Office 2010 Volume License Activation

I am asking this here because it pertains to server 2012 R2 standard. We are education and have volume keys for office 2010, both kms and mak. So we don't have to go to each and every pc and enter the mak key, we want to use the kms key. I installed
the volume management role of the server. However, when walking through the configuration, it assumes you are using a kms key for server. We have a mak key for the server and want to activate office 2010 using kms key that was provided when we bought
the application.
Here is the error we get when opening office 2012:
This copy of Microsoft Office is designed for corporate or institutional customers.
Connect your computer to your corporate network to complete activation. Your system administrator can help. Problem is, I took over this computer when my brother died in Deceember of 2011. He did not work for a corporation but may have had his own small business. Help - how can I activate but not Professional Plus. And unfortunately, I have absolutely no paperwork. The girlfriend took the box that had all important papers.
I also tried the VAMT, this results in cannot connect to WMI service. How can we activate office 2010 with our kms key on our 2010 server? 

Hi Forgiven,
If you want to activate office with the KMS method, first we need to
setup Microsoft Office 2010 KMS Host on Windows Server 2012 R2.
To install Office KMS Host License Pack on Windows Server, then enter KMS host key.
However, to install Office 2010 KMS Host License Pack on Windows Server 2012R2, a similar discussion is for your reference:
Microsoft Office 2010 KMS Host License Pack on Windows Server 2012R2:
http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/dcf846ef-cab4-432a-a473-c34af3597c08/microsoft-office-2010-kms-host-license-pack-on-windows-server-2012r2?forum=officeitproprevious
To activate office with KMS, please follow this article:
Plan KMS activation of Office 2010:
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff603508(v=office.14).aspx
In addition, for the activation of office, I also recommend you can post in office forum for more effective support:
http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/home?forum=officesetupdeployprevious
Thanks for your understanding.

Similar Messages

  • Office 2013 Volume License Activation question

    Hello,
    we have software assurance, so MAK and KMS are available for O2013.
    I cannot use KMS server (there are reasons for now). So I have to use MAK. I know that it is possible later on to convert MAK to KMS.
    I found topic about ADBA. But missing few points from the description after my 2 questions.
    1. Can I use KMS key for use with Volume Activation Tool without actually having KMS installed?
    2.  at the end it says just 180 days activation. What will happen then?
    From:
    http://searchenterprisedesktop.techtarget.com/tip/Using-Active-Directory-activation-and-other-new-Office-2013-tools
    -------Prior to Office 2013, IT had to rely on Multiple Activation Key (MAK) or Key Management Service (KMS) activation. These processes were generally more complex than ADBA. Little has changed with either MAK or KMS in Office 2013. With ADBA, however,
    IT can easily
    activate Office 2013 clients through their connections to the domain.
    To implement ADBA, administrators must use the Volume Activation Tools utility, which walks them through the setup process. After admins supply the KMS host key, the setup process adds an activation object to the
    Active Directory Domain Services. The activation object uses the same Generic Volume Licenses Key (GVLK) and KMS host pair as that for regular KMS activation. When the client joins the domain, the activation object automatically activates the Office installation,
    granting a license to the client for 180 days. --------------
    --- When you hit a wrong note its the next note that makes it good or bad. --- Miles Davis

    Hello,
    we have software assurance, so MAK and KMS are available for O2013.
    I cannot use KMS server (there are reasons for now). So I have to use MAK. I know that it is possible later on to convert MAK to KMS.
    I found topic about ADBA. But missing few points from the description after my 2 questions.
    1. Can I use KMS key for use with Volume Activation Tool without actually having KMS installed?
    2.  at the end it says just 180 days activation. What will happen then?
    From:
    http://searchenterprisedesktop.techtarget.com/tip/Using-Active-Directory-activation-and-other-new-Office-2013-tools
    -------Prior to Office 2013, IT had to rely on Multiple Activation Key (MAK) or Key Management Service (KMS) activation. These processes were generally more complex than ADBA. Little has changed with either MAK or KMS in Office 2013. With ADBA, however,
    IT can easily
    activate Office 2013 clients through their connections to the domain.
    To implement ADBA, administrators must use the Volume Activation Tools utility, which walks them through the setup process. After admins supply the KMS host key, the setup process adds an activation object to the
    Active Directory Domain Services. The activation object uses the same Generic Volume Licenses Key (GVLK) and KMS host pair as that for regular KMS activation. When the client joins the domain, the activation object automatically activates the Office installation,
    granting a license to the client for 180 days. --------------
    --- When you hit a wrong note its the next note that makes it good or bad. --- Miles Davis
    Q1) there is a KMShost product key, and there is a KMSclient product key.
    The KMShost product key, you install this in your KMShost machine, and the client machines which have the KMSclient product key will contact your KMShost machine for activation.
    Volume Licensed products are provided by MSFT with the KMSclient product key already installed. The KMSclient product keys are also publically available in the TechNet library documentation.
    VAMT can be used, with or without KMS installed. VAMT is not part of KMS, and, KMS is not part of VAMT.
    ADBA is not part of VAMT and VAMT is not part of ADBA.
    ADBA can only be used if your AD is at the later version, and, ADBA only works for the latest products like Windows8 and Office2013.
    If you have older AD or older products you will still need to have KMS or MAK.
    Q2) after 180days, it's the same as KMS - the KMSclient (or ADBA client) will enter "non-genuine" mode if the client has not contacted ADBA object (or KMShost) to renew the activation status.
    This wiki article I put together, includes a few helpful links about ADBA and KMS:
    http://social.technet.microsoft.com/wiki/contents/articles/22510.volume-activation-kms-mak-adba-avma.aspx
    Don
    (Please take a moment to "Vote as Helpful" and/or "Mark as Answer", where applicable.
    This helps the community, keeps the forums tidy, and recognises useful contributions. Thanks!)

  • Office 2013 Volume licensing Activation using VAMT

    Can we activate office 2013 pro plus volume license edition using VAMT 2.0

    I found a confirmation on this link:
    http://blogs.technet.com/b/office_resource_kit/archive/2013/01/30/volume-activation-of-office-2013-frequently-asked-questions.aspx
    Why would I want to use Volume Activation Management Tool (VAMT) 3.0 rather than VAMT 2.0?
    In addition to KMS and MAK activation, which VAMT 2.0 supports, VAMT 3.0 supports Active Directory-Based activation. For general information about VAMT, see
    Manage Activations Using the VAMT. For more information about VAMT 3.0, see
    Introduction to VAMT 3.0.
    The quoted article doesn't confirm the question asked.
    The quickest way to confirm if VAMT2 is suitable for Office2013 is to test it.
    Even if it *does* work, it may not be "supported" by MSFT.
    I've asked a MSFT contact this question, it may take a few days to get an answer. (and, the answer might be "it's not supported"..)
    Don
    (Please take a moment to "Vote as Helpful" and/or "Mark as Answer", where applicable.
    This helps the community, keeps the forums tidy, and recognises useful contributions. Thanks!)

  • Office 2010 volume license

    Is volume licensed products supported on ZAV 8.0.2 yet?

    GEB,
    It appears that in the past few days you have not received a response to your
    posting. That concerns us, and has triggered this automated reply.
    Has your problem been resolved? If not, you might try one of the following options:
    - Visit http://support.novell.com and search the knowledgebase and/or check all
    the other self support options and support programs available.
    - You could also try posting your message again. Make sure it is posted in the
    correct newsgroup. (http://forums.novell.com)
    Be sure to read the forum FAQ about what to expect in the way of responses:
    http://forums.novell.com/faq.php
    If this is a reply to a duplicate posting, please ignore and accept our apologies
    and rest assured we will issue a stern reprimand to our posting bot.
    Good luck!
    Your Novell Product Support Forums Team
    http://forums.novell.com/

  • Choosing Office 2013 volume licensing plan ... or going retail ... or subscription ... or hunting for 2010 ... what a headache ...

    Our company currently runs an office software equivalent comparable to Office 2003 level. I was researching options (licensing!) for stepping up our office to real Microsoft Office product ... and got stuck with that idea ... totally confused at this point.
    Am I missing something or the cheapest SMB volume licensing option for MS Office 2013 (Standard, no Access component) is like twice as expensive as the retail equivalent? Why is that so? It makes no sense to me at all.
    I can find retail box of Office 2013 Home and Business for around $190 while the cheapest Open License for similar equivalent seems to be priced at $369 (what!?) ... and that is even without Software Assurance?
    Makes it kinda hard to convince management about benefits of VL program over retail ... especially since we are not a Volume Licensed customer (yet) and this purchase *might* make it worth becoming one (does it?).
    On top of that I can't even make decision if we should really go with Office 2013 after reading about live/online account requirement for activation, and here a question how does it work in volume licensing version? I assume it will be a great pain with
    installs from retail media and activation, but VL should have some tools or workarounds for that, no? I read that Office 2010 didn't have such problems and am sad I didn't push towards it when it was still available on retail market.
    Maybe we should go with 2013 subscription for first year and see how that works for us ...
    One thing for sure, I've been digging around this subject for weeks and my headache doesn't want to go away.
    Open to suggestions.

    anybody, any insights?
    Pls, also note that I run a one person IT department for this company, so all the dirty work (installs) will be done by me, hence my question. I can do deployments via GPO, but would like to know about activation gotchas (MS live accounts) for Office 2013,
    is that true for retail licenses?
    As per Volume Licensing, am I looking right and cheapest 1 computer Office 2013 open license stands for like $369? why is i so expensive in volume licensing plans? I doubt our management approves it this way ... which probably means retail licensing for
    me and a great headache with activations over a sneaker net ... times 30 ...

  • Deploy Office 2010 gpo/oct activation

    I am trying to deploy Office 2010 Standard through  group policy startup computer script. A batchfile runs which starts the setup off Office and a msp file. First office 2003 gets deinstalled and Office 2010 installed. This all go fine but the activation
    fails. When i start a Office program the program wants to activate.
    Reading on the Internet about this problem comes with a lot of solutions which do not work. Solutions like AUTO_ACTIVATE and ospp /act in the oct configuration already tried without luck.
    We use a proxy server in our orginisation but the proxy server is set in Internet Explorer. The difference is that the installation runs as a system user when set as computer startup script policy. Maybe that is the issue that the system user cannot reach
    the internet....
    Off course when i login as the user and start for example excel then he cannot activate because of the user rights. A prompt appears of UAC that a username and password must be given but that can not be left over to the users....
    We use a MAK key and not KMS (not a solution because MAK key is chosen..)
    Also tried to activate remotly thru ospp but then a error appears 0x80072ee2. According to Microsoft this has something to do with rights, but how to overcome this problems.
    I would like a silent install thru GPO and no user intervention, including activating....
    What is the best way to solve this problem?
    freddie

    I have almost the complete silent install however struggling with activation. Tried the above command in OCT with the cmd.exe /c etc switch but nothing happens because after starting a office programm activation requered coms in. It could be do that the installation
    is in a batchfile and runs in a computer GPO maybe the system user has no rights to activate….
    I cannot find a log file in %temp% to see what errors are…
    I have also tried to set a batchfile at computer startup the runonce and even force in the OCT to start the machine up after Office 2010 is installed but then i need to restart the machine again because the runonce batchfile is put there after a restart is
    taken place i guess so the machine needs to reboot the second time for the activation batchfile runs.
    I am now seeking a easy way to activate silently and automatically without user intervention.
    Summarize what i have tried:
    configure office thru OCT in the OCT tried AUTO_ACTIVATE =1 and add registry keys which adds a key in the runonce to start a batchfile which suppoce to activate Office. But after install office the machine restarts and after login the batch is not started,
    it is started next reboot....
    Als tried in OCT to run cscript OSPP /act as a command post installation.
    Non of the above works. Auto_activate and the direct script OSPP does nothing. The batchfile in the runonce starts the OSPP command but after a new restart so it needs 2 restarts.
    The msp file is saved on a shared resource and the command to start the msp file is put in a batchfile which runs at startup script thru gpo, so maybe the local system user which runs the installation then cannot access the internet or whatever but thatswhy
    i made  batchfile in the runonce so that batch is started under the user, but if only the batchfile would start after the installation and reboot of Office 2010 and not reboot again to start it...
    What else can i do to activate Office automatically?
    freddie

