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All Office products are suddenly demanding re-activation?



 
 
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  #1  
Old July 26th 16, 10:34 PM posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.general
Amanda Ripanykhazova
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Posts: 23
Default All Office products are suddenly demanding re-activation?

Does anyone know what is going on please? Suddenly all my office products have stopped working. First Publisher, then FrontPage and now Office (Word)

And it is not a normal activation: Instead of extracting a set of numbers for me to read to Microsoft on these LEGAL programs, it demands some install CD and then says it cant find some .msi file?? First pub.msi in Publisher, of which I cant find the CD after 10 years, - but then Office XP Professional demanded some .msi file as well. And when I actually found the old installation cD, it then still couldnt find the .msi file it had said was on it!
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  #2  
Old July 26th 16, 10:45 PM posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.general
Barry Schwarz[_2_]
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Posts: 373
Default All Office products are suddenly demanding re-activation?

On Tue, 26 Jul 2016 14:34:07 -0700 (PDT), Amanda Ripanykhazova
wrote:

Does anyone know what is going on please? Suddenly all my office products have stopped working. First Publisher, then FrontPage and now Office (Word)

And it is not a normal activation: Instead of extracting a set of numbers for me to read to Microsoft on these LEGAL programs, it demands some install CD and then says it cant find some .msi file?? First pub.msi in Publisher, of which I cant find the CD after 10 years, - but then Office XP Professional demanded some .msi file as well. And when I actually found the old installation cD, it then still couldnt find the .msi file it had said was on it!


What version of Office? Have you updated any part of the OS recently?

--
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  #3  
Old July 27th 16, 07:16 PM posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.general
Amanda Ripanykhazova
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 23
Default All Office products are suddenly demanding re-activation?

What version of Office? Have you updated any part of the OS recently?


It is called Office XP Professional and as the OS is XP, I didn't think anything was updateable any more, save for periodic malware update tools.

It LOOKS as if Microsoft has disabled in-use older versions of Office purely so that users have to buy a new version. Calls to the activation centre result in MS employees telling users that they no longer support the version the user has so they will have to buy the newer version which IS supported!

I have tried doing a system restore to a time 2-3 months ago and on restarting (and trying to open Word) I get the same activation demand for the installation cd which it doesn't actually seem to want (not to mention, need!)

  #4  
Old July 27th 16, 08:24 PM posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.general
No_Name
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Posts: 627
Default All Office products are suddenly demanding re-activation?

On Wed, 27 Jul 2016 11:16:58 -0700 (PDT), Amanda Ripanykhazova
wrote:

What version of Office? Have you updated any part of the OS recently?



It is called Office XP Professional and as the OS is XP, I didn't think anything was updateable any more, save for periodic malware update tools.

It LOOKS as if Microsoft has disabled in-use older versions of Office purely so that users have to buy a new version. Calls to the activation centre result in MS employees telling users that they no longer support the version the user has so they will have to buy the newer version which IS supported!

I have tried doing a system restore to a time 2-3 months ago and on restarting (and trying to open Word) I get the same activation demand for the installation cd which it doesn't actually seem to want (not to mention, need!)


My XP pro and Office 2007 is still working fine. I just loaded an XP
machine about a week ago. The authorization sailed right through.
  #5  
Old July 28th 16, 12:55 PM posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.general
Amanda Ripanykhazova
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 23
Default All Office products are suddenly demanding re-activation?

Does no one recognise this symptom, that after activation has started, instead of giving the number-based activation screens, something demands an installation cd?

Does anyone know what an .msi file is?
  #6  
Old July 28th 16, 03:03 PM posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.general
Paul[_32_]
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Posts: 11,873
Default All Office products are suddenly demanding re-activation?

Amanda Ripanykhazova wrote:
Does no one recognise this symptom, that after activation has started, instead of giving the number-based activation screens, something demands an installation cd?

Does anyone know what an .msi file is?


An MSI file is what you find on an installer CD.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Installer

When software is installed, a copy of the MSI may
be kept on the C: drive. If you go to Add/Remove,
you select a program item from the list, and it
offers a "Repair" option, it uses the MSI stored
on the hard drive, to do the Repair.

Whereas things like Office, may not keep all the
materials on C: , and as a result, the installer
CD needs to be inserted. Something needs to be
repaired, and maybe the activation software
component itself needs repair.

Remember that Office is a complex installer,
and is designed to be obnoxious on purpose.

It does not have to work the way that it does.
They could easily have made the installer, such
that the CD would never be needed again.

Making you insert the CD, helps Microsoft "prove"
you didn't steal the software :-( Or words to that
effect. In modern times, it's easy to download
and burn a CD, so this is hardly a meaningful
authentication mechanism in 2016.

*******

There is a tool here, which can generate a URL
for some of the software that is still downloadable.

The actual download, comes from a Microsoft server,
not from the heidoc site. You can run sha1sum or
fciv on the final downloaded item, do a Google search
on the sha1sum value, as a means of finding evidence
it is authentic. They don't have every SKU of
CD listed here, and for some of the Student offerings,
it might be harder to trace down the exact right
CD to use with your install.

https://www.heidoc.net/joomla/techno...-download-tool

Paul
  #7  
Old July 28th 16, 04:19 PM posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.general
No_Name
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Posts: 627
Default All Office products are suddenly demanding re-activation?

On Thu, 28 Jul 2016 04:55:12 -0700 (PDT), Amanda Ripanykhazova
wrote:

Does no one recognise this symptom, that after activation has started, instead of giving the number-based activation screens, something demands an installation cd?

Does anyone know what an .msi file is?


I have not seen that since the "upgrade" versions of w/98 but I
suppose it might be true. I hope it never happens to me because my
"Office 2007" was just a download and all MS sold be was the key.
In subsequent installations of other XP stuff they just wanted me to
log on and do a verification check to be sure I had a legal copy of XP
and it sailed through, in spite of quite a few shenanigans with my XP
systems. (changing hardware etc)
  #8  
Old July 29th 16, 12:31 AM posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.general
Amanda Ripanykhazova
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 23
Default All Office products are suddenly demanding re-activation?


Yes, I get all of that but I did say in OP that "And when I actually found the old installation cD, it then still" said it "couldn't find the .msi file it had said was on it!"

There is something else going on here. I wonder what a repair install could do.

Alternatively at some stage while I am trying to get on with my work and MS is trying to stop me, I suppose I am going to have to stop being so anal about complying with their dumb licensing policies. I also have Office 2010 which I have already installed so I will have to just install that on this problem computer to replace (upgrade?) this 2002 version?
  #9  
Old July 29th 16, 01:02 AM posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.general
No_Name
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 627
Default All Office products are suddenly demanding re-activation?

On Thu, 28 Jul 2016 16:31:14 -0700 (PDT), Amanda Ripanykhazova
wrote:


Yes, I get all of that but I did say in OP that "And when I actually found the old installation cD, it then still" said it "couldn't find the .msi file it had said was on it!"

There is something else going on here. I wonder what a repair install could do.

Alternatively at some stage while I am trying to get on with my work and MS is trying to stop me, I suppose I am going to have to stop being so anal about complying with their dumb licensing policies. I also have Office 2010 which I have already installed so I will have to just install that on this problem computer to replace (upgrade?) this 2002 version?


Was the disk you have an upgrade to an earlier version? They may be
looking for that earlier "full install" disk.
I have never had an office disk myself. I just got a folder with a
card in it that had the key and directions of how to download the 2007
software. I bet there is a 2002 version on the MS server.
  #11  
Old July 30th 16, 02:24 AM posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.general
Paul in Houston TX[_2_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 999
Default All Office products are suddenly demanding re-activation?

Amanda Ripanykhazova wrote:
Does anyone know what is going on please? Suddenly all my office products have stopped
working. First Publisher, then FrontPage and now Office (Word)

And it is not a normal activation: Instead of extracting a set of numbers for me to
read to Microsoft on these LEGAL programs, it demands some install CD and then says it
cant find some .msi file?? First pub.msi in Publisher, of which I cant find the CD
after 10 years, - but then Office XP Professional demanded some .msi file as well. And
when I actually found the old installation cD, it then still couldnt find the .msi file
it had said was on it!


Failing hdd, corrupted hdd, bad hdd cables, virus.
  #12  
Old July 30th 16, 04:54 AM posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.general
No_Name
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 627
Default All Office products are suddenly demanding re-activation?

On Fri, 29 Jul 2016 20:24:47 -0500, Paul in Houston TX
wrote:

Amanda Ripanykhazova wrote:
Does anyone know what is going on please? Suddenly all my office products have stopped
working. First Publisher, then FrontPage and now Office (Word)

And it is not a normal activation: Instead of extracting a set of numbers for me to
read to Microsoft on these LEGAL programs, it demands some install CD and then says it
cant find some .msi file?? First pub.msi in Publisher, of which I cant find the CD
after 10 years, - but then Office XP Professional demanded some .msi file as well. And
when I actually found the old installation cD, it then still couldnt find the .msi file
it had said was on it!


