[Aladar]

Hi everyone,
Sorry if this is the wrong forum, but...
I recently purchased a brand new copy of Microsoft Office Professional 2010 (I checked it is genuine using the Microsoft website; it has the Certificate of Authenticity and the copper pattern on the disc and all that). I already have the activation Office app installed on my laptop, but when I tried to enter the product key from the DVD case it tells me the product key is invalid.
So I tried using the installation DVD, and it worked. However, a new problem arose: the installation wizard was for Microsoft Office Professional Plus, not Professional. The installation completed, and I opened Word. I tried to activate the software, but it told me my product key was invalid.
I tried to activate by phone, and the representative told me the product key had been blocked or “subscribed”. Why did this happen, and what can I do?
Thanks, Aladar
PS I cannot return the software as I bought it from a private seller who didn’t need it.

[AgentF]

Was the software package factory sealed? If not, it sounds like the seller sold a product that had been previously activated by someone else. I find it odd that the disk was Office Professional and the installation wizard was Office Professional Plus. I would talk with the Microsoft representative and see what they suggest. Assuming they'll say you'll need to buy a new one, I'd talk with this seller and still try to get a refund because you didn't receive what you paid for. If you bought it through a service like Amazon, contact them and they'll assist you in getting a refund, or at least give the seller a terrible rating. Buying software from a private seller that isn't mediated by a respectable service like Amazon is risky because it could be pirated. Buying software at all that's anyway considered used is risky because it could have been previously activated.

[Aladar]

AgentF, on 14 March 2011 - 10:32 AM, said:

Was the software package factory sealed? If not, it sounds like the seller sold a product that had been previously activated by someone else. I find it odd that the disk was Office Professional and the installation wizard was Office Professional Plus. I would talk with the Microsoft representative and see what they suggest. Assuming they'll say you'll need to buy a new one, I'd talk with this seller and still try to get a refund because you didn't receive what you paid for. If you bought it through a service like Amazon, contact them and they'll assist you in getting a refund, or at least give the seller a terrible rating. Buying software from a private seller that isn't mediated by a respectable service like Amazon is risky because it could be pirated. Buying software at all that's anyway considered used is risky because it could have been previously activated.

Oh yes, absolutely sealed, absolutely genuine. I have a thought that maybe he knew the serial was blocked? I asked him (the seller), and now he requests that I send him my unusable serial # to him in exchange for one that "works", as he says. He sent me the new serial already, but i haven't tried it.

Can he access my IP/personal info through a past serial number? Or can you guess at why he needs it anyways?

I talked to a Microsoft assistant and they said there was nothing they could do as the Professional Plus software was for "developers" only and the guy shouldn't have been selling it anyways.

I found the guy through Craigslist; he seems to be doing a lot of this business as he posted more copies like this...

[LiveBrianD]

Find the COA on the package. On some (at least my retail office 2007 package), there's the COA on the top of the box, and inside there's a orange label with the license. Hold the COA up to a bright light. There should be a interwoven thread that's exposed in some parts of it, and if it's lit up, you'll see a straight line through the whole thing, not just where it's exposed normally. If it doesn't, chances are that it's fraud.

If you had Pro Plus already installed (perhaps an included trial) and you gave it a Pro key, it should still work (though I haven't tried it). Chances are that it simply won't install the other elements (that Pro Plus has but Pro doesn't). If it's legit though, you should have the right disc for your key.

May I ask what site you got it from? If it's an ebay seller, check their feedback and perhaps file a complaint. If it's a different website, try mywot.com and look up their rating. Also, how much did it cost? The disc version is $500 retail (and I see it selling for $400 on amazon) and the product key card is $349 retail (selling for $310 on amazon). Take a look there: http://www.amazon.co...ssional&x=0&y=0

Man, it's too bad that Microsoft discontinued their OGA (office genuine advantage) program, since at least it could check if a key is genuine or not.

