Frequently asked questions about the Office Activation Wizard and reduced-functionality mode in Office 2003 (827291)

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Q 1: What is product activation?

A1: Microsoft asks that you activate your product to verify that your installation is performed with a genuine Microsoft product. Product activation is an anti-piracy technology that is designed to verify that the product is legitimately licensed. When you activate your product, no personal information is sent to Microsoft.

Q 2: Who must activate their copy of Office?

A: Product activation is required for all licenses that are purchased through retail distribution. If you purchased a new computer from a personal computer manufacturer, you may have to activate the Microsoft software on that computer. However, some computer manufacturers may activate the Microsoft software in the factory.

Q 3: How does product activation work?

A: Product activation validates that the product key has not been used on more personal computers than are permitted by the end-user license agreement. The product key is required as part of the installation process.

You can activate your product by using the Internet or by telephone. If you use the telephone to activate your product, you provide an Installation ID code. In return, you receive a Confirmation ID number. Activation by telephone is performed through a Microsoft customer service representative and takes several minutes. If you choose to activate your product over the Internet, the process is performed automatically. The only information that you have to provide is your country and your region.

Note If you are activating the Product Trial Program version, you can activate your product by using the Internet only.

Q 4: How do I activate my product?

A: There are two ways to access the Office Activation Wizard:

• When you start an Office program that has not been activated.
• On the Help menu, click Activate Product in any Office program.

Q 5: What happens during activation?

A: During activation, the Office Activation Wizard creates a non-unique hardware identification that represents the configuration of your computer at the time of activation. The hardware identification does not include any personal information, any information about software or data that may reside on your computer, or any information about the specific make or model of your computer. The hardware identification identifies only the computer, only for activation.

During activation, you may also provide your personal contact information (name and address) if you want to register your product with Microsoft. If you choose to register your product, the personal contact information that you provide will be securely stored by Microsoft and will be protected from disclosure to third parties without your consent.

The Office Activation Wizard can detect and tolerate changes to your computer's configuration. Minor hardware upgrades do not require re-activation. However, if you completely overhaul your computer, you may have to activate your product again.

Q 6: How does product activation protect customer privacy?

A: Microsoft highly values respecting and protecting customers' private information. The activation process is completely anonymous, and no personally identifiable information is collected.

Q 7: Is activation the same as registration?

A: No. Activation is different from product registration. If you want, you can voluntarily register your product by providing your name and contact information during product activation. If you want to receive future communications about product updates, service releases, and special offers, register your product.

Q 8: How do I know if my product has been activated?

A: The Activation Wizard does not run if you activated your product. If the product is activated, you receive the following message when you run the Activation Wizard: The product has already been activated.

Q 9: Does the product stop working if I do not activate it?

A: No, but the product runs in reduced-functionality mode.

Q 10: What is reduced-functionality mode?

A: In reduced-functionality mode, programs function similarly to a viewer. When a program is running in reduced-functionality mode, many menu items are unavailable (dimmed), thereby blocking access to that functionality. Some of the limitations of reduced-functionality mode include the following:

• You cannot create any new documents.
• You can view existing documents but you cannot edit them.
• You can print documents but you cannot save them.

No existing Office files or documents are damaged, and you can easily get Office out of this mode by following the instructions that are outlined in the screens that appear.

Q 11: How do I update information that pertains to product activation?

A: To make sure that the information that you provide to Microsoft through the Office Activation Wizard is correct, you can review and update this information by contacting Microsoft at any time. In some Office products, you can use the Office Activation Wizard to do this over the Internet or by telephone. If these options are not available to you, you can update or change any information that you provided by sending a description of the changes that you want made and your Product ID (found in the dialog box that appears when you click the About program name command on the Help menu of any Office program) to the following address. Microsoft will update your information to reflect any corrections or changes that you want made. You must provide your Product ID so that Microsoft can accurately identify your activation record.

Q 12: Why do I receive notifications to activate my product?

A: If you do not activate your Office product, you receive a reminder to activate your product each time that you start an Office program.

Q 13: Is there more than one type of product license?

A: Yes. There are the following license types:

• Perpetual
• Product Trial Program

Q 14: What is a perpetual license?

A: A perpetual license gives you a license to use the Office programs for as long as you own the product.

For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: Q 15: What is the Product Trial Program version?

A: The Product Trial Program version is a license to use an Office product on a trial basis for one month.

Q 16: How many times can I skip activation?

A: For the Product Trial Program Version, the first time that an Office program starts it will be in Reduced Functionality Mode. For perpetual license products, you can skip activation 50 times. If you do not activate the product in the allotted number of Office program starts, the Office programs start running in reduced-functionality mode.

Q 17: How many installations can be performed with one end-user license agreement? Can I install the product on my laptop and desktop? How many times can I reinstall the product and be able to activate it?

A: To obtain the answers to these questions and other activation policy questions, visit the following Microsoft Web site: For more information about product activation and more frequently asked questions about Microsoft product activation, locate the following Microsoft Web sites: