Licensing problem

[c_henry802]

I am a student at Queen's University in Canada and living in residence.
I have Office for Mac installed on my MacBook, and was working fine,
until i tried to log on while connected to the residence network, which
informed me that I could not proceed because N******* C****** was using
the same Office license within the network. I went to check with her to
see what the issue was, and it turns out that she was experiencing the
same problem. The thing is, we are both using completely separate
copies of the program, and the license numbers are different. It makes
absolutely no sense to me why this is happening, and in the mean time I
am experiencing great difficulty trying to complete my university
assignments. Any help on the issue woule be much appreciated.

Chris

 

[Daiya Mitchell]

Hi Chris,

My, that is a problem. The temporary workaround would be to disconnect from
the network, of course.

I have no idea why this is happening--my best guess would be to try
re-entering the installation code, using this script to do so without
re-installing.
<http://homepage.mac.com/barryw/scripts/scripts.html>
You want the "De-Serialize Microsoft Office" script.

Some questions, just for research:
--is this an academic volume license bought through your university for a
deep discount, or was it a retail box with the Student/Teacher Edition?
--by license numbers, do you mean the number in the About window? Are they
entirely different in every block? (I ask this because the same
installation code will generate different numbers when used twice--usually
the first four blocks are the same but the last block is totally
different--conceivably MS messed up and used the same number twice or
something)

Let us know what happens, please.

 

[c_henry802]

Thanks for the help
It was a retail version, not an academic volume license. The number I
was referring to was indeed the number in the About Window. I have
tried running the de-serialize microsoft office script, but i won't be
able to test whether it worked or not until i can get the person to try
and turn on their office on too. thanks for all your help. hopefully
this works

 

[c_henry802]

unfortunately running that script does not seem to be the answer to my
problems, as i just received the same message again and was booted off
word. i have no idea what it is that could be causing this problem.

 

[c_henry802]

unfortunately running that script does not seem to be the answer to my
problems, as i just received the same message again and was booted off
word. i have no idea what it is that could be causing this problem.

 

[Barry Wainwright [MVP]]

What version of office are you using?

 

[c_henry802]

I'm using Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac

What version of office are you using?

--
Barry Wainwright
Microsoft MVP (see http://mvp.support.microsoft.com for details)
Check out the Entourage User's WebLog for hints, tips and troubleshooting
<http://homepage.mac.com/barryw/weblog/weblog.html>

 

[Barry Wainwright [MVP]]

Does the script give any indication of error (or successful completion)?

After running the script, you should get a message that says "Office 2004
has now been de-serialised. Please start any office application to be
prompted for a new serial number". Does this happen for you?

 

[c_henry802]

Yes
I ran the script, and it worked fine. I opened an Office program,
re-entered my serial number, and everything seemed to work fine.
However, this did not seem to correct anything, as I am still
experiencing the exact same problem.

 

[Mickey Stevens]

Ask the other user to run the script and re-enter her own serial number,
presumably different from yours.

 

[c_henry802]

This still doesn't seem to help. Anything else that might work?

 

[c_henry802]

I talked to friends of mine in another residence who also have macbooks
with office on them and theyre getting the same problem with each
other. I think there's a general problem with office for mac.

 

[c_henry802]

none of the people who are having this problem in my res have the same
product installation key. Is there a patch coming out in the near
future that will fix this problem?

We're starting to believe the same. It appears the Microsoft 11.2.6 patch
or the Apple 10.4.8 patch has broken something.

Actually: It may be that the patch "fixed" something that was previously
not working. You are not supposed to be able to have two copies of
Microsoft Office running on the same product installation key on the same
network. It should Error and shut one down if you try. That's what's
*supposed* to happen

Cheers

 

[John McGhie [MVP - Word and Word Macintosh]]

We have no idea. Microsoft has not been able to confirm the problem yet.
If they find it, I think it is safe to assume that they will patch it.

none of the people who are having this problem in my res have the same
product installation key. Is there a patch coming out in the near
future that will fix this problem?

