Microsoft product key??

fannyannie_2

I've had my laptop a few months now, went to use microsoft office this morning for the first time and its asking me for the product key.

Can anyone tell me where i can find it? I've looked in all my paperwork that came with the laptop but cant find it anywhere.

Thanks in advance for replies

closed

It's probably a trial version. Use openoffice, it's free.

gaming_guy

as above, its probably a trial version.

the trial only lasts 60 days or 25 startups (of an office application) before it asks you for a licence key

juliescot

You will have to part company with some money and then you will get a key.

There are other free alternatives

Insomnica

Did you buy Office along with the laptop?
Because Microsoft are beginning to be very naughty and bundling their software on these machines, as a 'trial'.

If you did, the key will either be in the plastic wallet/bag with the laptop warrenty, contact details and repair disks that you get to reinstall the OS.
Check around in there. If you bought it, the key will probably be on the CD wallets or in a packet.

But I do recommend using Sun Microsystem's OpenOffice.
Works free, flawlessly and fast.

John_Gray

Insomnica wrote: »

I do recommend using Sun Microsystem's OpenOffice. Works free, flawlessly and fast.

"Flawlessly" - interesting. Then it's the only piece of software ever written that this can be said about... :rotfl:

[Deleted User]

Insomnica wrote: »

Because Microsoft are beginning to be very naughty and bundling their software on these machines, as a 'trial'.

I'm struggling to see how Microsoft are responsible for how the OEM choses to preinstall software on the machine?

But I do recommend using Sun Microsystem's OpenOffice.
Works free, flawlessly and fast.

You're right, it works. Flawlessly and fast are two words that not even the developers would even dare to use in describing it though.

pendulum

I remember using one of the first versions of open-sourced AbiWord many years ago now, which was recommended to me as a free alternative to MS Word. That run flawlessly too... until the day it failed me catastrophically. I was writing the appendix to my A-Level assignment the night before hand-in and created some tables and inserted some pictures (jpg's or gif's of graphs) into the tables. I saved it and copied the file to my backup location (a separate hard drive, and in the process overwriting the last backup I made) as I always did after working on the file.

Next morning, I go to open it to print... AbiWord crashes when trying to open it. I try the identical backup... same problem. Every time it comes up with an error and closes down. In testing, it was easy to replicate the problem, AbiWord was prone to crashing when trying to open a file that contained tables with pictures inside the cells.

I had to get a deadline extension, but I also lost 10% or so of the mark because I handed the assignment in late. That put me off open source for life. I tried OpenOffice but didn't feel like I could trust it.

Sorry for the rant, it just brought back memories.

As for the original question, it sounds like a trial version to me too. Laptops don't usually come free with Microsoft Office, you have to pay extra for it. But sometimes they come with a trial version, and the trial version will work for so long before inviting you to enter a serial number (which you have to buy).

fannyannie_2

Its probably a trial version then, i assumed that every computer had microsoft office free Dont know why i thought that but then i'm not very technical!

Thanks for the advice, will look into tonight when i have a bit more time. I need something because i have lots of essays and stuff to right and i need spellcheck especially :rolleyes:

juliescot

fannyannie wrote: »

Its probably a trial version then, i assumed that every computer had microsoft office free Dont know why i thought that but then i'm not very technical!

Thanks for the advice, will look into tonight when i have a bit more time. I need something because i have lots of essays and stuff to right and i need spellcheck especially :rolleyes:

Open Office will probably be fine for you then.
Just make sure you save your documents in a generally accepted file format like.doc or .rtf

Reggie_Rebel

If you've got a dustbin in school you can get MS office for not much from software4students