I purchased a new OEM copy of MS Office Professional 2003 on CD. The CD and sealed case look genuine. I installed it on my new Dell PC and went to enter the Product Key at Help>Activate Product and it said it was already activated. If I check Help>About, sure enough there is a Product ID and it says it is licensed in my name.

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However, if I check the Product Key using a key finder, it reports a different Product Key than the one printed on the CD case. I did a second install on my laptop (allowed by the license) and the exact same thing happened. Three questions: 1. How can an installation of MS Office activate itself without you entering the Product Key? Why does the Product Key reported by the key finder software differ from the one on the CD case? How can I be sure I have a genuine copy of the software? What to do when you figure out you have a bootleg / Fake copy of Office?

You ran into a problem where your Product Key no longer works. Using the following tips you figure that you have a bootleg copy of Office. What can you do? Determine how reputable the source is.

Is it national retail chain or an individual selling on the internet? If they are reputable, contact the original vendor and ask for a replacement upgrade “Retail” version. Pay the difference 3. If they are not reputable, and you used an intermediary source like Craigslist or Kagigi or such, contact them and report the vendor. They may have a refund policy or mediation service that will work for you 4.

If that doesn’t work,(don’t waste a lot of time on it, but do try it, contact your payment source: ie Credit Card or PayPal, and see if they will cancel the transaction and return the money to you. If you are feeling vindictive, you can report the ‘piracy’ to Microsoft using this page: chrome://ietab2/content/reloaded.html?url=With a little luck, MS will shut them down. MS is serious about shutting down piracy, which is why legal users are put through the bother of the activation process. If the product key you used to install ends in TBBBG, then you are using the second most commonly pirated Office product key. Note: if you did buy a bootleg copy, don’t expect MS to refund your money or give you a replacement Product Key. Bottom line is that you didn’t pay them any money in the first place, so they don’t really “owe” you anything. If these tips can’t help you to confirm it is bootleg, do a phone activation.

Don’t enter any information, wait until the phone system offers you the option to talk to a “service” rep. Explain the situation to them and ask them to explain the exact reason why your activation is failing. They do have this information. If you are not satisfied with their explanation, calmly ask to speak to a supervisor. Although the article refers to spammers, I suspect they would be just as happy to go after bootleg software sellers.

Visa has begun threatening banks that harbour spammer accounts in a move designed to crush the spam revenue model. The initiative, described as a “major effort”, had been quietly underway since the start of the year and had already forced the closure of accounts held by major spam players. Under the model, organisations who spot counterfeit products being sold by spammers can report the fraud to the, a task force composed of executives from corporations including Microsoft, Rolex and Apple. The coalition would then investigate the compliant and refer the matter to Visa, which would then pressure the acquiring bank processing the spam transactions to shutter the accounts. Download Free Die Design Handbook Pdf Free.