One last thought. Try searching the key on google, and see if anything comes up. If it's genuine, you shouldn't get anything. If it's pirated, you'll probably get lots of results. Note: if it was created with a keygen (key maker), you won't find anything because those keys are unique, unlike others that keep getting used (and are likely blacklisted).


Edit: OK, I see your updated post. Chances are that he's just using a keygen and he just created another key.

Quote

Oh yes, absolutely sealed, absolutely genuine. I have a thought that maybe he knew the serial was blocked? I asked him (the seller), and now he requests that I send him my unusable serial # to him in exchange for one that "works", as he says. He sent me the new serial already, but i haven't tried it.

And no, he can't get any info from a serial number.


I think Pro Plus is for businesses only (and technet subscriptions), as it's only available in volume licensing. For instance, at my school they have it.

This post has been edited by LiveBrianD: 14 March 2011 - 11:52 AM

[Aladar]

LiveBrianD, on 14 March 2011 - 11:29 AM, said:

Find the COA on the package. On some (at least my retail office 2007 package), there's the COA on the top of the box, and inside there's a orange label with the license. Hold the COA up to a bright light. There should be a interwoven thread that's exposed in some parts of it, and if it's lit up, you'll see a straight line through the whole thing, not just where it's exposed normally. If it doesn't, chances are that it's fraud.

If you had Pro Plus already installed (perhaps an included trial) and you gave it a Pro key, it should still work (though I haven't tried it). Chances are that it simply won't install the other elements (that Pro Plus has but Pro doesn't). If it's legit though, you should have the right disc for your key.

May I ask what site you got it from? If it's an ebay seller, check their feedback and perhaps file a complaint. If it's a different website, try mywot.com and look up their rating. Also, how much did it cost? The disc version is $500 retail (and I see it selling for $400 on amazon) and the product key card is $349 retail (selling for $310 on amazon). Take a look there: http://www.amazon.co...ssional&x=0&y=0

Man, it's too bad that Microsoft discontinued their OGA (office genuine advantage) program, since at least it could check if a key is genuine or not.

One last thought. Try searching the key on google, and see if anything comes up. If it's genuine, you shouldn't get anything. If it's pirated, you'll probably get lots of results. Note: if it was created with a keygen (key maker), you won't find anything because those keys are unique, unlike others that keep getting used (and are likely blacklisted).


Edit: OK, I see your updated post. Chances are that he's just using a keygen and he just created another key.

Quote

Oh yes, absolutely sealed, absolutely genuine. I have a thought that maybe he knew the serial was blocked? I asked him (the seller), and now he requests that I send him my unusable serial # to him in exchange for one that "works", as he says. He sent me the new serial already, but i haven't tried it.

So why does he need my old key? This baffles me... And thanks, but is there anything I can do?

[LiveBrianD]

Aladar, on 14 March 2011 - 11:43 AM, said:

So why does he need my old key? This baffles me... And thanks, but is there anything I can do?

Why he needs it is beyond me. What I would do is file a complaint with craigslist about the seller. I hear that they aren't as tight about things as ebay though. You might also want to ask for a refund and, if he refuses, dispute the charge with your credit card company. Also, just of curiosity, how much did it cost? Remember how much I said it costs legitimally (retail and amazon).

[compnovo]

LiveBrian is absolutely correct about the "Pro Plus" version --- somebody has taken the software from a volume shipment and is selling it individually. That's why you can't get it to activate. If you can't get your money back you're probably out of luck.

[Aladar]

LiveBrianD, on 14 March 2011 - 11:54 AM, said:

Aladar, on 14 March 2011 - 11:43 AM, said:

So why does he need my old key? This baffles me... And thanks, but is there anything I can do?

Why he needs it is beyond me. What I would do is file a complaint with craigslist about the seller. I hear that they aren't as tight about things as ebay though. You might also want to ask for a refund and, if he refuses, dispute the charge with your credit card company. Also, just of curiosity, how much did it cost? Remember how much I said it costs legitimally (retail and amazon).

