Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Reset to Factory Settings but Keep MS Office

J

jeddouglas

macrumors regular
Original poster
Dec 13, 2012
245
60
Inverness, UK
Just bought a used MBA (11" 2012 model) on eBay. It came with MS Office installed, but the seller did not have original disks or product key. I was wanting to reset to factory settings but don't want to lose MS Office so seller advised me to change the admin user name and account name which I have done. The MBA is a present for my daughter but I also want to be able to use it at times so have set up myself as an admin user. However, when I log in as myself, the MS Office App icons are not present, whereas if I login as my daughter, they are.

I have two main questions. Firstly, is it safe to have changed the admin user name (to my daughters)? Secondly, why can't I access MS Office when logged in as myself and can I change a setting such that I can access MS Office.

Many thanks
 
jeddouglas said:
Just bought a used MBA (11" 2012 model) on eBay. It came with MS Office installed, but the seller did not have original disks or product key. I was wanting to reset to factory settings but don't want to lose MS Office
Click to expand...
It's not possible to reset to factory settings and keep the copy of Office that's on the computer. Note that the copy of Office you have is not licensed, whether or not it works. There's no way of knowing if the operating system or Office has been compromised somehow with malware. You should reformat the disk to get a fresh copy of OS X, and if you need Office, you should buy a copy.
 
chrfr said:
It's not possible to reset to factory settings and keep the copy of Office that's on the computer. Note that the copy of Office you have is not licensed, whether or not it works. There's no way of knowing if the operating system or Office has been compromised somehow with malware. You should reformat the disk to get a fresh copy of OS X, and if you need Office, you should buy a copy.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your response. It is El Capitan that is installed so must be fairly recent. I know I can't be sure but I don't think seller would do something malicious but I understand that to be 100% safe I should factory reset and buy a copy of office.
 
Oh, I didn't see that. What likely happened is that the apps are installed in /DAUGHTER/Applications instead of simply /Applications, which is why her account sees them and yours does not.
In that case, ignore what I stated, and she'll have to continue using that account.
jeddouglas said:
Thanks for your response. Will that not just have the same effect as what I have done?
Click to expand...
 
So does that mean that I will not be able to access the Apps when logged in as myself? Can the Apps be moved into the /Applications folder so that all users can access them?
 
I understand what you are trying to do and why you want to do it, but think it's actually a violation of forum rules to discuss this since you're trying to bypass licensing methods and use software you aren't entitled to. From what you've said, it seems likely that the previous owner didn't acquire the software legally either.

You might want to have a look at LibreOffice as an alternative. I installed it on a family member's computer and it seems to work very well. https://www.libreoffice.org/download/libreoffice-fresh/

https://macrumors.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/201265337-Forum-Rules
______________________

Do not post software serial numbers or keys or refer people to specific websites, software, or techniques whose purpose is to break or bypass software licensing methods, distribute cracks, or obtain or use commercial software or media in violation of its license and/or for copyright violation. Do not ask for or give such help.
_______________________
 
Boyd01 said:
I understand what you are trying to do and why you want to do it, but think it's actually a violation of forum rules to discuss this since you're trying to bypass licensing methods and use software you aren't entitled to. From what you've said, it seems likely that the previous owner didn't acquire the software legally either.

You might want to have a look at LibreOffice as an alternative. I installed it on a family member's computer and it seems to work very well. https://www.libreoffice.org/download/libreoffice-fresh/

https://macrumors.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/201265337-Forum-Rules
______________________

Do not post software serial numbers or keys or refer people to specific websites, software, or techniques whose purpose is to break or bypass software licensing methods, distribute cracks, or obtain or use commercial software or media in violation of its license and/or for copyright violation. Do not ask for or give such help.
_______________________
Click to expand...
Sorry, I wasn't aware this was against forum rules. I am not trying to bypass licensing methods, I just assumed that the previous owner had lost the disks/product key. I will take your advice though and do a factory re-set and either buy a new copy of MS Office or try the LibreOffice.
 
jeddouglas said:
Sorry, I wasn't aware this was against forum rules. I am not trying to bypass licensing methods, I just assumed that the previous owner had lost the disks/product key. I will take your advice though and do a factory re-set and either buy a new copy of MS Office or try the LibreOffice.
Click to expand...

Office 365 Home subscriptiopns are actually pretty generous, allowing you to install on multiple computers and tablets/phones.

Libre Office is good, but keep in mind that Pages/Numbers/Keynote are all free now as well.
 
Panch0 said:
Office 365 Home subscriptiopns are actually pretty generous, allowing you to install on multiple computers and tablets/phones.

Libre Office is good, but keep in mind that Pages/Numbers/Keynote are all free now as well.
Click to expand...

I thought that Pages/Numbers/Keynote still had to be purchased and were only free with Macs that were 2013 or later. My MBA is 2012, is there any way that I can get them for free?

Many thanks
 
i thought that when Panch0 said they were free it was legitimate. I am only interested in obtaining them for free if it is above board.
 
Actually, as a longtime ms word for mac user i was dubious about pages, but it works fine, converting easily to .doc or .docx files, back and forth. I think for older macs you can buy it for $11.00.
 
It is $20: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pages/id409201541?mt=12

And of course, that only gives you the word processor and not all the features of the MS Office Suite. You would also need Numbers to replace Excel and Keynote for PowerPoint. So now you are into $60.

Not saying this is a bad option. I really haven't spent any time with them. But since LibreOffice is free, seems like it's worth a try at least. :)
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back