  • Configuring RDS to specific NIC Adapter + Avoid Office 2013 Volume Licensing

    Background: Small Company basically 1 User (me)... I've recently purchased a new server class computer and have downloaded and installed Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials.  I have 2 routers, 1 for home use (192.168..) and other provided to me by the
    company I contract to (10.41..).  I have a 4 port independent NIC card.  I connect to a company configured VM through a Remote Desktop Connection.  I also need to run Lync 2013 on the Windows Server 2012 machine in order to communicate internally
    with other members of the company.
    My Understanding: In order to configure the remote desktop connection to my VM to use a specific NIC adapter I must first install the Remote desktop Session Host service.  Then I should be able to configure the RDP-TCP connection to use a specific NIC
    adapter.  However, when I install the Remote desktop Session Host Service and I try and run Lync 2013 I receive an message stating that because I'm running Remote Desktop Services on this server I need to purchase volume licensing for my Office 2013 product.
    Question: Is there a way for me to configure my Windows Server 2012 R2 environment so that I can first specify a specific NIC adapter to use during my RDP session into my VM and also allow me not to have to purchase volume licensing for the Office 2013 product.
    -=Duane=-

    Hi Duane,
    As per my research, if you have RDS license and CAL installed still you need to purchase Office licensing to use office product. Office Professional Plus 2013 and Office Standard 2013 are licensed on a per-device basis. Users can only remotely access a copy
    of Office Professional Plus 2013 or Office Standard 2013 running on a network server from a licensed device. Therefore, your windows need the latest Office suite license assigned to the device.
    For more information.
    1.  Licensing Office on Remote Desktop Services
    2.  Microsoft Office
    For Network Adapter, you can try PowerShell Command and rename your NIC specific to RDS so that you can identify that specific NIC is used by RDS for connection. For that you can do following things.
    List of Network Adapter: Get-NetAdapter 
    Rename Network Adapter: Rename-NetAdapter -Name "Wired Ethernet Connection 4" PublicInternet1
    Please find below snap and link for more information.
    1.  Using PowerShell for NIC Configuration Tasks
    2.  Use PowerShell to Configure the NIC on Windows Server 2012
    Hope it helps!
    Thanks.

  • Photoshop CS3 Volume License Activation

    Hey guys,
    We are trying to activate Photoshop CS3 volume license we have but getting this message. How can we get it activated? This is a 43 user license we have, maybe 10 people here have it. We can't deactivate them because it's a volume license. We need Photoshop CS3 for Blu-ray authoring still, but have lots of people here on Creative Cloud 2014.
    Is there still even a website to manage our CS3 volume license? I don't know of any way to do this. Adobe Creative Cloud phone support weren't able to help. The alternative activation via phone, when I called, just said to go to http://www.adobe.com/go/activation, which wasn't any help since AT ALL.

    I have the following link to offer but I do not know if it leads to a solution for you...
    Adobe Licensing Website | Serial numbers | Orders | Accounts

  • Office 2010 - KMS licensed/Xendesktop - rearm issue

    Hi All
    Originally asked this question in office 2010 install forum but got redirected here.
    Short question is this, the rearm count on Office 2010 standard has been reached and I need to reset this count. I cant find any means to do so. I tried to uninstall office but this does not reset it or change its unique identifier for KMS (CMID)
    In order to get deployment configured correctly, I need to reset the rearm count so I can use ospprearm. Anyone have any ideas?
    Also tried speaking to Microsoft, was less then amusing. Being bounced back and forth to finally be told to log it through support.microsoft.com/oas , which turns out you need to specify a contract number or credit card etc. I don't have any Microsoft support
    agreement, just looking for a little assist!! I was able to sort out the deployment of windows by resetting the rearm count surely its possible for office!!
    Failing the option to rearm office. If there was a way to remove its CMID, this would work for me as well.

    o.O I might have figured this out. I've managed to get another CMID generated with a bit of messign around. Just doing a full test to ensure multiple VDI's get diff CMID's then ill edit this post with details *fingers crossed
    Ok managed to resolve this not only does this get the CMID sorted but the rearm count too!!
    I've not done full testing of each step but this is exactly what I did and it works
    1. Kbfix it ran to uninstall office 2010
    2. Delete the HKLM\software\Microsoft\office & HKLM\software\Microsoft\officesoftwareprotectionplatform (had to mess about with permissions to do this). This is the main point, something in one of these registry keys must hold both CMID and rearm count.
    Nothing obvious thou.
    3. Reboot and then reinstall office
    4. run ospprearm and windows rearm. (office rearm was required for me as I tested this after step 3 to check new CMID was created first). NOTE CMID for office is generated on starting office or anything office related (including ospp.vbs to check CMID).
    If you didn't do this , just windows rearm is required.
    If like me you are using Xendesktop and this is a golden image, this is point where you want to power it down, snapshot it and then provide this snapshot to the virtual PC's so they pick up unique CMID's for both windows and office on next boot up :D 

  • Volume License Activation

    We have purchased a site license for the Creative Suite.  In past versions, we could deploy the creative suite in a computer image and we would just have to launch Photoshop once to activate each computer.  Now, we have to sign in with an Adobe ID on each computer.  And, since we use roaming profiles for our students, I often have to log in with my Adobe ID multiple times per computer in order to keep the software activated.  This is a huge problem since we have deployed the software on 250 computers.  I have literally typed in my Adobe ID hundreds of times.  Is there a simpler way to manage this?

    Creative Suite 6.  They have added the requirement that you log in with an Adobe ID to activate each computer.  But, it turns out that when a student is logged in with a roaming profile that does not have access to the C: drive, the activation is not recognized and you have to log in with the Adobe ID again.  It is driving me crazy!

  • Using KMS for Office 2010 on Windows Server 2012R2

    Hi,
    We are migrating our old KMS server til 2012 R2. As far as I can find out KMS on 2012 R2 is only supported for Office 2013? Trying to install Microsoft Office 2010 Volume License Pack show "operating system not supported"
    Somebody knows if Microsoft Office 2010 Volume License Pack will be supported on Windows 2012 R2?
    Regards
    Lars E

    hi Lars again,
    on the volume licensing site, we have the following Details:
    Recent Changes to Volume Activation
    With Volume Licensing for products such as Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2012 R2 for Embedded Systems, Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, Microsoft Office 2010, and Office 2013, you must use Volume
    Activation (VA). To activate these products with VA, you can use either a Multiple Activation Key (MAK) or Key Management Service (KMS).
    http://www.microsoft.com/licensing/activation/existing-customers/product-activation.aspx
    thanks
    diramoh

  • Office 2010 Plus VL

    I've installed a copy of office 2010 Professional Plus from a file.  It didn't ask for a serial and the file indicates that the file is Volume License.
    I've done some reading and it looks like there are 2 kinds of licensing for the VL, MAK and KMS.  The latter requires a KMS server the MAK just a activates.
    Is there a way I can tell which version I have installed as I also read that the KMS version will require a KMS server in 30 days time.
    Any help gr8...
    James
    Alter De Ruine

