How to activate Microsoft Reader and troubleshoot activation (812390)

MORE INFORMATION

To read an eBook with Reader, you must first activate Reader. However, you do not have to activate Reader to read a free eBook.

Activate Microsoft Reader

To activate your copy of Microsoft Reader, follow these steps:

1. Start Reader.
2. Click Guidebook.
3. Click Quick Settings, and then click Activate Reader.
4. On the Welcome page, click Sign in to start the activation process.
5. When you are prompted to sign in, do so.
   
   Note You can use an account from the Passport Network, Hotmail, or MSN to sign in to Passport Network.
6. Click Activate My Reader.
   

If you experience any problems when you try to activate Reader, see the "Troubleshooting activation problems" section.

Troubleshooting activation problems

Method 1: Make sure that you can view the Welcome Page while you are signed in to the Passport Network

1. Visit the following Microsoft Web site:

   http://das.microsoft.com/activate/en-us/default.asp?&

2. If you cannot view the Welcome page, the Activation servers may be temporarily unavailable. Try to activate Reader again later.

If you cannot see the Welcome page after several tries at different times, see the "Additional assistance" section. If you can view the Welcome page but you still cannot activate Reader, go to Method 2.

Method 2: Sign out of the Passport Network before you activate Reader

1. Sign out of the Passport Network before you activate Microsoft Reader. If you are already signed in to your Passport Network account when you try to activate Reader, you may not be able to activate your copy of the program.
2. To sign out of the Passport Network, connect to the Internet, and then visit the following Passport Network Web site:

   http://www.passport.com

3. Click Passport Sign Out.
4. Try to activate Reader again.
5. Sign in to Passport Network when you are prompted to do so.

If the issue is not resolved, go to Method 3.

Method 3: Use the default options for the Internet settings

Some Internet settings in Microsoft Windows may interfere with the activation process. To use the default options, follow these steps:

1. Delete all Internet files. To do this, follow these steps:
   1. Quit your Web browser.
   2. Click Start, and then click Control Panel.
   3. Click Network and Internet Connections.
   4. Click Internet Options.
   5. On the General tab, click Delete Files.
   6. When you are prompted to confirm the file deletion, click OK.
2. Enable the setting to update saved pages automatically. To do this, follow these steps:
   1. In the Internet Options dialog box, click Settings.
   2. Under Check for newer versions of stored pages, click Automatically or Every time you start Internet Explorer, and then click OK.
3. Change the Local Area Network (LAN) settings. To do this, follow these steps:
   1. In the Internet Options dialog box, click the Connections tab.
   2. Click LAN Settings.
   3. Click to clear the following check boxes, and then click OK:
      • Automatically detect settings
      • Use automatic configuration script
      • Use a proxy server
   4. If you use a dial-up Internet connection, click the dial-up connection that you use in the Dial-up settings box, and then click Settings.
   5. Click to clear the following check boxes:
      • Automatically detect settings
      • Use automatic configuration script
      • Use a proxy server for your LAN
   6. Click to clear the Do not allow Internet applications to use this connection check box.
   7. Click OK.
4. Restore the default security settings. To do this, follow these steps:
   1. In the Internet Options dialog box, click Medium on the Security tab.
   2. On the Advanced tab, click Restore Defaults, and then click OK.
   3. Visit the following Microsoft Web site:

      http://das.microsoft.com/activate/en-us/default.asp?&

   4. Follow the instructions that appear on the screen to activate Reader.

If the issue is not resolved, go to Method 4.

Method 4: Remove and then reinstall Reader

To remove and then reinstall Reader, follow these steps:

1. Remove Reader. To do this, follow these steps:
   1. Click Start, and then click Control Panel.
   2. Click Add or Remove Programs.
   3. In the list of installed programs, click Microsoft Reader, and then click Remove.
   4. Follow the instructions that appear on the screen to remove Reader.
2. Reinstall Microsoft Reader. To do this, follow these steps:
   1. Visit the following Microsoft Web site:

      http://www.microsoft.com/reader/downloads/tablet.asp

   2. Under Download Now, click Msreadersetup.exe.
   3. Click Save this program to disk, and then click OK.
   4. In the Save in box, click Desktop, and then click Save.
   5. When you finish downloading the file, quit your Web browser.
   6. On the desktop, double-click Msreadersetup.exe.
   7. Follow the instructions on the screen to install Reader.
   8. Visit the following Microsoft Web site:

      http://das.microsoft.com/activate/en-us/default.asp?&

   9. Follow the instructions that appear on the screen to activate Reader.

If the issue is not resolved, go to Method 5.

Method 5: Check the proxy server or the network firewall settings

If you connect to the Internet through a proxy server or network firewall, your proxy server or firewall settings may prevent you from connecting correctly to the Activation servers. To determine if your proxy server or firewall settings prevent you from activating Reader, contact your Internet service provider (ISP), network administrator, or Helpdesk to inquire about how to bypass the firewall or proxy server. After you successfully activate Reader, you can restore your typical firewall or proxy server settings.

Additional assistance

For more help, visit the following Microsoft Web site to fill out an online incident and review responses from Microsoft Support Professionals: