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Microsoft 365 and Office | Install, redeem, activate | For home | Windows
Processes in Microsoft 365 for setting up Office apps, redeeming product keys, and activating licenses.
There have been several similar complaints on the forum. It seems the glue is a little too good, or the ink a little too poorly bonded to the paper.
Your first effort should be to take it back to the store you bought it from for replacement of a defective product. You will probably have to ask to speak to a manager because clerks will just say the don't take "opened" software back ...
If that doesn't work, you will have to contact MS, which can be it's own set of headaches. Personally, I've gotten faster response using the online chat process, but for something like this you may have to phone in.
Twitter - Make your Pain Public, maybe then MS will fix the problem
http://www.zdnet.com/microsofts-twitter-based-tech-support-puts-apple-in-the-shade-7000016997/
Sorry, there is no good answer to that. If you, and all the others with this problem start tweeting it, making it more public, maybe then MS will finally be inspired to find the fix to the problem.
Microsoft has a number of dedicated teams that do this kind of support explicitly: @WinPhoneSupport, @XboxSupport, @MicrosoftHelps, @WindowsSupport.
Social media teams on @Office, @Surface, and @Microsoft
Online chat support: http://answerdesk.microsoftstore.com/AnswerTech
Microsoft Online Electronic Software Download (ESD) Support
http://support.microsoft.com/gp/esdentryoffice
Sorry to be part of the finger pointing merry-go-round. But there are no official published fixes from MS for your problem. We can provide generic answers. You have to pester MS for help or ask for your money back.
Many Microsoft products and product upgrades can be purchased via a retail store or online, then downloaded to your computer as an Electronic Software Download. In addition to buying your Microsoft product directly from Microsoft, you may have purchased it from another company. Please select the appropriate issue below to get assistance:
I need assistance with downloading electronic software that I purchased from an Online Retailer.
I need assistance with my PIN (27 character alpha numeric PIN) .
None of the issues above describe my issue or question.
General trouble shooting for installing Office 2013 and Office 365... http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2822317
Online chat support: http://answerdesk.microsoftstore.com/AnswerTech
Phone Support for When you have Buy Office questions - online store orders, download, or product keys
http://www7.buyoffice.microsoft.com/can/phonesupport.aspx?country_id=CA&culture=en-GB
Use the phone number if you have questions regarding online store orders, download, or product keys.
How to obtain a new product key for a Microsoft Office 2010 suite, Lost Product Key support – lost key
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/823570
You need 2 things to install Office, your unique personal 25 character “Product Key” and the generic Office installation file / disk for the matching Office bundle.
The above link describes the formal MS support available.
To summarize the article, it depends on how you bought Office:
If you have a 1-computer (online download), “PKC” (Product Key Card), “MLK” (Medialess Kit), “OEM” (factory installed and Activated) type license you cannot transfer the license to a new computer. It is only good on the first computer it is installed on and stays permanently with the computer when it is sold or scrapped.
If you have a 2-computer or 3-computer for Home and Student only (online download), “FPP” (online download), Boxed retail CD/DVD (which is usually the”FPP” type), these types of license may be transferred to new comptuers as required.
All licenses available to the general public that I am aware of may be re-installed on the same computer, even after limited upgrades like adding RAM, new HD, re-installing Windows, upgrading Windows version etc.
The link above describes where to look for Product Key numbers. If you still have a computer that Office was installed and activated on, which you have NOT re-installed or upgraded Windows let us know and we can provide links to tools that will extract the key from your HD.
If your purchase was through the Microsoft Store, You can contact them at 1-877-696-7786 or login using your credentials in the link below: http://store.microsoft.com and they may be able to provide download details.
If your purchase was through Digital River, refer the following link: https://store.digitalriver.com/DRHM/servlet/ControllerServlet?Action=DisplayContactFormPage&SiteID=msshus&Locale=en_US&Env=BASE
Replace a lost or damaged Microsoft Office 2007 or 2003 product key
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2548260 Article ID: 2548260 - Last Review: July 3, 2012 - Revision: 16.0
How to replace a damaged, invalid or lost product key for a full version
If you have followed the tips in the previous section and you still cannot unlock Office with your product key, or if you cannot find your product key, you can obtain a new one. To do this, contact Microsoft Support. Find the support telephone number for your area by running the Product Activation Wizard on your computer. For more information about how to run the Product Activation Wizard, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: How to contact a Microsoft Product Activation Center
When you contact Microsoft for a new Office product key, please have the following items available for the customer service representative:
o The product CD-ROM.
o The computer serial number on which you want to install the Office suite.
o The readable parts of your original product key (if available).