Hi ALL!
I have my DELL Inspiron 530s setup to do auto updates. I was bought this machine off my buddy, who isn't around anymore! I have most of the packaging, no install cd's for MS stuff. Anyhow, it did a major update a couple of days ago, including a service pack for Office 2007. I checked this option off, among the other critical updates that it was going to do ! I had NO idea that I'de be searching for the 25 product digit code !

I really don't use Office that much in the time I've had it, about 18 months ! So I can't find the cd's for '07 Office, I don't think it came with one !
I tried doing system restore it wouldn't work !
I tried using the free version of Magic JellyBEan, a key code finder, didn't work.
I have tried Emailing DELL to see if they would forward me the code, I can't even begin to type because, it says it won't support this 5 year old machine !


ANY ideas out there ?
HELP!!
Many thanks, Ted

Hi Ted,

Your problem description suggests your copy of Office had never been activated. Perhaps it was a trial version. That would explain both the fact that you were prompted for the product key and the inability of Magic JellyBean to find it. It's also consistent with you not having the installation media.

__________________
Cheers,
Paul Edstein
[Fmr MS MVP - Word]

Well if it was a "Trail" copy, then WHY the UPDATE ?
WHY update a non product coded Office ?

Hi Ted,

There is no Office version that has ever required the re-entry of the product key before applying an update to an already-registered copy. Insertion of the original installion media was sometime required for earlier versions (eg Office 2000).

I can only conclude, therefore, that your copy of office 2007 is either a trial version - for which the trial license has expired - or is an unregistered copy. In any event, if your buddy sold you the PC without the Office installation media, the implication is that he intended to keep it for himself and that you haven't had a valid Office 2007 installation.

FWIW, if you need any of the manuals for your Dell, you can download them from: http://support.dell.com/support/edoc...0/en/index.htm
And, if you did indeed have a valid Office installation, the System Restore procedures outlined at http://support.dell.com/support/edoc....htm#wp1088641 may help.

__________________
Cheers,
Paul Edstein
[Fmr MS MVP - Word]

Hi!
I went to DELL support, popped in the service code for the machine. Among the components it came with I found this :
" UN495 1 Kit, Software, MS Office Home and Student-2K7, English ".
I suspect that that is the DELL part # and description of what was installed. It says nothing about "TRIAL" !

So what I am going to probably do since I don't have the $100 to spend on Office of any version, is UNISTALL it and install Open Office !

Hi Ted,

If the suite wasn't a trial, there should be a product key for it somewhere - perhaps stuck on the PC's case. It may be that, before selling the PC to you, your buddy re-initialized it without re-activating Office. Please bear in mind that I don't have access to your PC or its history.

Other than that, the only thing I can suggest that might reinstate Office for you is either a System Restore or a System Recovery, as the the second link I gave you.

A System Restore will take the PC back to an earlier state. Choose the right restore point and it'll be restored to the state it was in before the problem update. A System Recovery will re-initialize the system via its recovery partition, including reinstalling any software the PC came with. You would probably still have to activate Office under such a scenario, though, and this requires the product key.

If you do decide to install Open Office, be aware that it is not fully compatible with Office. If you don't exchange files with MS Office users a great deal, though, this may be of little consequence.

__________________
Cheers,
Paul Edstein
[Fmr MS MVP - Word]

I looked on the case , only code is for MS Vista, he updates to Windows 7 premium. I have most of the packing no CD's. I have tried systen restore, it would restore BEFORE the morning of the update. I didn't think that I needed to establish a restore point before this update, because I didn't think I'de need a code !

There is a recovery partition on this HD. I suspect that all the CAB files are here ! This is why I suspect NO need for CD's, no 25 digit product code !!

I'm wondering when he bought and installed Windows 7 if something happened ? I can see that he did it by downloaded it, because I can see the CAB files in a folder, with a bunch of other files that make me think he bought it this way....HMmmm !!?

Thnaks for ALL your help anyhow !!!!

Hi Ted,

The Recovery partition would contain Vista (not Win 7) and, possibly, Office (it all depends on how Dell packaged the PC). So, if you ran the recovery, you'd lose Win 7 and have to reinstall it (for which you'd need a Win 7 product key). Even though Vista is on the Recovery partition, you'd need to input its product key before you could use it. Assuming Office is on the recovery partitition, you'd still need to supply the product key for that, too. The fact the Office product key is not on the case suggests to that Dell supplied Office 2007 on separate media.

Although you can see various CAB files, I suspect these are only for Win 7. The Recovery partition's files are usually inaccessible.

__________________
Cheers,
Paul Edstein
[Fmr MS MVP - Word]