My product key won't work to open onenote- says i typed it wrong

[Elizabeth139]

I bought the Microsoft Office 2003 edition and downloaded it onto my
computer. An icon for Microsoft OneNote appeared on my screen and when I
tried to open it, it said to type in my product key. I found the product key
on the back of the CD and entered it, but for some reason it keeps saying I
entered it incorrectly and won't let me open the program. I've checked it
three times and I know I entered it correctly, so I'm not sure what I'm doing
wrong.

 

[Erik Sojka (MVP)]

OneNote, while part of the Office family of products, is considered a
separate product from a licensing point of view and must be purchased
separately from one of the Office bundles. A purcased Office
Professional key won't work for OneNote.

What's strange is that an Office install also installed OneNote. That
shouldn't have happened. Is it possible that a trial version of OneNote
was installed by you computer manufacturer and you didn't notice it until
you used your newly installed Office programs for the first time? What
type of computer is it?

 

[CJB]

MS Office 2003 Pro certainly does come with OneNote - implying that
they are all part of the same suite and subject to the same key.

I recently purchased a brand new laptop with MS Works and MS OneNote
(not a trial version) all pre-installed. I also purchased Office 2003
Pro for 500 quid.

This came with three CDs. The first installed fine. The second for SP1
installed fine.

The third for SP2 crashed with a file not found - the OneNote CAB file
actually.

Meanwhile I have registered and activated all of Office 2003 Pro suite
apart from OneNote.

Whenever I start OneNote it demands a key. I don't have any key. The
laptop with the pre-installed s/w only came with an XP key - this
doesn't work. The Office 2003 key doesn't work.

Life is too short to waste on faulty products even if they did cost 500
quid. I have now deleted OneNote from my PC as poorly designed app. I
mean if MS can't even get an installation process working then perhaps
its time to scrap XP and go over to Linux.

CJB.

 

[Rainald Taesler]

CJB shared these words of wisdom:

Life is too short to waste on faulty products even if they did cost
500 quid.
LOL

I have now deleted OneNote from my PC as poorly designed
app.

A big mistake IMO.

And: A product key not working does not at all mean that the software
wood be "poorly designed". One note is anything but that.

I mean if MS can't even get an installation process working then
perhaps its time to scrap XP and go over to Linux.

For sure MS can get it working.
But did you even give them a chance to help you?

Maybe you misunderstood things.
Posting in here does not mean to reach MS.
This basically is a peer-to-peer forum where volunteers try to help
other users. Although some of the OneNote developers check postings in
this forum (especially as the main issues discussed here are related
to the beta version of the new ON 2007) complaints posted here won't
reach the responsible persons. And for sure one cannot except that
people working with the MS support would jump in here for clearing
individual user's problems.

If there are problems with the activation of a product one should mail
or better call the MS hotline and ask for help.
Do that instead of missing OneNote.
I can understand that you are frustrated. But frustration hardly ever
is good advisor.

Rainald