Microsoft Office Professional Plus 10 authentication code help, please?

August 7, 2012 9:48 AM

I bought a Thinkpad through Gumtree (UK) last year and now Microsoft Office Professional Plus 10 is asking me for an authentication code. When I got the computer, windows had just been installed but I don't know if I got a trial version or a corporate version that was imaged onto the machine. Do I need to pay for an authentication code or is there a way to otherwise disable the authentication request message?
posted by parmanparman to computers & internet (3 answers total)

Gumtree probably has an OEM reseller license. call Gumtree, or check your PC. authentication number should be a sticker on your PC. look on the bottom if it's a laptop, or on the side panel if it's a tower. did you get any disks when you bought the PC?
posted by ohshenandoah at 11:57 AM on August 7, 2012

Most new computers come with the trial edition. After the specified time, you need to buy the program or uninstall it. If you don't want to pay, Apache OpenOffice is a good alternative.
posted by megatherium at 2:33 PM on August 7, 2012

ohshenandoah: Gumtree is basically the UK's version of Craigslist. So it's unlikely that they have an OEM license or indeed that there's anyone to call at this point.

Unless you got a disc with an authentication code on the sleeve, it's unlikely that you actually own a license for Office. I'd consider yourself ahead of the game to have had it work for a year.

While there are programs floating around that will (purportedly) disable the activation code check, they tend to be rife with rootkits and a good way to turn your computer into a spam zombie. I'd either ditch Microsoft Office and get OpenOffice (or LibreOffice, or whatever they are calling it this week), or I'd purchase a license via a reseller. If you qualify for an educational discount that's probably a good way to get it. If you don't qualify for that but are still cost sensitive, older versions of Office are generally cheaper; anything back to Office 2007 will open modern .docx files without a problem.
posted by Kadin2048 at 4:20 PM on August 7, 2012