Failing hdd, corrupted hdd, bad hdd cables, virus.


I just looked and I have files like "Office MUI.msi"
  #13  
Old July 30th 16, 10:00 PM posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.general
J. P. Gilliver (John)
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 5,291
Default All Office products are suddenly demanding re-activation?

In message , Paul
writes:
[]
There is a tool here, which can generate a URL
for some of the software that is still downloadable.

The actual download, comes from a Microsoft server,
not from the heidoc site. You can run sha1sum or
fciv on the final downloaded item, do a Google search
on the sha1sum value, as a means of finding evidence
it is authentic. They don't have every SKU of
CD listed here, and for some of the Student offerings,
it might be harder to trace down the exact right
CD to use with your install.

https://www.heidoc.net/joomla/techno.../67-microsoft-
windows-iso-download-tool

Paul


Looks a useful tool.

Who are heidoc, how on earth do they manage to keep something like that
up to date (or don't they), do Microsoft get on well with them, other
similar questions ...
--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)Ar@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

Capital flows toward lower costs like a river to lowest ground.
"MJ", 2015-12-05
  #14  
Old July 30th 16, 10:49 PM posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.general
Paul[_32_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 11,873
Default All Office products are suddenly demanding re-activation?

J. P. Gilliver (John) wrote:
In message , Paul
writes:
[]
There is a tool here, which can generate a URL
for some of the software that is still downloadable.

The actual download, comes from a Microsoft server,
not from the heidoc site. You can run sha1sum or
fciv on the final downloaded item, do a Google search
on the sha1sum value, as a means of finding evidence
it is authentic. They don't have every SKU of
CD listed here, and for some of the Student offerings,
it might be harder to trace down the exact right
CD to use with your install.

https://www.heidoc.net/joomla/techno.../67-microsoft-
windows-iso-download-tool

Paul


Looks a useful tool.

Who are heidoc, how on earth do they manage to keep something like that
up to date (or don't they), do Microsoft get on well with them, other
similar questions ...


Microsoft 'gets on well" with people that do not host
the files themselves.

If a site makes up URLs that point at www.microsoft.com/somefile.iso
then Microsoft doesn't mind as such.

However, if I downloaded a file and then offered www.paul.com/somefile.iso,
the lawyers would come after me. There would be a DMCA takedown
notice or whatever.

The same goes for WSUSOffline. It uses readily available information,
to generate a list of download URLs. All the installed materials
come from Microsoft.

I don't think Microsoft particularly likes these sites, but
on the other hand, the lawyers have fewer weapons to use on
them. And that's what counts.

Paul
  #15  
Old July 30th 16, 11:23 PM posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.general
J. P. Gilliver (John)
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 5,291
Default All Office products are suddenly demanding re-activation?

In message , Paul
writes:
J. P. Gilliver (John) wrote:
In message , Paul
writes:
[]
There is a tool here, which can generate a URL
for some of the software that is still downloadable.

[]
https://www.heidoc.net/joomla/techno.../67-microsoft-
windows-iso-download-tool

Paul

Looks a useful tool.
Who are heidoc, how on earth do they manage to keep something like
that up to date (or don't they), do Microsoft get on well with them,
other similar questions ...


Microsoft 'gets on well" with people that do not host
the files themselves.

If a site makes up URLs that point at www.microsoft.com/somefile.iso
then Microsoft doesn't mind as such.

However, if I downloaded a file and then offered www.paul.com/somefile.iso,
the lawyers would come after me. There would be a DMCA takedown
notice or whatever.


(Not to mention your hosting costs, too.)

The same goes for WSUSOffline. It uses readily available information,
to generate a list of download URLs. All the installed materials
come from Microsoft.

I don't think Microsoft particularly likes these sites, but
on the other hand, the lawyers have fewer weapons to use on
them. And that's what counts.

Paul


Though, presumably, if MS wanted to kill off such sites, they'd only
need to move their files around a bit, and/or rename them - so that the
links didn't work. (Obviously changing any of their _own_ sites that
link to the files, but they should be able to do that easily enough.)

So, given that it looks like they _don't_ mind them enough to kill them
in this way, one wonders why they don't do them themselves. At least
where the files need a key purchase to activate.
--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)Ar@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

You'll need to have this fish in your ear. (First series, fit the first.)
 




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