I bought it with cash for $150 since it looked legitimate since it was a sealed package and I believe Office's security measures would be hard to fraud. However, I have one theory: it was a legit copy, but somehow he knew the code would not work and if I give him my old code he can access my IP adress? I don't know...

[LiveBrianD]

Aladar, on 14 March 2011 - 12:26 PM, said:

LiveBrianD, on 14 March 2011 - 11:54 AM, said:

Aladar, on 14 March 2011 - 11:43 AM, said:

So why does he need my old key? This baffles me... And thanks, but is there anything I can do?

Why he needs it is beyond me. What I would do is file a complaint with craigslist about the seller. I hear that they aren't as tight about things as ebay though. You might also want to ask for a refund and, if he refuses, dispute the charge with your credit card company. Also, just of curiosity, how much did it cost? Remember how much I said it costs legitimally (retail and amazon).

I bought it with cash for $150 since it looked legitimate since it was a sealed package and I believe Office's security measures would be hard to fraud. However, I have one theory: it was a legit copy, but somehow he knew the code would not work and if I give him my old code he can access my IP adress? I don't know...

$150? That's less than 1/2 of what you can get it for legit. That seems a bit fishy. As for knowing your IP, why are you so concerned? Whenever you send an email, the person you send it to can, if they know how, get your IP address. Heck, when you post here, the moderators can see what your IP is (not that they'd care). I think you should just get a refund and go buy a legit copy elsewhere. Amazon has moderate discounts sometimes (ex. $500 retail, $400 there).

[Aladar]

LiveBrianD, on 14 March 2011 - 12:46 PM, said:

Aladar, on 14 March 2011 - 12:26 PM, said:

LiveBrianD, on 14 March 2011 - 11:54 AM, said:

Aladar, on 14 March 2011 - 11:43 AM, said:

So why does he need my old key? This baffles me... And thanks, but is there anything I can do?

Why he needs it is beyond me. What I would do is file a complaint with craigslist about the seller. I hear that they aren't as tight about things as ebay though. You might also want to ask for a refund and, if he refuses, dispute the charge with your credit card company. Also, just of curiosity, how much did it cost? Remember how much I said it costs legitimally (retail and amazon).

I bought it with cash for $150 since it looked legitimate since it was a sealed package and I believe Office's security measures would be hard to fraud. However, I have one theory: it was a legit copy, but somehow he knew the code would not work and if I give him my old code he can access my IP adress? I don't know...

$150? That's less than 1/2 of what you can get it for legit. That seems a bit fishy. As for knowing your IP, why are you so concerned? Whenever you send an email, the person you send it to can, if they know how, get your IP address. Heck, when you post here, the moderators can see what your IP is (not that they'd care). I think you should just get a refund and go buy a legit copy elsewhere. Amazon has moderate discounts sometimes (ex. $500 retail, $400 there).

Oh, I just thought the guy could access my personal info through my IP address... that was my theory for why he needed the serial number.

Wait, what if, say, he ordered 500 Pro Plus copies from Microsoft, started selling them individually, and Microsoft found out and blocked them? Then when he sold me one Microsoft already blocked all 500 product keys, so he gets a keygen to make a new code?

Oh well. So just try to get a refund, right? What happens after if he refuses?

[LiveBrianD]

Aladar, on 14 March 2011 - 01:43 PM, said:

Oh, I just thought the guy could access my personal info through my IP address... that was my theory for why he needed the serial number.

Wait, what if, say, he ordered 500 Pro Plus copies from Microsoft, started selling them individually, and Microsoft found out and blocked them? Then when he sold me one Microsoft already blocked all 500 product keys, so he gets a keygen to make a new code?

Oh well. So just try to get a refund, right? What happens after if he refuses?

Nahh, he can't get your personal info from the IP. The best he can do is figure out what your ISP is and what approx area you're in, but tons of people have the same ISP and he already knows your area because he shipped you the product. For instance, when I look up my own IP, all I can find is that my ISP is AT&T and that I'm somewhere around San Francisco, CA (that's the city it reports). I'm actually in a small town in that metropolitan area. I can't find the address or name of the person under that IP.

If a guy wanted to sell pirated software, he'd probably use a "torrent" site and burn tons of discs of it. How could he order the Pro Plus copies from Microsoft? Only businesses (IT departments) can get them. Since it's volume licensing, the same key is used to activate multiple computers (that's the only case where one key activates several). Perhaps he just wants to look legit by asking for the old license key, as if he's using a keygen he really doesn't need one.

Anyway, this is very suspicious. If you can't get a refund, threaten to leave him bad feedback (if Craigslist allows that, as I haven't used it before), and if he still won't give you a refund, dispute the charge with your credit card company.

[Aladar]

LiveBrianD, on 14 March 2011 - 02:06 PM, said:

Aladar, on 14 March 2011 - 01:43 PM, said:

Oh, I just thought the guy could access my personal info through my IP address... that was my theory for why he needed the serial number.

Wait, what if, say, he ordered 500 Pro Plus copies from Microsoft, started selling them individually, and Microsoft found out and blocked them? Then when he sold me one Microsoft already blocked all 500 product keys, so he gets a keygen to make a new code?

Oh well. So just try to get a refund, right? What happens after if he refuses?

Nahh, he can't get your personal info from the IP. The best he can do is figure out what your ISP is and what approx area you're in, but tons of people have the same ISP and he already knows your area because he shipped you the product. For instance, when I look up my own IP, all I can find is that my ISP is AT&T and that I'm somewhere around San Francisco, CA (that's the city it reports). I'm actually in a small town in that metropolitan area. I can't find the address or name of the person under that IP.

If a guy wanted to sell pirated software, he'd probably use a "torrent" site and burn tons of discs of it. How could he order the Pro Plus copies from Microsoft? Only businesses (IT departments) can get them. Since it's volume licensing, the same key is used to activate multiple computers (that's the only case where one key activates several). Perhaps he just wants to look legit by asking for the old license key, as if he's using a keygen he really doesn't need one.

Anyway, this is very suspicious. If you can't get a refund, threaten to leave him bad feedback (if Craigslist allows that, as I haven't used it before), and if he still won't give you a refund, dispute the charge with your credit card company.

I bought it with cash; does the credit card company accept disputes? And craigslist doesn't have "feedback" things.

Also, this still doesn't make sense: how does a software labelled "Professional" turn out to be Pro Plus in the installation wizard?

[LiveBrianD]

Aladar, on 14 March 2011 - 02:40 PM, said:

I bought it with cash; does the credit card company accept disputes? And craigslist doesn't have "feedback" things.

Also, this still doesn't make sense: how does a software labelled "Professional" turn out to be Pro Plus in the installation wizard?

Pro and Pro Plus aren't quite the same thing. Is it a retail box? It should look like this:



Also, as I said, try holding the COA up to the light.


Does that strip appear as one whole line when held up to the light? (it's an animated image, wait for a moment and it'll show exactly what I'm talking about)

This post has been edited by LiveBrianD: 14 March 2011 - 03:34 PM

[Aladar]

LiveBrianD, on 14 March 2011 - 03:33 PM, said:

Aladar, on 14 March 2011 - 02:40 PM, said:

I bought it with cash; does the credit card company accept disputes? And craigslist doesn't have "feedback" things.

Also, this still doesn't make sense: how does a software labelled "Professional" turn out to be Pro Plus in the installation wizard?

Pro and Pro Plus aren't quite the same thing. Is it a retail box? It should look like this:



Also, as I said, try holding the COA up to the light.


Does that strip appear as one whole line when held up to the light? (it's an animated image, wait for a moment and it'll show exactly what I'm talking about)

What do you mean? Do you mean the two silver and red things connect with a shadow in between? When I slightly rip out the COA the metallic material is seemingly "embedded" between the two layers of the sticker (in the middle). And yes, I have the exact same retail box.

