microsoft office starter - potential problem?

pavlovs_dog

my new laptop came preloaded with microsoft office starter. I'd like to upgrade to the full home and student version. I ordered what I thought was a disc preloaded with the software and received only a product key.

my concern is, were anything ever to happen to the laptop where I need to re-format it, I have no disc from which to re-install office. If I keep this product key safe, would I be able to download the package from the microsoft website and simply activate it with the product key?

(I am aware of open office and have used it happily in the past, but for ease of computability with work I want MO and am prepared to pay for it).

JasX

pavlovs_dog wrote: »

(I am aware of open office and have used it happily in the past, but for ease of computability with work I want MO and am prepared to pay for it).

computability?

OO is pretty much FULLY compatible with office if you save as the appropriate file type?

Inner_Zone

pavlovs_dog wrote: »

If I keep this product key safe, would I be able to download the package from the microsoft website and simply activate it with the product key?.

You should be able to within 90 days of the install. There should be a link in the package the product key came in.

Esqui

The product key is non-transferable but it should work on the same computer if reinstalled. I'm pretty sure Microsoft wouldn't be that evil. Oh, wait..

macman

You should be able to use any MS Office disk as long as you have a valid product key.

tomd84

If you download the trail from MS website, you can enter a product key and it will turn it to whatever version of office the key is for

pavlovs_dog

thanks to you all for taking the time to reply

JasX wrote: »

computability?

OO is pretty much FULLY compatible with office if you save as the appropriate file type?

i meant compatibility. that'll teach me to post when I'm only half awake!

I know it is possible to convert file formats with minimum fuss so that they can be used with OO or MO but it's a unnecessary faff which I almost always used to forget when I tried that approach in the past. To me, paying for the convenience is in my interests in the long term.

macman wrote: »

You should be able to use any MS Office disk as long as you have a valid product key.

therein lies the problem - I don't have any MS office disc whatsoever. Office starter was preloaded on my laptop. I know I can download a trial version of office home for free from Microsoft's website and then use the product key to upgrade the free download version. However my worry was if I ever had to wipe my laptop and re-install stuff, would my office 2010 product key still enable me to upgrade a free download if a new generation office product was out by then.

tomd84 wrote: »

If you download the trail from MS website, you can enter a product key and it will turn it to whatever version of office the key is for

this is the approach I plan to take, once I am confident that I will be able to use my 2010 product key again in future should I need to upgrade a replacement copy of office on my laptop.

(i'm not planning on having any kind of problem that would require me to have to wipe and reinstall everything on my laptop, I just want to know where I stand before I break the packaging on this product key and am therefore unable to return it).

esuhl

JasX wrote: »

OO is pretty much FULLY compatible with office if you save as the appropriate file type?

If only that were true - unfortunately OO is far from fully compatible with MS Office. If you only need basic word processing and spreadsheet functionality, you should be okay, however.