Any way to convert a license plus upgrades to a current license?

[rhetorical]

I have three licenses for MS Office on the Mac that go back as far as
Office 98.
Each has been upgraded to Office 2001, Office 2004, and Office v.X

The problem is that as we upgrade to new Macs and recover from one
failed
hard disk the only way to re-install Office is to have the previous
version running
on the machine. Is there any way I can trade serial numbers with
Microsoft so I can
just install the latest version without installing 98, then applying
three version upgrades
in a row?

 

[JE McGimpsey]

I have three licenses for MS Office on the Mac that go back as far as
Office 98. Each has been upgraded to Office 2001, Office 2004, and
Office v.X

The problem is that as we upgrade to new Macs and recover from one
failed hard disk the only way to re-install Office is to have the
previous version running on the machine. Is there any way I can trade
serial numbers with Microsoft so I can just install the latest
version without installing 98, then applying three version upgrades
in a row?

You should be able to put the Office98 CD in the drive, then point to
that folder when you're asked for a previous version. No version needs
to be running.

 

[Daiya Mitchell]

You should be able to put the Office98 CD in the drive, then point to
that folder when you're asked for a previous version. No version needs
to be running.

Also, I'm not entirely sure that you need Office 98. The Office 2004
installer, for instance, might just accept the disk for Office X (again, no
need to install anything, though I think you do have to do drag and drop
installation to free up the CD drive, assuming you only have one). I think
people have found that to be the case.

You would need to contact MS directly for an answer to your original
question. This might be an appropriate starting point.

How to Replace Lost, Broken, or Missing Microsoft Software or Hardware
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=326246