Microsoft Office activation

[forrestcupp]

I just learned that MS Office activation is getting easier than it used to be. You're allowed to have MS Office 2007 Ultimate installed on a work computer and a home computer. In the past, when I've changed computers, I had to activate by phone and carefully choose my words to convince a human support representative that I only have it installed on two computers.

Yesterday, I installed it in a VM, which tipped it off that it's a different computer, so it wouldn't activate. This time, I tried the phone activation, and went through the whole automated process. At the end of the process, the automated computer voice said it had one further question to ask me. "How many computers is this copy of Microsoft Office installed on?" I said, "Two". It went ahead and activated it without my ever having to speak to a human representative.

I was happy. :)

[blueturtl]

Well it's a step in the right direction but... :-k The whole activation scheme is still a nuisance mostly for legit consumers. Criminals and OSS users however have it easier. On the whole they're headed the right way and I guess they (MS, not the criminals!) should be applauded and encouraged.

[doorknob60]

And this is why I use a pirated version, even if I own a real copy, it's easier. They're unintentionally encouraging piracy. And it's not just Microsoft, almost every major PC software is like that, it's sad :(

[MisterGaribaldi]

To be fair, Apple doesn't put serial numbers on either iLife or iWork, though they do for their high-end software products.

Isn't admitting you use an illegal copy of some software product on a public message board kind of stupid, though? Not to be disrespectful, but you've just admitted to committing a crime, and this sort of place is IDEAL for Microsoft and other law enforcement agencies to use against you.

Just sayin', is all...

[Erik1984]

To be fair, Apple doesn't put serial numbers on either iLife or iWork, though they do for their high-end software products.

Isn't admitting you use an illegal copy of some software product on a public message board kind of stupid, though? Not to be disrespectful, but you've just admitted to committing a crime, and this sort of place is IDEAL for Microsoft and other law enforcement agencies to use against you.

Just sayin', is all...

Microsoft don't care about piracy by consumers much. They rather have people pirate Windows and use it than not pirate Windows and use something else :P On a same note they probably rather have people pirate MS Office than using LibreOffice. Piracy by businesses is a different matter.

[winh8r]

Possibly the change has come about because so many people now have multiple devices, Desktop, laptop, notebook, and it was probably a major source of complaints to MS that people were expected to buy another copy of the sofware just because they had more than one computer.

As has been said already, by enforcing this condition they were inadvertently encouraging people to either use a "non legitimate" copy of the software or use a free alternative. So in the end they have seen sense and allowed more instances of the software for the end user, who has paid for the privilege of using their product already.

[Lucradia]

As for adobe, activation's gotten harder and harder for the products they publish. For instance, back before Flash MX, you could install and activate the program offline, totally, all you needed to do was have the CD inserted while activating, as the key was tied to the disk.

Now, you must have an Internet connection for it to be activated, and you only have about 8 activations per key. (You have to request more via support. I did, due to reformatting every 6 months.)

[chamber]

Same with my vlk for windows 7. I removed the key from my vm and activated by phone when I put it on my laptops new hard drive.

[forrestcupp]

I get what you guys are saying about Microsoft encouraging piracy. But my point was that they seem to be relaxing a little bit, and it is getting better. I was pretty happy that I didn't have to carefully plead my case to a Microsoft Enforcer this time.

Gone are the days of MS Office 2000, when you didn't have to activate at all. :)

[chamber]

Exactly what I was saying. I didn't have to plead my case that I was using the same amount of licenses as I was before. I had set aside the afternoon to argue with some muppet on the end of a phone line and was pleasantly surprised when it activated automatically for me.

[forrestcupp]

Exactly what I was saying. I didn't have to plead my case that I was using the same amount of licenses as I was before. I had set aside the afternoon to argue with some muppet on the end of a phone line and was pleasantly surprised when it activated automatically for me.

That's great. :)

So it's like that for Windows, too? Things are going the right direction as far as activation is concerned. Whether or not their idea of a good user interface for Windows is going the right direction is a different story. ;)

[Lucradia]

Same with my vlk for windows 7. I removed the key from my vm and activated by phone when I put it on my laptops new hard drive.

Problem with Adobe is, they don't let you activate by phone. If you can't activate by Internet, you have to go to their support site, register on it if you haven't already, post a request to get more activations on your key, wait about 24~48 hours for a response asking for more technical information, then reply, then wait another 24~48 hours for a reply saying you have more activations.

Honestly, if they went back to CD-tied keys, and use MD5 for the encryption, then we'd never have this activation issue.

[Erik1984]

What about no activation procedures, something like free software. :p

[sffvba[e0rt]

I have a copy of Office 2007 and I have re-installed it onto so many computers after OS changes and changing computers and it has activated via the Net each and every time. It makes me happy :D


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