Office 2008 for Mac: Cannot finishinstallation without registering?

[laberinthe]

version used: Office 2008 for Mac Student and Home edition

Is it possible to use the programs without registering it?

I finished installing and have tried registering it several times but my Product ID (all 3 of them) seem to be invalid.

When I click on the office application, it leads me to the setup assistant and says:

"To use Microsoft Office, you must complete the setup process."

when I choose not to register.

 

[Daiya Mitchell]

Registration (on a webpage, right?) just signs you up for a newsletter.
You don't need to do it.

The Setup Assistant should just ask for your name and create an
Entourage identity for you or import your old one--what happens when you
do it?

 

[laberinthe]

Eh well the setup assistance asks me if I want to join a customer improvement program and then gives me the following options:

 <http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v652/genoa16/?action=view&current=Picture1.png>

and that's about all I ever get. I get the the same window everytime I try to open an office program.

So it doesn't ask me about getting an entourage identity at all. Hmmm.

 

[Daiya Mitchell]

Hmm. That's very helpful... I haven't a clue.

Even if you click Finish, it comes back when you try to launch a program?

 

[laberinthe]

Yup. That's what I've been doing for a while now. It's rather annoying :\

 

[Guest]

same thing. registration will not accept the product ID. I see no answers here. is there an answer?

 

[John McGhie]

Then you haven't been looking We answer that one about five times a day


The answer is: "Do not bother with registration. All it does is sign you
up for spam. The website is broken. Eventually, they might fix it. If you
really want the spam, go back in a few weeks, it should be working then."

However, I strongly suggest that you say YES to the Customer Experience
Improvement Program That's the one that sends all the crashes to
Microsoft, and that is how the bugs get fixed.

If you say no to CEIP, your bugs may never be seen, and thus, never be
fixed!

Hope this helps

same thing. registration will not accept the product ID. I see no answers
here. is there an answer?

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Nhulunbuy, Northern Territory, Australia
+61 4 1209 1410, mailto:[email protected]

 

[Courtney_Nash]

The registration problem has been fixed, however if anyone is still having any issues registering we'd appreciate hearing about it.

-Courtney Nash
Mactopia Site Manager

 

[Mark Hudson (London)]

I have a similar problem:

MacBook Air, with applications (including Office 2004) imported from my old MacBook using the Migration Assistant.

When installing, I wasn't prompted for the product ID, and it all went through fine. Imported the Main Identity into Entourage all fine.

When I launch any office app, it just opens the Setup Assistant, and after clicking Yes or No, I then close it, then I get AutoUpdate and I close that.

.... but no Office app ever opens. No message, nothing.

(The upgrade ran fine on the MacBook)

 

[John McGhie]

Hi Mark:

The Migration Assistant creates mayhem if you allow it to "migrate" settings
and preferences from a different machine.

You need to bring the software across, but leave the machine-specific
settings files behind.

Try this ‹ absolutely no guarantee that it will be effective:

Please:

1) Quit all Microsoft applications.

2) Track down all instances of pre-2008 Normal template on your computer,
and drag them to your desktop. The file is called simply "Normal" and has
no extension.

3) Find and drag the file Normal.dotm to your desktop. Unless you have
moved it, it should be in
~/User/Library/Application Support/Microsoft/Office/User Templates/

4) If the following files exist, Remove or rename them:

~/Library/Preferences/Microsoft/Word Settings (10)

~/Library/Preferences/Microsoft/Word Settings (11)

User/Library/Preferences/com.Microsoft.Word.plist

User/Library/Preferences/Microsoft/Office 2008 (the whole folder!)

5) Now re-start Word 2008 and it should be OK.

Be thorough with this, if you leave any of these files behind Word 2008 will
find them and won't replace them. Do it right and Word will construct a
new, clean, set of preferences and everything should now work.

Hope this helps

I have a similar problem:

MacBook Air, with applications (including Office 2004) imported from my old
MacBook using the Migration Assistant.

When installing, I wasn't prompted for the product ID, and it all went through
fine. Imported the Main Identity into Entourage all fine.

When I launch any office app, it just opens the Setup Assistant, and after
clicking Yes or No, I then close it, then I get AutoUpdate and I close that.

... but no Office app ever opens. No message, nothing.


(The upgrade ran fine on the MacBook)

--
Don't wait for your answer, click here: http://www.word.mvps.org/

Please reply in the group. Please do NOT email me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie, Consultant Technical Writer
+61 4 1209 1410, mailto:[email protected]
McGhie Information Engineering Pty Ltd
http://jgmcghie.fastmail.com.au/
Nhulunbuy, Northern Territory, Australia

 

[Mark Hudson (London)]

Hi John,
Thanks for your tip!
I followed your list, but no luck. Word tries to launch, and I see many of the above files recreated, but instead of displaying the Word splash screen, it simply opened the Office Setup Assistant Screen.

How frustrating it is to keep clicking "YES, tell Microsoft how crap this setup experience is!"

Any other suggestions gratefully received.

Many thanks

Mark
(London, originally from Sydney, AUS)

 

[Mark Hudson (London)]

Update: got it to work with slight hack:

After trying removing and reinstalling several times with no success, I simply installed one last time. Then, I copied:
User/Library/Preferences/Microsoft/Office 2008 (the whole folder!)

from my old (working) MacBook Pro to the new MacBook Air. Started first time, no problems since.

Surely this is a simple one for the setup guys to fix. Obviously the setup testing process for Apple isn't as rigorous as the Windows products... I'll put my hand up to be a MS beta tester (again).. why do I do it to myself!

Thanks John for your help.

Cheers
MH

 

[John McGhie]

Yeah, we went around this circle once before with another customer who has
an Air.

The rest of us felt very good about that: you blokes who come in here
flaunting your bling and making us jealous deserve the pain.

In his case, none of the suggestions we got from the developer working on
this problem succeeded.

I believe he ultimately succeeded by:

1) Obtain an external USB or FireWire drive

2) Copy the entire content of the DVD onto that.

3) Delete the Microsoft Office 2008 folder entirely from the Air.

4) Also delete the entire Microsoft folder from your preferences.

5) Run the installation from the external drive.

This might also work if you copy the entire content of the DVD onto the
Air's internal drive and run the installation from there.

Just don't even "THINK" about using the migration assistant. This stuff
will NOT migrate to a dissimilar machine

Sorry, we have only had two of these so far, and neither of them worked...

Cheers

Hi John,
Thanks for your tip!
I followed your list, but no luck. Word tries to launch, and I see many of the
above files recreated, but instead of displaying the Word splash screen, it
simply opened the Office Setup Assistant Screen.

How frustrating it is to keep clicking "YES, tell Microsoft how crap this
setup experience is!"

Any other suggestions gratefully received.

Many thanks

Mark
(London, originally from Sydney, AUS)

--
Don't wait for your answer, click here: http://www.word.mvps.org/

Please reply in the group. Please do NOT email me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie, Consultant Technical Writer
+61 4 1209 1410, mailto:[email protected]
McGhie Information Engineering Pty Ltd
http://jgmcghie.fastmail.com.au/
Nhulunbuy, Northern Territory, Australia

 

[CyberTaz]

Hi John -

<snip>

Yeah, we went around this circle once before with another customer who has
an Air.

The rest of us felt very good about that: you blokes who come in here
flaunting your bling and making us jealous deserve the pain.

<snip>

This isn't the first time you've allowed the green-eyed monster to cause you
to drool all over a post pertaining to the Airs - which really perplexes me
because I never pegged you as one to be enamored of gimmick devices

We know all the pros, but having just gone through the process of comparison
shopping it appears that many people (including yourself?) either haven't
considered (or don't care about) the cons:

1- Maximum 2GB RAM - not expandable
2- Maximum 80 GB HD
3- One USB port
4- No FireWire
5- No built-in Ethernet - adapt (= degrade) via USB
6- Maximum 1.8 GHz processor/800 MHz bus
7- CD/DVD external only - Additional cost
8- Restrictive - though advertised as Full Sized - Keyboard
9- Small 13.3" Display - Glossy Only
10- Shared Graphics RAM

I wound up ordering a MacBook Pro

Regards |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

 

[Phillip Jones]

Hi John -

<snip>

<snip>

This isn't the first time you've allowed the green-eyed monster to cause you
to drool all over a post pertaining to the Airs - which really perplexes me
because I never pegged you as one to be enamored of gimmick devices

We know all the pros, but having just gone through the process of comparison
shopping it appears that many people (including yourself?) either haven't
considered (or don't care about) the cons:

1- Maximum 2GB RAM - not expandable
2- Maximum 80 GB HD
3- One USB port
4- No FireWire
5- No built-in Ethernet - adapt (= degrade) via USB
6- Maximum 1.8 GHz processor/800 MHz bus
7- CD/DVD external only - Additional cost
8- Restrictive - though advertised as Full Sized - Keyboard
9- Small 13.3" Display - Glossy Only
10- Shared Graphics RAM

I wound up ordering a MacBook Pro

Regards |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

I have a PowerBook 17" with 2gb RAM (factory installed the maximum) and
consider the possibility of getting an AIR but after looking at the
price of the one that has the SDD memory instead of the HD. its 15 gb
less and cost about $1300.00 more than the base model with the 80GB PATA
hard drive.

Think I'll wait and get me a new tower unit.


as for the Lack of Ethernet. Alltel has a unit that plugs in to USB slot
and has a download speed almost equivalent to cable modem it uses that
new EVDO system the phone companies have came out with. the Service is
60 bucks a month but you could actually give up your current provided
and perhaps pay less a month in the long run.


Or for You rich kids with deep pockets just subscribe to service along
side your regular ISP.
--
------------------------------------------------------------------------
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616 Liberty Street |Who's Who. PHONE:276-632-5045, FAX:276-632-0868
Martinsville Va 24112 |[email protected], ICQ11269732, AIM pjonescet
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[John McGhie]

Hi Bob:

Reminds me of the car advertisement we had down here (at the end of the
previous petrol price crisis when fuel was coming back from a high of six
bucks a gallon...)

