC - Microsoft Office



    If no go above, check with MicroSloth support - its likely they will provide an activation for you.
    Go here & click support at bottom of page - usually the chat support works better than trying a phone call
    Microsoft Office help and training - Office Support

    LibreOffice can be a good choice for some. But its not 100% compatible with MS Office.

    However, if you want to maintain full compatibility with MS Office, you are not a "power" user, you have an Internet connection and you want MS Office free then you can use the browser-based version of the latest Microsoft Office - "Office Online" It works well & is getting more feature-rich rapidly.

    If you have a tablet (Apple or Android) then you can use the free "Office Mobile" suite. Similar to the above, it is cut down but if you don't need all the fancy features it works well.

    If you are employed, your employer may have a Microsoft Home Use Program license - means you can install a fully registered MS Office suite on a private PC.

    If you are a student or faculty at an educational institution you are likely eligible for a free version of MS Office.

  7. #6
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    SE Melb
    Age
    64
    Posts
    1,277

    Default

    Its likely that you have lost your licence. If you can't retrieve it as outlined above. I am afraid you might have to buy a new one.
    I bought mine from Amazon. Last time I paid $5 for it. They frequently have specials from different suppliers. It's currently selling for $40. Try this link: Amazon.com.au: Buying Choices: Office 2019 Professional Plus for 1 PC

  8. #7
    Join Date
    Jul 2004
    Location
    Adelaide
    Age
    76
    Posts
    768

    Default

    I gave Microsoft a call today, but the gent with an accent from a southern continent where cricket is enjoyed, was useless.
    His suggestion was to contact the supplier from where I purchased the laptop, which is Lenovo (in Hong Kong if I remember correctly.)

    I purchased the laptop in September 2018 with Office bundled, it was set up for me by a relative who I cannot contact at the moment.
    I will see what happens as time goes by, as office is still working, only I get the warning message when opening Word of Excel.

    I guess that the worst solution is to purchase a new edition of Office 2019. Or alternately try Libre Office.

    Many thanks to all who have taken the time to reply to my problem. This is what our Forum is all about.

    Regards
    Keith

  9. #8
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Location
    Sydney
    Posts
    749

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by justonething View Post
    Its likely that you have lost your licence. If you can't retrieve it as outlined above. I am afraid you might have to buy a new one.
    I bought mine from Amazon. Last time I paid $5 for it. They frequently have specials from different suppliers. It's currently selling for $40. Try this link: Amazon.com.au: Buying Choices: Office 2019 Professional Plus for 1 PC
    Sorry REALLY bad idea.
    With the exception of Product Key Cards (PKC’s) distributed with COA’s, Microsoft does not distribute products keys as standalone products. If you see a listing on an auction site, online classified ad, or other online page advertising product keys for sale, it’s a good indication that the keys are likely stolen, counterfeit or distributed from an enterprise or other volume license program. If you were to purchase and use such a key to activate Office, the key may not work for activation, may already be in use on another PC, or it might be blocked from use later by Microsoft when the key is detected as being in violation of MS licensing .

    Here is another option. For $89 get Office 365 Home subscription. It includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, Publisher, Access & 1TB Onedrive storage for PC for 1 year. However you can install/activate it on up to 5 of your computers AND invite up to another 5 users that can also install it on up to 5 of their devices = 30 max activation's - so $3/year per device, or $15/yr er person. So everybody in your family could have it.

  10. #9
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Location
    Sydney
    Posts
    749

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by KeithP View Post
    I gave Microsoft a call today, but the gent with an accent from a southern continent where cricket is enjoyed, was useless.
    His suggestion was to contact the supplier from where I purchased the laptop, which is Lenovo (in Hong Kong if I remember correctly.)

    I purchased the laptop in September 2018 with Office bundled, it was set up for me by a relative who I cannot contact at the moment.
    I will see what happens as time goes by, as office is still working, only I get the warning message when opening Word of Excel.

    I guess that the worst solution is to purchase a new edition of Office 2019. Or alternately try Libre Office.

    Many thanks to all who have taken the time to reply to my problem. This is what our Forum is all about.

    Regards
    Keith
    OK - sounds like the license is stuck in an activation loop, and not actually expired - that is not uncommon for Lenovo!

    Here is the official MS instructions for fixing that:
    Office repeatedly prompts you to activate on a new PC - Microsoft Office

    If that doesn't work, try this:

    Navigate to C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office16
    Check that this exists and contains a file called OSPP.VBS


    If it does not exist, check C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\Office16


    Close all office programs.


    1. Start command prompt as administrator and run:


    cscript "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office16\OSPP.VBS" /dstatus
    (or use the x86 file path from above if that was what you found)


    2. If you see more than one license listed, one which says "LICENSE STATUS: ---NOTIFICATIONS---", take note of the last five characters of the license key for that one.