[LiveBrianD]

Aladar, on 14 March 2011 - 04:03 PM, said:

LiveBrianD, on 14 March 2011 - 03:33 PM, said:

Aladar, on 14 March 2011 - 02:40 PM, said:

I bought it with cash; does the credit card company accept disputes? And craigslist doesn't have "feedback" things.

Also, this still doesn't make sense: how does a software labelled "Professional" turn out to be Pro Plus in the installation wizard?

Pro and Pro Plus aren't quite the same thing. Is it a retail box? It should look like this:



Also, as I said, try holding the COA up to the light.


Does that strip appear as one whole line when held up to the light? (it's an animated image, wait for a moment and it'll show exactly what I'm talking about)

What do you mean? Do you mean the two silver and red things connect with a shadow in between? When I slightly rip out the COA the metallic material is seemingly "embedded" between the two layers of the sticker (in the middle). And yes, I have the exact same retail box.

So when you hold the COA in front of the light that appears as one, right? Yes, I mean the silver and red.

I had one last thought. Go here (http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/try/) and get the Office Pro trial. Install it and try to activate with your license key. Tell me if it works.

I do find this extremely odd though... seems perfectly genuine, yet doesn't activate and the disc has a different version than the license key included.

[Aladar]

LiveBrianD, on 14 March 2011 - 05:20 PM, said:

Aladar, on 14 March 2011 - 04:03 PM, said:

LiveBrianD, on 14 March 2011 - 03:33 PM, said:

Aladar, on 14 March 2011 - 02:40 PM, said:

I bought it with cash; does the credit card company accept disputes? And craigslist doesn't have "feedback" things.

Also, this still doesn't make sense: how does a software labelled "Professional" turn out to be Pro Plus in the installation wizard?

Pro and Pro Plus aren't quite the same thing. Is it a retail box? It should look like this:



Also, as I said, try holding the COA up to the light.


Does that strip appear as one whole line when held up to the light? (it's an animated image, wait for a moment and it'll show exactly what I'm talking about)

What do you mean? Do you mean the two silver and red things connect with a shadow in between? When I slightly rip out the COA the metallic material is seemingly "embedded" between the two layers of the sticker (in the middle). And yes, I have the exact same retail box.

So when you hold the COA in front of the light that appears as one, right? Yes, I mean the silver and red.

I had one last thought. Go here (http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/try/) and get the Office Pro trial. Install it and try to activate with your license key. Tell me if it works.

I do find this extremely odd though... seems perfectly genuine, yet doesn't activate and the disc has a different version than the license key included.

The program dubbed "Microsoft Office" on my new computer (the one where you enter a serial number to "unlock" the Office Suite) doesn't accept the product key: in other words, its the software that netbook users download from office.com/downloadoffice and insert the serial number. I'll try your advice though, and let you know, thanks!

[LiveBrianD]

Perhaps the included version is a trial of Home and Student. On a laptop that a family member bought last year, Office 2007 Home and Student was preinstalled, and since I had a home and student copy (2007, retail), I used the included license key to activate it and had no problems. It might not have worked if my retail copy was perhaps Professional.

[Aladar]

LiveBrianD, on 14 March 2011 - 06:09 PM, said:

Perhaps the included version is a trial of Home and Student. On a laptop that a family member bought last year, Office 2007 Home and Student was preinstalled, and since I had a home and student copy (2007, retail), I used the included license key to activate it and had no problems. It might not have worked if my retail copy was perhaps Professional.

No, my preinstalled version of Office is Office Starter 2010; it's not a trial.

[Aladar]

So where and when do you enter the product key in the trial version of Office Pro, LiveBrian? I mean the key I purchased, of course.

[Aladar]

Okay, this is not good. I downloaded the demo and tried to enter my purchased key, but it still says it's invalid.