--

Please reply to the newsgroup to maintain the thread. Please do not email
me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie <[email protected]>
Microsoft MVP, Word and Word for Macintosh. Business Analyst, Consultant
Technical Writer.
Sydney, Australia +61 (0) 4 1209 1410

 

[c_henry802]

is there anything else that i can do in the meantime?

 

[c_henry802]

That's what I've been doing so far, which does work, although is highly
annoying as most of the time when I need to use Office I also need to
use the internet

It will allow you to start, but I believe it also checks every five minutes
or so while an office app is open.

--
Barry Wainwright
Microsoft MVP (see http://mvp.support.microsoft.com for details)
Check out the Entourage User's WebLog for hints, tips and troubleshooting
<http://homepage.mac.com/barryw/weblog/weblog.html>

From: "John McGhie [MVP - Word and Word Macintosh]" <[email protected]>
Newsgroups: microsoft.public.mac.office
Date: Thu, 12 Oct 2006 19:59:09 +1000
Conversation: Licensing problem
Subject: Re: Licensing problem

Unplug the network cable. I'm serious If there's no network connection
when the application starts, it probably won't issue the error message.

Cheers

is there anything else that i can do in the meantime?

John McGhie [MVP - Word and Word Macintosh] wrote:
We have no idea. Microsoft has not been able to confirm the problem yet.
If they find it, I think it is safe to assume that they will patch it.


On 10/10/06 3:18 PM, in article
(e-mail address removed),

none of the people who are having this problem in my res have the same
product installation key. Is there a patch coming out in the near
future that will fix this problem?

John McGhie [MVP - Word and Word Macintosh] wrote:
We're starting to believe the same. It appears the Microsoft 11.2.6 patch
or the Apple 10.4.8 patch has broken something.

Actually: It may be that the patch "fixed" something that was previously
not working. You are not supposed to be able to have two copies of
Microsoft Office running on the same product installation key on the same
network. It should Error and shut one down if you try. That's what's
*supposed* to happen

Cheers

On 5/10/06 2:58 PM, in article
(e-mail address removed),

I talked to friends of mine in another residence who also have macbooks
with office on them and theyre getting the same problem with each
other. I think there's a general problem with office for mac.

(e-mail address removed) wrote:
This still doesn't seem to help. Anything else that might work?

Mickey Stevens wrote:
Ask the other user to run the script and re-enter her own serial
number,
presumably different from yours.

On 9/26/06 9:17 PM, in article
(e-mail address removed), "c_henry802"

Yes
I ran the script, and it worked fine. I opened an Office program,
re-entered my serial number, and everything seemed to work fine.
However, this did not seem to correct anything, as I am still
experiencing the exact same problem.

Barry Wainwright [MVP] wrote:
Does the script give any indication of error (or successful
completion)?

After running the script, you should get a message that says "Office
2004
has now been de-serialised. Please start any office application to be
prompted for a new serial number". Does this happen for you?

--
Barry Wainwright
Microsoft MVP (see http://mvp.support.microsoft.com for details)
Check out the Entourage User's WebLog for hints, tips and
troubleshooting
<http://homepage.mac.com/barryw/weblog/weblog.html>



From: <[email protected]>
Organization: http://groups.google.com
Newsgroups: microsoft.public.mac.office
Date: 25 Sep 2006 19:06:41 -0700
Subject: Re: Licensing problem

I'm using Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac


Barry Wainwright [MVP] wrote:
What version of office are you using?

--
Barry Wainwright
Microsoft MVP (see http://mvp.support.microsoft.com for details)
Check out the Entourage User's WebLog for hints, tips and
troubleshooting
<http://homepage.mac.com/barryw/weblog/weblog.html>



From: <[email protected]>
Organization: http://groups.google.com
Newsgroups: microsoft.public.mac.office
Date: 25 Sep 2006 13:03:55 -0700
Subject: Re: Licensing problem

unfortunately running that script does not seem to be the answer to
my
problems, as i just received the same message again and was booted
off
word. i have no idea what it is that could be causing this problem.

(e-mail address removed) wrote:
Thanks for the help
It was a retail version, not an academic volume license. The number
I
was referring to was indeed the number in the About Window. I have
tried running the de-serialize microsoft office script, but i won't
be
able to test whether it worked or not until i can get the person to
try
and turn on their office on too. thanks for all your help.
hopefully
this works

Daiya Mitchell wrote:
Hi Chris,

My, that is a problem. The temporary workaround would be to
disconnect
from
the network, of course.

I have no idea why this is happening--my best guess would be to try
re-entering the installation code, using this script to do so
without
re-installing.
<http://homepage.mac.com/barryw/scripts/scripts.html>
You want the "De-Serialize Microsoft Office" script.

Some questions, just for research:
--is this an academic volume license bought through your university
for
a
deep discount, or was it a retail box with the Student/Teacher
Edition?
--by license numbers, do you mean the number in the About window?
Are
they
entirely different in every block? (I ask this because the same
installation code will generate different numbers when used
twice--usually
the first four blocks are the same but the last block is totally
different--conceivably MS messed up and used the same number twice
or
something)

Let us know what happens, please.

On 9/24/06 5:40 PM, "(e-mail address removed)" wrote:

I am a student at Queen's University in Canada and living in
residence.
I have Office for Mac installed on my MacBook, and was working
fine,
until i tried to log on while connected to the residence network,
which
informed me that I could not proceed because N******* C****** was
using
the same Office license within the network. I went to check with
her
to
see what the issue was, and it turns out that she was experiencing
the
same problem. The thing is, we are both using completely separate
copies of the program, and the license numbers are different. It
makes
absolutely no sense to me why this is happening, and in the mean
time I
am experiencing great difficulty trying to complete my university
assignments. Any help on the issue woule be much appreciated.

Chris


--
Daiya Mitchell, MVP Mac/Word
Word FAQ: http://www.word.mvps.org/
MacWord Tips: <http://word.mvps.org/Mac/WordMacHome.html>
What's an MVP? A volunteer! Read the FAQ:





--
Mickey Stevens (Microsoft MVP for Office:mac)
Office & Mac Resources: <http://home.earthlink.net/~mickey.stevens/>


--

Please reply to the newsgroup to maintain the thread. Please do not email
me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie <[email protected]>
Microsoft MVP, Word and Word for Macintosh. Business Analyst, Consultant
Technical Writer.
Sydney, Australia +61 (0) 4 1209 1410


--

Please reply to the newsgroup to maintain the thread. Please do not email
me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie <[email protected]>
Microsoft MVP, Word and Word for Macintosh. Business Analyst, Consultant
Technical Writer.
Sydney, Australia +61 (0) 4 1209 1410

--

Please reply to the newsgroup to maintain the thread. Please do not email
me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie <[email protected]>
Microsoft MVP, Word and Word for Macintosh. Business Analyst, Consultant
Technical Writer.
Sydney, Australia +61 (0) 4 1209 1410

 

[c_henry802]

That's what I've been doing so far, which does work, although is highly
annoying as most of the time when I need to use Office I also need to
use the internet

It will allow you to start, but I believe it also checks every five minutes
or so while an office app is open.

--
Barry Wainwright
Microsoft MVP (see http://mvp.support.microsoft.com for details)
Check out the Entourage User's WebLog for hints, tips and troubleshooting
<http://homepage.mac.com/barryw/weblog/weblog.html>

From: "John McGhie [MVP - Word and Word Macintosh]" <[email protected]>
Newsgroups: microsoft.public.mac.office
Date: Thu, 12 Oct 2006 19:59:09 +1000
Conversation: Licensing problem
Subject: Re: Licensing problem

Unplug the network cable. I'm serious If there's no network connection
when the application starts, it probably won't issue the error message.

Cheers

is there anything else that i can do in the meantime?

John McGhie [MVP - Word and Word Macintosh] wrote:
We have no idea. Microsoft has not been able to confirm the problem yet.
If they find it, I think it is safe to assume that they will patch it.


On 10/10/06 3:18 PM, in article
(e-mail address removed),

none of the people who are having this problem in my res have the same
product installation key. Is there a patch coming out in the near
future that will fix this problem?

John McGhie [MVP - Word and Word Macintosh] wrote:
We're starting to believe the same. It appears the Microsoft 11.2.6 patch
or the Apple 10.4.8 patch has broken something.

Actually: It may be that the patch "fixed" something that was previously
not working. You are not supposed to be able to have two copies of
Microsoft Office running on the same product installation key on the same
network. It should Error and shut one down if you try. That's what's
*supposed* to happen

Cheers

On 5/10/06 2:58 PM, in article
(e-mail address removed),

I talked to friends of mine in another residence who also have macbooks
with office on them and theyre getting the same problem with each
other. I think there's a general problem with office for mac.

(e-mail address removed) wrote:
This still doesn't seem to help. Anything else that might work?

Mickey Stevens wrote:
Ask the other user to run the script and re-enter her own serial
number,
presumably different from yours.

On 9/26/06 9:17 PM, in article
(e-mail address removed), "c_henry802"

Yes
I ran the script, and it worked fine. I opened an Office program,
re-entered my serial number, and everything seemed to work fine.
However, this did not seem to correct anything, as I am still
experiencing the exact same problem.

Barry Wainwright [MVP] wrote:
Does the script give any indication of error (or successful
completion)?

After running the script, you should get a message that says "Office
2004
has now been de-serialised. Please start any office application to be
prompted for a new serial number". Does this happen for you?

--
Barry Wainwright
Microsoft MVP (see http://mvp.support.microsoft.com for details)
Check out the Entourage User's WebLog for hints, tips and
troubleshooting
<http://homepage.mac.com/barryw/weblog/weblog.html>



From: <[email protected]>
Organization: http://groups.google.com
Newsgroups: microsoft.public.mac.office
Date: 25 Sep 2006 19:06:41 -0700
Subject: Re: Licensing problem

I'm using Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac


Barry Wainwright [MVP] wrote:
What version of office are you using?

--
Barry Wainwright
Microsoft MVP (see http://mvp.support.microsoft.com for details)
Check out the Entourage User's WebLog for hints, tips and
troubleshooting
<http://homepage.mac.com/barryw/weblog/weblog.html>



From: <[email protected]>
Organization: http://groups.google.com
Newsgroups: microsoft.public.mac.office
Date: 25 Sep 2006 13:03:55 -0700
Subject: Re: Licensing problem

unfortunately running that script does not seem to be the answer to
my
problems, as i just received the same message again and was booted
off
word. i have no idea what it is that could be causing this problem.

(e-mail address removed) wrote:
Thanks for the help
It was a retail version, not an academic volume license. The number
I
was referring to was indeed the number in the About Window. I have
tried running the de-serialize microsoft office script, but i won't
be
able to test whether it worked or not until i can get the person to
try
and turn on their office on too. thanks for all your help.
hopefully
this works

Daiya Mitchell wrote:
Hi Chris,

My, that is a problem. The temporary workaround would be to
disconnect
from
the network, of course.

I have no idea why this is happening--my best guess would be to try
re-entering the installation code, using this script to do so
without
re-installing.
<http://homepage.mac.com/barryw/scripts/scripts.html>
You want the "De-Serialize Microsoft Office" script.

Some questions, just for research:
--is this an academic volume license bought through your university
for
a
deep discount, or was it a retail box with the Student/Teacher
Edition?
--by license numbers, do you mean the number in the About window?
Are
they
entirely different in every block? (I ask this because the same
installation code will generate different numbers when used
twice--usually
the first four blocks are the same but the last block is totally
different--conceivably MS messed up and used the same number twice
or
something)

Let us know what happens, please.

On 9/24/06 5:40 PM, "(e-mail address removed)" wrote:

I am a student at Queen's University in Canada and living in
residence.
I have Office for Mac installed on my MacBook, and was working
fine,
until i tried to log on while connected to the residence network,
which
informed me that I could not proceed because N******* C****** was
using
the same Office license within the network. I went to check with
her
to
see what the issue was, and it turns out that she was experiencing
the
same problem. The thing is, we are both using completely separate
copies of the program, and the license numbers are different. It
makes
absolutely no sense to me why this is happening, and in the mean
time I
am experiencing great difficulty trying to complete my university
assignments. Any help on the issue woule be much appreciated.

Chris


--
Daiya Mitchell, MVP Mac/Word
Word FAQ: http://www.word.mvps.org/
MacWord Tips: <http://word.mvps.org/Mac/WordMacHome.html>
What's an MVP? A volunteer! Read the FAQ:





--
Mickey Stevens (Microsoft MVP for Office:mac)
Office & Mac Resources: <http://home.earthlink.net/~mickey.stevens/>


--

Please reply to the newsgroup to maintain the thread. Please do not email
me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie <[email protected]>
Microsoft MVP, Word and Word for Macintosh. Business Analyst, Consultant
Technical Writer.
Sydney, Australia +61 (0) 4 1209 1410


--

Please reply to the newsgroup to maintain the thread. Please do not email
me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie <[email protected]>
Microsoft MVP, Word and Word for Macintosh. Business Analyst, Consultant
Technical Writer.
Sydney, Australia +61 (0) 4 1209 1410

--

Please reply to the newsgroup to maintain the thread. Please do not email
me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie <[email protected]>
Microsoft MVP, Word and Word for Macintosh. Business Analyst, Consultant
Technical Writer.
Sydney, Australia +61 (0) 4 1209 1410

 

[John McGhie [MVP - Word and Word Macintosh]]

OK, this is rough and nasty but it might get you over the problem:

In your machine's firewall, deny OUTGOING UDP connections to port 2222.

That should stop the alert. I don't know what else it might stop: you'll
just have to try it

I would not leave that in place long. Keep monitoring this group, and as
soon as we announce that Microsoft has found a fix for this problem, put the
firewall back the way it was. I suspect that by blocking port 2222, you may
disable ALL automatic updates

Cheers

That's what I've been doing so far, which does work, although is highly
annoying as most of the time when I need to use Office I also need to
use the internet

It will allow you to start, but I believe it also checks every five minutes
or so while an office app is open.

--
Barry Wainwright
Microsoft MVP (see http://mvp.support.microsoft.com for details)
Check out the Entourage User's WebLog for hints, tips and troubleshooting
<http://homepage.mac.com/barryw/weblog/weblog.html>

From: "John McGhie [MVP - Word and Word Macintosh]" <[email protected]>
Newsgroups: microsoft.public.mac.office
Date: Thu, 12 Oct 2006 19:59:09 +1000
Conversation: Licensing problem
Subject: Re: Licensing problem

Unplug the network cable. I'm serious If there's no network connection
when the application starts, it probably won't issue the error message.

Cheers


On 12/10/06 4:41 AM, in article
(e-mail address removed),

is there anything else that i can do in the meantime?

John McGhie [MVP - Word and Word Macintosh] wrote:
We have no idea. Microsoft has not been able to confirm the problem yet.
If they find it, I think it is safe to assume that they will patch it.


On 10/10/06 3:18 PM, in article
(e-mail address removed),

none of the people who are having this problem in my res have the same
product installation key. Is there a patch coming out in the near
future that will fix this problem?

John McGhie [MVP - Word and Word Macintosh] wrote:
We're starting to believe the same. It appears the Microsoft 11.2.6
patch
or the Apple 10.4.8 patch has broken something.

Actually: It may be that the patch "fixed" something that was
previously
not working. You are not supposed to be able to have two copies of
Microsoft Office running on the same product installation key on the
same
network. It should Error and shut one down if you try. That's what's
*supposed* to happen

Cheers

On 5/10/06 2:58 PM, in article
(e-mail address removed),

I talked to friends of mine in another residence who also have macbooks
with office on them and theyre getting the same problem with each
other. I think there's a general problem with office for mac.

(e-mail address removed) wrote:
This still doesn't seem to help. Anything else that might work?

Mickey Stevens wrote:
Ask the other user to run the script and re-enter her own serial
number,
presumably different from yours.

On 9/26/06 9:17 PM, in article
(e-mail address removed), "c_henry802"

Yes
I ran the script, and it worked fine. I opened an Office program,
re-entered my serial number, and everything seemed to work fine.
However, this did not seem to correct anything, as I am still
experiencing the exact same problem.

Barry Wainwright [MVP] wrote:
Does the script give any indication of error (or successful
completion)?

After running the script, you should get a message that says
"Office
2004
has now been de-serialised. Please start any office application to
be
prompted for a new serial number". Does this happen for you?

--
Barry Wainwright
Microsoft MVP (see http://mvp.support.microsoft.com for details)
Check out the Entourage User's WebLog for hints, tips and
troubleshooting
<http://homepage.mac.com/barryw/weblog/weblog.html>



From: <[email protected]>
Organization: http://groups.google.com
Newsgroups: microsoft.public.mac.office
Date: 25 Sep 2006 19:06:41 -0700
Subject: Re: Licensing problem

I'm using Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac


Barry Wainwright [MVP] wrote:
What version of office are you using?

--
Barry Wainwright
Microsoft MVP (see http://mvp.support.microsoft.com for details)
Check out the Entourage User's WebLog for hints, tips and
troubleshooting
<http://homepage.mac.com/barryw/weblog/weblog.html>



From: <[email protected]>
Organization: http://groups.google.com
Newsgroups: microsoft.public.mac.office
Date: 25 Sep 2006 13:03:55 -0700
Subject: Re: Licensing problem

unfortunately running that script does not seem to be the answer to
my
problems, as i just received the same message again and was booted
off
word. i have no idea what it is that could be causing this problem.

(e-mail address removed) wrote:
Thanks for the help
It was a retail version, not an academic volume license. The number
I
was referring to was indeed the number in the About Window. I have
tried running the de-serialize microsoft office script, but i won't
be
able to test whether it worked or not until i can get the person to
try
and turn on their office on too. thanks for all your help.
hopefully
this works

Daiya Mitchell wrote:
Hi Chris,

My, that is a problem. The temporary workaround would be to
disconnect
from
the network, of course.

I have no idea why this is happening--my best guess would be to try
re-entering the installation code, using this script to do so
without
re-installing.
<http://homepage.mac.com/barryw/scripts/scripts.html>
You want the "De-Serialize Microsoft Office" script.

Some questions, just for research:
--is this an academic volume license bought through your university
for
a
deep discount, or was it a retail box with the Student/Teacher
Edition?
--by license numbers, do you mean the number in the About window?
Are
they
entirely different in every block? (I ask this because the same
installation code will generate different numbers when used
twice--usually
the first four blocks are the same but the last block is totally
different--conceivably MS messed up and used the same number twice
or
something)

Let us know what happens, please.

On 9/24/06 5:40 PM, "(e-mail address removed)" wrote:

I am a student at Queen's University in Canada and living in
residence.
I have Office for Mac installed on my MacBook, and was working
fine,
until i tried to log on while connected to the residence network,
which
informed me that I could not proceed because N******* C****** was
using
the same Office license within the network. I went to check with
her
to
see what the issue was, and it turns out that she was experiencing
the
same problem. The thing is, we are both using completely separate
copies of the program, and the license numbers are different. It
makes
absolutely no sense to me why this is happening, and in the mean
time I
am experiencing great difficulty trying to complete my university
assignments. Any help on the issue woule be much appreciated.