    3. Again run following from an admin prompt (xxxxx are the five characters of the license key you noted above):


    cscript "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office16\OSPP.VBS" /unpkey:xxxxx


    4. Reboot the machine.
    5. Start Office - no activation prompt problems. YAY!

  11. #10
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    SE Melb
    Age
    64
    Posts
    1,277

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by RossM View Post
    Sorry REALLY bad idea.
    With the exception of Product Key Cards (PKC’s) distributed with COA’s, Microsoft does not distribute products keys as standalone products. If you see a listing on an auction site, online classified ad, or other online page advertising product keys for sale, it’s a good indication that the keys are likely stolen, counterfeit or distributed from an enterprise or other volume license program. If you were to purchase and use such a key to activate Office, the key may not work for activation, may already be in use on another PC, or it might be blocked from use later by Microsoft when the key is detected as being in violation of MS licensing .

    Here is another option. For $89 get Office 365 Home subscription. It includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, Publisher, Access & 1TB Onedrive storage for PC for 1 year. However you can install/activate it on up to 5 of your computers AND invite up to another 5 users that can also install it on up to 5 of their devices = 30 max activation's - so $3/year per device, or $15/yr er person. So everybody in your family could have it.

    It looks like you are right. I bought it from this storefront. It's now gone and people have started complaining, unfortunately after I parted with my money.

  12. #11
    Join Date
    Jul 2004
    Location
    Adelaide
    Age
    76
    Posts
    768

    Default

    Thank you RossM,
    I will give your recommendations a try.

    Regards
    Keith

  13. #12
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Location
    Helensburgh
    Posts
    7,696

    Default

    I bought my access code for $35 USD with no issues at all from a retailer in the US. I would never buy this from EBAY or similar and I never buy storage that way.
    CHRIS

  14. #13
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Location
    Helensburgh
    Posts
    7,696

    Default

    I bought it from here Access Denied for $21USD. The AUD is down and the price seems to have gone up, page down a fair bit to see the available prices.

    PS. I have no idea why the link says access denied, I did not have any problems using it and my computer did not melt down.
    CHRIS

  15. #14
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Location
    Sydney
    Posts
    749

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Chris Parks View Post
    I bought my access code for $35 USD with no issues at all from a retailer in the US. I would never buy this from EBAY or similar and I never buy storage that way.
    Sorry Chris, but this is just plain bad advice.
    While you may not have any problems, the bottom line here is that MicroSloth do NOT have any legitimate products for sale in the retail channel that are fulfilled by buying an activation code.
    You have been provided a code from something like an OEM, enterprise agreement, academic program, a partner rights use agreement or a TechNet subscription, or similar. In all cases the seller had no rights to on-sell such an activation code and the code you are using does not confer any legitimate use right for you. You may be lucky & this flies under the MS radar, or you may find that the activation is revoked unexpectedly. While you may say that for fifty-odd pacific pesos its a gamble worth taking, you do run the (slight) risk of having a copyright action brought against you (it does happen & individuals have been prosecuted in Australia), apart from the inconvenience of having to re-acquire another activation.
    Your link in the post below is to G2A - this is a well known site for reselling pirated software & keys or keys obtained using illegal means. Please don't advise people to use them. (You can check the problems folk have with them on many gamer forums, reddit, quora etc). And there are many similar sales site on the web. caveat emptor.

  16. #15
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Location
    Helensburgh
    Posts
    7,696

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by RossM View Post
    Sorry Chris, but this is just plain bad advice.
    While you may not have any problems, the bottom line here is that MicroSloth do NOT have any legitimate products for sale in the retail channel that are fulfilled by buying an activation code.
    You have been provided a code from something like an OEM, enterprise agreement, academic program, a partner rights use agreement or a TechNet subscription, or similar. In all cases the seller had no rights to on-sell such an activation code and the code you are using does not confer any legitimate use right for you. You may be lucky & this flies under the MS radar, or you may find that the activation is revoked unexpectedly. While you may say that for fifty-odd pacific pesos its a gamble worth taking, you do run the (slight) risk of having a copyright action brought against you (it does happen & individuals have been prosecuted in Australia), apart from the inconvenience of having to re-acquire another activation.
    Your link in the post below is to G2A - this is a well known site for reselling pirated software & keys or keys obtained using illegal means. Please don't advise people to use them. (You can check the problems folk have with them on many gamer forums, reddit, quora etc). And there are many similar sales site on the web. caveat emptor.
    I am unaware that it is not a Bona Fide activation key and would appreciate any proof that it is. Certainly MS have not given me any indication that it is. If it was not a good key the monetary loss is not a problem but I in good faith bought it and saw no reason not to pass the information on. To say I knowingly gave bad advise is not the case and not something I would do.
    CHRIS

Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast

Similar Threads

  1. At the Vet's Office
    By Rodgera in forum WOODIES JOKES
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: 8th January 2011, 04:18 PM
  2. Office -unhappy face -Office?
    By CV3 in forum FORUMS INFO, HELP, DISCUSSION & FEEDBACK
    Replies: 3
    Last Post: 7th June 2010, 10:23 AM
  3. Microsoft Office Outlook 2003 problem
    By Allan at Wallan in forum COMPUTERS
    Replies: 3
    Last Post: 16th August 2009, 10:57 AM
  4. Bad day at the office
    By Grizz in forum WOODTURNING - GENERAL
    Replies: 4
    Last Post: 10th March 2005, 02:15 AM
  5. War Office
    By LineLefty in forum NOTHING AT ALL TO DO WITH WOODWORK
    Replies: 6
    Last Post: 18th June 2004, 06:05 PM

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •