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Issue installing MS Office on my Mac

S

Sundance2007

macrumors regular
Original poster
Dec 20, 2007
114
0
I am having trouble installing Office, Mac version. The issue is that the product key is invalid (per the message I get when I try to run anything) because the old version of office I had before left behind the old product key. Evidently it will not overwrite the product key if you are installing a new version, it try's to use the old key. I am going from 2004 to 2008, Office Pro. When I try to open, say Word all I get is a message saying the product key is invalid and to go to MS Office setup assistant for help, but there is nothing in the assistant to help.

How do I delete the old product key. I have deleted the old version of Office but the old product key is left behind somewhere.

Thanks
 
miles01110 said:
Uninstall Office 2004, then install Office 2008.
Click to expand...

Yes, uninstall the older copy. If that doesn't work, uninstall both copies then try the newer version.

When I installed Office 2008, it prompted me to uninstall any older versions despite my iMac being completely new at the time and not having any older versions installed at all, did it give you any similar prompt?
 
I have done that, uninstalled the old version and the new version. Then I reinstalled the new version and at one point a window came up saying it was searching for old versions and then said none were found. I completed the install but I could not open anything. I just got the message saying the product key was not valid.

I have directions for removing the old product key but they don't make any since (I am relatively new to the Mac). Here is what it says to do:

(1) In the Finder, select /Applications/Microsoft Office 2008/Office/OfficePID.plist
, and then on the File menu, click Move to Trash.

(2) Select /Users/yourusername/Library/Preferences/Microsoft/Office 2008/Microsoft Office 2008 settings.plist
, and then on the File menu, click Move to Trash.

In step 2 I do not see a folder called "Users". If I go to "Places" and select my root folder (the only other thing I could think of) there is no folder "usernames".

Thanks
 
Sundance2007 said:
(2) Select /Users/yourusername/Library/Preferences/Microsoft/Office 2008/Microsoft Office 2008 settings.plist
, and then on the File menu, click Move to Trash.

In step 2 I do not see a folder called "Users". If I go to "Places" and select my root folder (the only other thing I could think of) there is no folder "usernames".
Click to expand...

Under your "root folder under Places" the next level will be Library, not usernames. Make sense?
 
OK, thanks for the help. I was able to change the product key to the correct one once I understood the path they were describing in the directions.

All seems to be fine now.:)

Thanks
 
miles01110 said:
Uninstall Office 2004, then install Office 2008.
Click to expand...
For future reference, this is unnecessary. Office 2004 and Office 2008 coexist without significant issue. Certainly they can be installed, registered, and activated on the same partition. If the OP's computer had the Office 2008 trial installed, then this would have prevented the installation of the working version. He would have been required to use the uninstaller to remove the trial before he could install the working version.
 
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