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Trouble With MS Genuine Office Validation

Posted by kdawson on from the no-add-ons-for-you dept.

Julie188 writes "Here's another little gotcha with Microsoft license validation, discovered by security and PowerShell expert Tyson Kopczynski. The Microsoft Office 2007 add-on site refuses to download legitimate add-ons for Office 2007 when a legitimate — but not yet activated — additional Microsoft product is installed on the computer. In Kopczynski's case, the product was Visio. He writes: 'Let's back this license train up and look at why this picture is wrong: 1. I have a valid copy of Office 2007. 2. The Visio installation only failed the validation because I haven't activated it. 3. Microsoft has presented me with a page to buy Office, which I have a valid copy of... Dear Microsoft, When used incorrectly and in direct conflict of something that you are promoting, DRM sucks! By making the usage of your software a hassle, you risk further pushing more users of your applications to other solutions."

4 of 234 comments (clear)

  1. Re:I'm Shocked. by Distan · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Read the article again.

    He has an activated copy of Office 2007.

    He has an unactivated copy of Visio. He doesn't say why, maybe he is evaluating it.

    Because he has an unactivated copy of Visio, he is unable to upgrade his activated copy of Office 2007.

    I would say he has a problem. His unactivated copy of Visio shouldn't screw up the functionality of his activated software, but it is.

  2. Ah yes.... by bwd234 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    ...one of the main reasons I still use use Windows 2000! No DRM, no activation headaches, no secret file updates, no useless eye-candy, most stable MS OS ever... oh, the list just goes on....

  3. Re:What's the issue exactly? by RonnyJ · · Score: 5, Insightful
    It's not as if this is something that can't be easily fixed though. There are certainly many legitimate complaints about activation, but I'm sure he knew he still needed to activate Visio at some point (he has Office activated, after all).

    Well, the Visio license is valid, I just haven't activated it. I'm just too lazy to complete the wizard, I guess.
    Not too lazy to write an article about it though.
  4. Re:What's the issue exactly? by jedidiah · · Score: 5, Insightful

    NO. Don't get over it.

    Office validation should be concerned about office & not anything else. It shouldn't
    be SPYING on anything else. That sort of stupidity leads directly to these sorts of
    unintended consequences.

    I should not need to "activate" one program to get support for another.

    --
    A Pirate and a Puritan look the same on a balance sheet.