How to Repair Office Installation w/o Program Launch?

M

ModernDriver

I had to reinstall Windows from CD after removing the Hotfixes corrupted the
files. Installed Service Pack 2 and all subsequent critical updates. All MS
Office Standard programs (excel, word, Powerpoint) on my system failed;
startup screen said "unknown user" and "unregistered version". I need to
detect and repair my Office installation without accessing the program; i.e.,
the programs would not let me access the help tab to even select the detect
and repair option. Moreover, since I could not access the help tab, I could
not get the product ID number required to submit a new issue to technical
support. Consequently, Windows XP, although running smoothly again, has left
me in a pretty pickle. All programs on my system had to be re-run as though
they had never been registered.
Upon trying to detect and repair the MS Office Standard suite from CD,
the option did not even come up; it asked me for the poduct key, which I
have, since it is a full version and not an upgrade. It then asked me for
the location of a qualifying product AS IF it were and upgrade. So I
indicated the drive the master (original holographic) CD was in, but the
Windows Installer returned with "error 1608: could not find a qualifying
product." After that, the program closed down and installation failed.
Whether I started with a new installation or not did not matter, both errors
came up asking first for a "qualifying product."
Please tell me there is a detect and repair option on the Microsoft
Website, since I cannot access it from my disk, nor, as I mentioned, can I
get the product ID from the Help tab in any of the office programs, since the
programs think I have an unregistered version and close down before I can
click on anything.
I bought the program new in the sealed box, yet I am again stranded
because of Microsoft's failure to consider such a scenario. I cannot even
get the help I need because the product ID number cannot be found without
launching the affected program. I have the disc in my CD-ROM drive and was
just looking for the link that could verify it and ask me for the Product
Key, but alas, have not found anyway to repair my Office Installation without
a program launch. A search on the MS website only pointed to incidents that
tell me what I already know; e.g., open the program and click on the help
tab, then select detect and repair. Duly noted, but as I mentioned, what is
a registered user supposed to do if the detect and repair option is not
available?
The detect and repair option should be part of the CD, and not only
accessible from the program. It should be a separate utility on the program
disk to provide the required help in these situations.
I hope that microsoft software engineers will think about this in the
future. Not all users should be treated with the suspicion that they have a
pirated copy of Microsoft's programs.
 
M

ModernDriver

My info:
Pentium III 600Mhz, 26 gig., C/D hard drives, E/F CD-ROM/EPROM. Windows XP
SP-2, attempting to repair MS Office XP Standard 2002; CMOS set to disable
processor serial number, no other OS problems
 
M

ModernDriver

My info:
Pentium III 600Mhz, 26 gig., C/D hard drives, E/F CD-ROM/EPROM. Windows XP
SP-2, attempting to repair MS Office XP Standard 2002; CMOS set to disable
processor serial number, no other OS problems
 
M

ModernDriver

My info:
Pentium III 600Mhz, 26 gig., C/D hard drives, E/F CD-ROM/EPROM. Windows XP
SP-2, attempting to repair MS Office XP Standard 2002; CMOS set to disable
processor serial number, no other OS problems
 
M

ModernDriver

My info:
Pentium III 600Mhz, 26 gig., C/D hard drives, E/F CD-ROM/EPROM. Windows XP
SP-2, attempting to repair MS Office XP Standard 2002; CMOS set to disable
processor serial number, no other OS problems
 
M

ModernDriver

My info:
Pentium III 600Mhz, 26 gig., C/D hard drives, E/F CD-ROM/EPROM. Windows XP
SP-2, attempting to repair MS Office XP Standard 2002; CMOS set to disable
processor serial number, no other OS problems
 
M

ModernDriver

My info:
Pentium III 600Mhz, 26 gig., C/D hard drives, E/F CD-ROM/EPROM. Windows XP
SP-2, attempting to repair MS Office XP Standard 2002; CMOS set to disable
processor serial number, no other OS problems
 
M

ModernDriver

My info:
Pentium III 600Mhz, 26 gig., C/D hard drives, E/F CD-ROM/EPROM. Windows XP
SP-2, attempting to repair MS Office XP Standard 2002; CMOS set to disable
processor serial number, no other OS problems
 
M

ModernDriver

My info:
Pentium III 600Mhz, 26 gig., C/D hard drives, E/F CD-ROM/EPROM. Windows XP
SP-2, attempting to repair MS Office XP Standard 2002; CMOS set to disable
processor serial number, no other OS problems
 
M

ModernDriver

My info:
Pentium III 600Mhz, 26 gig., C/D hard drives, E/F CD-ROM/EPROM. Windows XP
SP-2, attempting to repair MS Office XP Standard 2002; CMOS set to disable
processor serial number, no other OS problems
 
M

ModernDriver

Success at last 4/1/05. The only way to complete the installation after the
reinstallation of the Windows XP was to insert my MS Office 97 Professional
CD in the drive and use it to refer to a "qualifying product" when prompted
by the windows installer. In other words, for some reason my Office XP
Standard Suite was recoginzed as an upgrade, and not a full version, which it
is--a full version. So now the question remains as to why the installer
would think that, after reinstalling the Operating system, my MS Office
Suite, which are two totally different programs, would suddenly be recognized
as an upgrade and have the user registration stripped from the classes root
or registry keys to show the product as an "unlicensed version" by an
"unknown user."
This only proves how valuable it is to always save the master CDs of
older Office programs, even if a newer version is purchased. In this case,
the installer had to get permission from a copy of MS Office '97 Professional
just to complete the installation of MS Office XP Standard 2002 after it was
already installed. Weird.
 
M

ModernDriver

Success at last 4/1/05. The only way to complete the installation after the
reinstallation of the Windows XP was to insert my MS Office 97 Professional
CD in the drive and use it to refer to a "qualifying product" when prompted
by the windows installer. In other words, for some reason my Office XP
Standard Suite was recoginzed as an upgrade, and not a full version, which it
is--a full version. So now the question remains as to why the installer
would think that, after reinstalling the Operating system, my MS Office
Suite, which are two totally different programs, would suddenly be recognized
as an upgrade and have the user registration stripped from the classes root
or registry keys to show the product as an "unlicensed version" by an
"unknown user."
This only proves how valuable it is to always save the master CDs of
older Office programs, even if a newer version is purchased. In this case,
the installer had to get permission from a copy of MS Office '97 Professional
just to complete the installation of MS Office XP Standard 2002 after it was
already installed. Weird.
 
M

ModernDriver

Success at last 4/1/05. The only way to complete the installation after the
reinstallation of the Windows XP was to insert my MS Office 97 Professional
CD in the drive and use it to refer to a "qualifying product" when prompted
by the windows installer. In other words, for some reason my Office XP
Standard Suite was recoginzed as an upgrade, and not a full version, which it
is--a full version. So now the question remains as to why the installer
would think that, after reinstalling the Operating system, my MS Office
Suite, which are two totally different programs, would suddenly be recognized
as an upgrade and have the user registration stripped from the classes root
or registry keys to show the product as an "unlicensed version" by an
"unknown user."
This only proves how valuable it is to always save the master CDs of
older Office programs, even if a newer version is purchased. In this case,
the installer had to get permission from a copy of MS Office '97 Professional
just to complete the installation of MS Office XP Standard 2002 after it was
already installed. Weird.
 
M

ModernDriver

Success at last 4/1/05. The only way to complete the installation after the
reinstallation of the Windows XP was to insert my MS Office 97 Professional
CD in the drive and use it to refer to a "qualifying product" when prompted
by the windows installer. In other words, for some reason my Office XP
Standard Suite was recoginzed as an upgrade, and not a full version, which it
is--a full version. So now the question remains as to why the installer
would think that, after reinstalling the Operating system, my MS Office
Suite, which are two totally different programs, would suddenly be recognized
as an upgrade and have the user registration stripped from the classes root
or registry keys to show the product as an "unlicensed version" by an
"unknown user."
This only proves how valuable it is to always save the master CDs of
older Office programs, even if a newer version is purchased. In this case,
the installer had to get permission from a copy of MS Office '97 Professional
just to complete the installation of MS Office XP Standard 2002 after it was
already installed. Weird.
 