Man Number 1 "But a 6-cylinder is lighter, more economical, it goes wherever
you want, you can't exceed the speed limit, and it's cheaper! Why do you
need a V-8?"

Man Number 2 looks at the first, turns to the camera, gets a far-away look
in his eyes and mumbles in a low husky voice "Because I WANT one!"

Fifteen years on, that has passed into the Australian language. "Because I
want one" is an adequate justification for a car that needs a finance loan
for the petrol, a TV that won't fit through the door, a motorcycle too big
for city traffic, or a Mac Book Air....

You just don't understand...

Cheers

Hi John -

<snip>

<snip>

This isn't the first time you've allowed the green-eyed monster to cause you
to drool all over a post pertaining to the Airs - which really perplexes me
because I never pegged you as one to be enamored of gimmick devices

We know all the pros, but having just gone through the process of comparison
shopping it appears that many people (including yourself?) either haven't
considered (or don't care about) the cons:

1- Maximum 2GB RAM - not expandable
2- Maximum 80 GB HD
3- One USB port
4- No FireWire
5- No built-in Ethernet - adapt (= degrade) via USB
6- Maximum 1.8 GHz processor/800 MHz bus
7- CD/DVD external only - Additional cost
8- Restrictive - though advertised as Full Sized - Keyboard
9- Small 13.3" Display - Glossy Only
10- Shared Graphics RAM

I wound up ordering a MacBook Pro

Regards |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

--
Don't wait for your answer, click here: http://www.word.mvps.org/

Please reply in the group. Please do NOT email me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie, Consultant Technical Writer
+61 4 1209 1410, mailto:[email protected]
McGhie Information Engineering Pty Ltd
http://jgmcghie.fastmail.com.au/
Sydney, Australia. S33°53'34.20 E151°14'54.50

 

[CyberTaz]

I understand completely - Ya think I really *need* the MBP in the first
place????

Regards |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

 

[John McGhie]

Hi Bob:

No, I don't think you NEED a Back Lit Keyboard at all.

I think you could have gotten along perfectly well with a lowly MacBook like
I bought, after a careful consideration of the fact that I would be paying
exactly twice as much for the MBP.

Damn, I want a back-lit keyboard....

Cheers

I understand completely - Ya think I really *need* the MBP in the first
place????

Regards |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

--
Don't wait for your answer, click here: http://www.word.mvps.org/

Please reply in the group. Please do NOT email me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie, Consultant Technical Writer
+61 4 1209 1410, mailto:[email protected]
McGhie Information Engineering Pty Ltd
http://jgmcghie.fastmail.com.au/
Sydney, Australia. S33°53'34.20 E151°14'54.50

 

[Phillip Jones]

My PowerBook 17" has a Backlite keyboard and it gets brighter the darker
the room is plus a combination of the Fn key and the f9 and 10 key you
can adjust the brightness. Fn F9 turns Brightness down for keyboard and
Fn 9 increases the brightness. FN f1/f2 adjust Screen Brightness and Fn
f3/f4 sound.

Hi Bob:

No, I don't think you NEED a Back Lit Keyboard at all.

I think you could have gotten along perfectly well with a lowly MacBook like
I bought, after a careful consideration of the fact that I would be paying
exactly twice as much for the MBP.

Damn, I want a back-lit keyboard....

Cheers

--
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Phillip M. Jones, CET |LIFE MEMBER: VPEA ETA-I, NESDA, ISCET, Sterling
616 Liberty Street |Who's Who. PHONE:276-632-5045, FAX:276-632-0868
Martinsville Va 24112 |[email protected], ICQ11269732, AIM pjonescet
------------------------------------------------------------------------

If it's "fixed", don't "break it"!

mailto[email protected]

<http://www.kimbanet.com/~pjones/default.htm>
<http://www.kimbanet.com/~pjones/90th_Birthday/index.htm>
<http://www.kimbanet.com/~pjones/Fulcher/default.html>
<http://www.kimbanet.com/~pjones/Harris/default.htm>
<http://www.kimbanet.com/~pjones/Jones/default.htm>

<http://www.vpea.org>

 

[John McGhie]

Yeah. Right. Completely ESSENTIAL functionality. Philip, I understand....

You're as bad as the rest of us. How the hell did you ever get that one
approved by your Wife???

My PowerBook 17" has a Backlite keyboard and it gets brighter the darker
the room is plus a combination of the Fn key and the f9 and 10 key you
can adjust the brightness. Fn F9 turns Brightness down for keyboard and
Fn 9 increases the brightness. FN f1/f2 adjust Screen Brightness and Fn
f3/f4 sound.

--
Don't wait for your answer, click here: http://www.word.mvps.org/

Please reply in the group. Please do NOT email me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie, Consultant Technical Writer
+61 4 1209 1410, mailto:[email protected]
McGhie Information Engineering Pty Ltd
http://jgmcghie.fastmail.com.au/
Sydney, Australia. S33°53'34.20 E151°14'54.50