    Please understand Volume liscense is kind of the license type but the MAK or KMS is the activation mothed.
    Per your discription, it looks the Office 2010 has been activated by KMS Server. To confirm this, please run the following command in CMD:
    For 32bit OS: cscript "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office15\OSPP.vbs" /dstatus
    For 64bit OS: cscript "C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\Office15\OSPP.vbs" /dstatus
    The LICENSE NAME and/or LICENSE DESCRIPTION gives the license type for Office 2010, while
    LICENSE STATUS shows activation status of Office 2010.
    More reference, please visit here:
    http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee624350.aspx
    Thanks.
    Tony Chen
    TechNet Community Support

  • How can i find the number of times my volume license has been activiated?

    Volume licensing activations.

    Try contacting Adobe support to see if they can help.
    Here are some links to help make contact:
    http://www.adobe.com/support/chat/ivrchat.html
    http://www.adobe.com/support/download-install/supportinfo/

  • Activating Microsoft Office 2013 Pro Plus? Volume licensing needed?

    Hello,
    I have unique scenario in my company where we need to install office 2013 pro plus on 10 hard drives. Each hard drive has its own windows 7 operating system. Due to security reasons, the setup consists of one computer tower (with no primary hard drive) that
    has a slot in tray for one hard drive. These hard drives are accessed one at a time. There are not set up on a network and do not have internet access. What would be the best method of installing office? Of course we could install 10 copies of office on the
    10 hard drives, but this would be expensive. I keep hearing about KMS (Key management service) and MAK (multiple activation key) which I believe would require volume licensing. Is this a possible cheaper alternative? Would we need to set up a server to manage
    the keys?
    Any feedback is appreciated.
    Thank you

    Hi,
    A volume licensing aggreement is the best plan for your case, I think.
    Multiple Activation Key (MAK) activation is used for one-time activation through Microsoft hosted activation services, either via the Internet or by telephone. Each MAK has a predetermined number of allowed activations, this number is based on volume licensing
    agreements.
    KMS is a client-server model in which the client requests activation from a computer serving as the KMS host. KMS activation requires TCP/IP connectivity between the clients and the KMS host. By default, KMS host uses DNS to publish the KMS service. It works
    best with more than 50 computers.
    So I think the best choice for your scenario is MAK as your setup is not on a network and only need 10 copies of Office. Also, with MAK, you don't need a server to "manage the keys" as the MAK key need to be added at installation time.
    Here is the reference you'll need:
    http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee624358(v=office.15).aspx
    http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dn385359(v=office.15).aspx
    http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee624357(v=office.15).aspx
    Regards,
    Ethan Hua
    TechNet Community Support
    It's recommended to download and install
    Configuration Analyzer Tool (OffCAT), which is developed by Microsoft Support teams. Once the tool is installed, you can run it at any time to scan for hundreds of known issues in Office
    programs.

  • Is it time yet for Microsoft to "Recall" Office 2013 and provide anyone who has a 2013 license a replacement Office 2010 license?

    The interface is terrible and can't be changed.  Every application in the suite locks up/crashes nearly constantly on any machine it is used on.  The activation process is terrible and wastes hours of any support/IT dept's time.  From a 'privacy
    standpoint', the software is seemingly criminally intrusive.  It is clearly a product that should never have been released and is so far from functional that it can't be repaired by any 'service pack', 'hotfix', or 'patch'.  It needs to be completely
    scrapped.
    The only 'redeeming quality' of this software is that the guy who was in charge of creating it is gone from Microsoft.  (Unfortunately, he is now President Obama's appointee for running the attempt at repairing the 'healthcare.gov' website... 
    out of the frying pan...   )
    When the software is installed using one profile (domain or machine account) and a different profile tries to use the software, it requires 're-activation' - which often fails because the software believes it has been installed multiple times. (This is particularly
    frustrating because it has to be installed by an administrative user, but most of the time, the person who 'uses' the software is not the 'administrator' - so it is almost always being 'installed' using one profile and 'used' using another profile).
    The necessary intrusion into privacy created by the requirement of a "Microsoft Account" to use the software is seemingly criminal.
    The tracking of, and installation of licenses is absolutely ridiculous. 
    An example: 
    Many of my clients have many users and many computers (up to 75 or so). 
    I could create a "Microsoft User Account" for each 'user', but these machines get moved between users, and the software license is tied to the 'machine' and not to the 'user' so as soon as that happens, the licenses and the users are no longer
    in line and become impossible to track.
    I could create a "Microsoft User Account" for each 'computer'... and I can't even count the ways this would be a nightmare to try to track.
    I actually did that up front for one client, and created Exchange email boxes for each computer so that "prove you are really you" emails from Microsoft could be received managed, and responded to, and passed out second usernames and passwords
    to all of the users so they could "log-in" to their Office 2013 software, and created a database of the 'computer usernames and passwords' so I could track this... unfortunately, this confused the users (as it rightfully should) so they would change
    the passwords for their computer's 'Microsoft User Account' thus locking me out and invalidating my database, ... and... CLUSTERF#%K!!!
    As a 'best - worst case', I have had to create a single 'Microsoft User Account" for each of my clients' businesses so I can install and activate Office 2013 products.  This is a whole new set of "Awesome Stupidity". 
    Now, I can put a new computer into a client's office and install their new license key for their oem Office 2013, and it shows up in the 'business's Microsoft User Account'.  Then when I give the machine to the user, I get to 're-activate' the software
    (hoping that it doesn't tell me to piss-off - which happens about 40% of the time.  This is a process that can only be described as a "feat of engineering created by a group of monkeys whose former jobs included 'janitor at MAD magazine headquarters'
    or 'beer-pong referee'). 
    It starts with two hours of pressing phone buttons and ultimately talking to someone who tells me "yeah, nothin' I can do about that I'm just here for product activation" (which, incidentally, is done by machine until you pass through MS's ridiculous
    labyrinth of repetitious keystroking until the machine is convinced you are just too stupid to punch in the right numbers and allows you to talk to a person... who then asks you for the exact same set of numbers and repeats back the exact same responding set
    of numbers and acts dumbfounded when it still doesn't work - since it didn't work the first six times you punched or said it into the phone) followed by "I need to send you to the support group... but because it's 6:30 pm (in a process you started at
    3:00pm) they are gone for the day and you'll have to call back on Monday morning"
    At some point in the process, you get to log into the "Microsoft user account" and 'roll the roulette wheel of stupidity' by trying to activate the right software from a list of 40 different lines that all say "Microsoft Office 2013 Home and
    Business oem", but none give any indicator or differentiating factor like for instance: license key, date installed, license key last 4 digits, mother's maiden name, phase of moon when software was first activated, color or type of blood of the user's
    paperboy's dog's previous owner... NOTHING... RANDOM FREAKING STAB IN THE DARK - pick one, any one, hope its the license you are trying to install onto this machine, 'cause if not, you very well may kill the product on some other machine.
    So through the process, the lucky support staff person gets' to waste roughly an hour and a half on average for every Microsoft Office 2013 installation.  I have actually had to start telling my clients that they are going to likely have to pay an extra
    $100 or so per machine in order to get their new Microsoft Office software which comes on their new computer activated - that number tends to work out roughly accurately - except that it is a terrible way of trying to 'please a client'.
    Oh,... and did I mention... "THE SOFTWARE CONSISTANTLY FAILS"!?! 
    A client tries to open a document that they have been using for 8 years and Excel doesn't say "Hey, I don't know how to deal with some element of the file that you put in here using Excel 2003, or Office 2010 (both products, by the way, which worked
    great) - no... instead,... it crashes.  Doesn't really do any damage to the file it choked on, but the work you'd been doing on three other files which you also had open,... yeah,... that work is gone.
    Yeah,.... over time, I have developed a pretty consistent spiel for client's needing new computers that goes over how absolutely terrible Office 2013 is, and explains that our options are further limited by Microsoft's yanking of all Office 2010 or previous
    products from market availability, and explaining the merits of both LibreOffice and OpenOffice, as well as their drawbacks.  I also have a strangely static response explaining how "larger companies are not burdened by these issues because they are
    able to use MOPL which allows them to downgrade their productivity software to Office 2010 so they can continue to function happily, but this is really not a cost effective solution for smaller companies who primarily buy oem Office products with their replacement
    computers".
    Unfortunately, many clients still decide they want to go with Office 2013 because they apparently believe "it really can't be that bad".  The value in my 'presale descriptions' are only really realized when they come back to me a week, two
    weeks, or up to a month after the new machine is in place and say "wow,... you were right".  The place I am left open for any further problems is when I don't impress upon them beforehand just HOW BAD OFFICE 2013 REALLY IS.  In that case,
    they still come back to me as though I have done something wrong foe selling them this piece of $#!% software and I have to remind them of our previous discussions.
    Strangely, far too few heed the warnings and buy the software anyway - but the discussion has saved many clients the costs of Microsoft Project, because the discussion of LibreOffice and OpenOffice nearly always leads to at least a small philosophical conversation
    about 'Open Source Software' in general, and my absolute favorite descriptive analogy in that discussion is to compare Microsoft Project at $600 v. ProjectLibre at $0 - and then further describe the costs of licensing and implementing the associated back-end
    server solutions, etc. 
    This is a saving grace for me, because even though the client has been saddled with Office 2013, they have also saved substantially on Project and it is a rare (but granted, not absolutely absent) occasion that ProjectLibre is lacking some feature or function
    that they actually need or want to use - and on those occasions, finding out has cost them absolutely nothing in software purchases. 
    Its not surprising, I suppose, that clients have grown to accept Office as a required 'cost', but still choke heavily on the price-tag of Project every time they have to buy it.  The interesting thing to watch over the coming couple of years will be
    'how many businesses stop accepting MS Office as a 'required cost' due to the failing of the software itself and the fact that most are being burned, at least once, by purchasing the software "against technical advice" and are learning, merely by
    virtue of HOW BAD Office is, that there are other options out there that both cost less and work better... I mean,... LOTS BETTER.
    How many businesses that are used to accepting the cost of Microsoft Office as a cost of doing business will be moved over to open source options and satisfied by them by the time Microsoft releases its next version - which will, presumably work - such that
    they will no longer justify the cost of Microsoft's offering even if it is 'superior' to the open source offerings because the open source offerings are plenty sufficient and include a price tag of $0 and an installation/implementation time that is much, much
    shorter than Microsoft's offering.
    If Microsoft doesn't make some dramatic reparations, and do it soon, I expect their market share will be reduced in this area by a very significant margin.
    I am suggesting either a 'Complete Recall' of Office 2013 including an 'uninstall 2013/install 2010' process driven by the automatic update engine, or at the very least, a free and easy downgrade rights offering for anybody who has already purchased 2013
    and anyone who purchases it between now and the time the next "functional product" is released.

    I understand the inconvenience you are experiencing when working with Office 2013.
    If you have any feedback about Office 2013 product, click the and submit to Microsoft.
    Microsoft will decide how to fix the problem for all customers.
    For the activation mechanism, it intends to protect customers of their rights and interests.
    For a retail version of Office, if it was purchased with a disk, Microsoft account is not necessary during the installation.
    For volume license of Office, refer to the following link to deploy Office suites can be much efficient:
    http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc178982.aspx
    For the problem Office 2013 keep crashing, check the following link to check:
    http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2813143/en-us
    http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2758592/en-us
    Thanks,
    Tyor Wang
    Forum Support
    Come back and mark the replies as answers if they help and unmark them if they provide no
    help.
    If you have any feedback on our support, please click
    here

Maybe you are looking for