Chris


--
Daiya Mitchell, MVP Mac/Word
Word FAQ: http://www.word.mvps.org/
MacWord Tips: <http://word.mvps.org/Mac/WordMacHome.html>
What's an MVP? A volunteer! Read the FAQ:





--
Mickey Stevens (Microsoft MVP for Office:mac)
Office & Mac Resources: <http://home.earthlink.net/~mickey.stevens/>


--

Please reply to the newsgroup to maintain the thread. Please do not
email
me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie <[email protected]>
Microsoft MVP, Word and Word for Macintosh. Business Analyst,
Consultant
Technical Writer.
Sydney, Australia +61 (0) 4 1209 1410


--

Please reply to the newsgroup to maintain the thread. Please do not email
me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie <[email protected]>
Microsoft MVP, Word and Word for Macintosh. Business Analyst, Consultant
Technical Writer.
Sydney, Australia +61 (0) 4 1209 1410


--

Please reply to the newsgroup to maintain the thread. Please do not email
me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie <[email protected]>
Microsoft MVP, Word and Word for Macintosh. Business Analyst, Consultant
Technical Writer.
Sydney, Australia +61 (0) 4 1209 1410

--

Please reply to the newsgroup to maintain the thread. Please do not email
me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie <[email protected]>
Microsoft MVP, Word and Word for Macintosh. Business Analyst, Consultant
Technical Writer.
Sydney, Australia +61 (0) 4 1209 1410

 

[jft1981]

I would like to chime in here, because I have had this exact same problem for
the last two years.
I attend a grad school with a large wireless network. I have had the same
error message pop up whenever I try to use Word while on my school's network.
The error message has identified several different people, over the past few
years, as having the same product ID as myself. This is comical to me,
because I bought Office for Mac when I bought my laptop! So I know it isn't
pirated.
I tried calling Microsoft once, and the customer service rep looked up my
product ID and found out that it was registered to like 50 other people in
North America. So something is screwy with this system, and it needs to be
looked at.

Tonight I was able to fix the problem: I blocked the ports that Office uses
to send out the product ID information. If you block these ports via
firewall, Office will work AND you can be on the internet. Hallelujah. It was
really beginning to irritate me, especially because I bought a legitimate
copy and I don't appreciate being treated like a thief.

 

[John McGhie [MVP - Word and Word Macintosh]]

Microsoft closely investigated these issues when they began to be reported.

In each and every case, they discovered that the same product ID was indeed
in use on multiple computers.

However, this begs the question of how this happened Those numbers are
supposed to be globally unique (world-wide!) and generated by a random
number generator.

Microsoft is still following this issue, so they will see your report.

Cheers

I would like to chime in here, because I have had this exact same problem for
the last two years.
I attend a grad school with a large wireless network. I have had the same
error message pop up whenever I try to use Word while on my school's network.
The error message has identified several different people, over the past few
years, as having the same product ID as myself. This is comical to me,
because I bought Office for Mac when I bought my laptop! So I know it isn't
pirated.
I tried calling Microsoft once, and the customer service rep looked up my
product ID and found out that it was registered to like 50 other people in
North America. So something is screwy with this system, and it needs to be
looked at.

Tonight I was able to fix the problem: I blocked the ports that Office uses
to send out the product ID information. If you block these ports via
firewall, Office will work AND you can be on the internet. Hallelujah. It was
really beginning to irritate me, especially because I bought a legitimate
copy and I don't appreciate being treated like a thief.

--

Please reply to the newsgroup to maintain the thread. Please do not email
me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie <[email protected]>
Microsoft MVP, Word and Word for Macintosh. Business Analyst, Consultant
Technical Writer.
Sydney, Australia +61 (0) 4 1209 1410