M

ModernDriver

Success at last 4/1/05. The only way to complete the installation after the
reinstallation of the Windows XP was to insert my MS Office 97 Professional
CD in the drive and use it to refer to a "qualifying product" when prompted
by the windows installer. In other words, for some reason my Office XP
Standard Suite was recoginzed as an upgrade, and not a full version, which it
is--a full version. So now the question remains as to why the installer
would think that, after reinstalling the Operating system, my MS Office
Suite, which are two totally different programs, would suddenly be recognized
as an upgrade and have the user registration stripped from the classes root
or registry keys to show the product as an "unlicensed version" by an
"unknown user."
This only proves how valuable it is to always save the master CDs of
older Office programs, even if a newer version is purchased. In this case,
the installer had to get permission from a copy of MS Office '97 Professional
just to complete the installation of MS Office XP Standard 2002 after it was
already installed. Weird.
 
M

ModernDriver

Success at last 4/1/05. The only way to complete the installation after the
reinstallation of the Windows XP was to insert my MS Office 97 Professional
CD in the drive and use it to refer to a "qualifying product" when prompted
by the windows installer. In other words, for some reason my Office XP
Standard Suite was recoginzed as an upgrade, and not a full version, which it
is--a full version. So now the question remains as to why the installer
would think that, after reinstalling the Operating system, my MS Office
Suite, which are two totally different programs, would suddenly be recognized
as an upgrade and have the user registration stripped from the classes root
or registry keys to show the product as an "unlicensed version" by an
"unknown user."
This only proves how valuable it is to always save the master CDs of
older Office programs, even if a newer version is purchased. In this case,
the installer had to get permission from a copy of MS Office '97 Professional
just to complete the installation of MS Office XP Standard 2002 after it was
already installed. Weird.
 
M

ModernDriver

Success at last 4/1/05. The only way to complete the installation after the
reinstallation of the Windows XP was to insert my MS Office 97 Professional
CD in the drive and use it to refer to a "qualifying product" when prompted
by the windows installer. In other words, for some reason my Office XP
Standard Suite was recoginzed as an upgrade, and not a full version, which it
is--a full version. So now the question remains as to why the installer
would think that, after reinstalling the Operating system, my MS Office
Suite, which are two totally different programs, would suddenly be recognized
as an upgrade and have the user registration stripped from the classes root
or registry keys to show the product as an "unlicensed version" by an
"unknown user."
This only proves how valuable it is to always save the master CDs of
older Office programs, even if a newer version is purchased. In this case,
the installer had to get permission from a copy of MS Office '97 Professional
just to complete the installation of MS Office XP Standard 2002 after it was
already installed. Weird.
 
M

ModernDriver

Success at last 4/1/05. The only way to complete the installation after the
reinstallation of the Windows XP was to insert my MS Office 97 Professional
CD in the drive and use it to refer to a "qualifying product" when prompted
by the windows installer. In other words, for some reason my Office XP
Standard Suite was recoginzed as an upgrade, and not a full version, which it
is--a full version. So now the question remains as to why the installer
would think that, after reinstalling the Operating system, my MS Office
Suite, which are two totally different programs, would suddenly be recognized
as an upgrade and have the user registration stripped from the classes root
or registry keys to show the product as an "unlicensed version" by an
"unknown user."
This only proves how valuable it is to always save the master CDs of
older Office programs, even if a newer version is purchased. In this case,
the installer had to get permission from a copy of MS Office '97 Professional
just to complete the installation of MS Office XP Standard 2002 after it was
already installed. Weird.
 
M

ModernDriver

Success at last 4/1/05. The only way to complete the installation after the
reinstallation of the Windows XP was to insert my MS Office 97 Professional
CD in the drive and use it to refer to a "qualifying product" when prompted
by the windows installer. In other words, for some reason my Office XP
Standard Suite was recoginzed as an upgrade, and not a full version, which it
is--a full version. So now the question remains as to why the installer
would think that, after reinstalling the Operating system, my MS Office
Suite, which are two totally different programs, would suddenly be recognized
as an upgrade and have the user registration stripped from the classes root
or registry keys to show the product as an "unlicensed version" by an
"unknown user."
This only proves how valuable it is to always save the master CDs of
older Office programs, even if a newer version is purchased. In this case,
the installer had to get permission from a copy of MS Office '97 Professional
just to complete the installation of MS Office XP Standard 2002 after it was
already installed. Weird.
 
M

Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]

If your current product is an upgrade version (as yours obviously is) you
are REQUIRED to retain the qualifying product as a part of your upgrade
license. If you no longer have the QP, your upgrade license is invalid.

--
Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]

Post all replies to the group to keep the discussion intact. Due to
the (insert latest virus name here) virus, all mail sent to my personal
account will be deleted without reading.

After furious head scratching, ModernDriver asked:

| Success at last 4/1/05. The only way to complete the installation
| after the reinstallation of the Windows XP was to insert my MS Office
| 97 Professional CD in the drive and use it to refer to a "qualifying
| product" when prompted by the windows installer. In other words, for
| some reason my Office XP Standard Suite was recoginzed as an upgrade,
| and not a full version, which it is--a full version. So now the
| question remains as to why the installer would think that, after
| reinstalling the Operating system, my MS Office Suite, which are two
| totally different programs, would suddenly be recognized as an
| upgrade and have the user registration stripped from the classes root
| or registry keys to show the product as an "unlicensed version" by an
| "unknown user." This only proves how valuable it is to always save
| the master CDs of
| older Office programs, even if a newer version is purchased. In this
| case, the installer had to get permission from a copy of MS Office
| '97 Professional just to complete the installation of MS Office XP
| Standard 2002 after it was already installed. Weird.
|
| "ModernDriver" wrote:
|
|| I had to reinstall Windows from CD after removing the Hotfixes
|| corrupted the files. Installed Service Pack 2 and all subsequent
|| critical updates. All MS Office Standard programs (excel, word,
|| Powerpoint) on my system failed; startup screen said "unknown user"
|| and "unregistered version". I need to detect and repair my Office
|| installation without accessing the program; i.e., the programs would
|| not let me access the help tab to even select the detect and repair
|| option. Moreover, since I could not access the help tab, I could
|| not get the product ID number required to submit a new issue to
|| technical support. Consequently, Windows XP, although running
|| smoothly again, has left me in a pretty pickle. All programs on my
|| system had to be re-run as though they had never been
|| registered. Upon trying to detect and repair the MS Office Standard
|| suite from CD,
|| the option did not even come up; it asked me for the poduct key,
|| which I have, since it is a full version and not an upgrade. It
|| then asked me for the location of a qualifying product AS IF it were
|| and upgrade. So I indicated the drive the master (original
|| holographic) CD was in, but the Windows Installer returned with
|| "error 1608: could not find a qualifying product." After that, the
|| program closed down and installation failed. Whether I started with
|| a new installation or not did not matter, both errors came up asking
|| first for a "qualifying product." Please tell me there is a
|| detect and repair option on the Microsoft
|| Website, since I cannot access it from my disk, nor, as I mentioned,
|| can I get the product ID from the Help tab in any of the office
|| programs, since the programs think I have an unregistered version
|| and close down before I can click on anything.
|| I bought the program new in the sealed box, yet I am again
|| stranded because of Microsoft's failure to consider such a scenario.
|| I cannot even get the help I need because the product ID number
|| cannot be found without launching the affected program. I have the
|| disc in my CD-ROM drive and was just looking for the link that could
|| verify it and ask me for the Product Key, but alas, have not found
|| anyway to repair my Office Installation without a program launch. A
|| search on the MS website only pointed to incidents that tell me what
|| I already know; e.g., open the program and click on the help tab,
|| then select detect and repair. Duly noted, but as I mentioned, what
|| is a registered user supposed to do if the detect and repair option
|| is not available? The detect and repair option should be part of
|| the CD, and not only accessible from the program. It should be a
|| separate utility on the program disk to provide the required help in
|| these situations. I hope that microsoft software engineers will
|| think about this in the future. Not all users should be treated
|| with the suspicion that they have a pirated copy of Microsoft's
|| programs.
 

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