"You have not entered a valid Product Key" error message when you use a custom MST file to install Office 2003 (831178)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Office Professional Edition 2003
  • Microsoft Office Small Business Edition 2003
  • Microsoft Office Standard Edition 2003
  • Microsoft Office Outlook 2003

SYMPTOMS

When you use a custom transform file (MST) to run a silent setup for Microsoft Office 2003, the installation may not be completed successfully.

If you view the setup log file, you may find the following information:
MSI (s) (38:18): Transforming table CustomAction. You have not entered a valid Product Key. Please check the number located on the sticker on the back of the CD case or on your Certificate of Authenticity. MSI (s) (38:18): Product: Microsoft Office Professional Edition 2003 -- You have not entered a valid Product Key. Please check the number located on the sticker on the back of the CD case or on your Certificate of Authenticity. Action ended 12:06:35: SkuredPidkey. Return value 3.

CAUSE

This problem may occur if you use the Custom Installation Wizard (CIW) to edit and then save over an existing MST file. When you do this, the Product ID Key (PIDKEY) command variable may be lost.

WORKAROUND

To work around this problem, use one of the following methods.

Method 1: Configure Your MST to Locally Cache the Installation Source (Recommended)

To configure your transform (MST) file to locally cache the installation source on the computer of each user, follow these steps:
  1. Start the Custom Installation Wizard.

    To do this, click Start, point to All Programs, point to Microsoft Office, point to Microsoft Office Tools, point to Microsoft Office 2003 Resource Kit, and then click Custom Installation Wizard.
  2. In the Custom Installation Wizard, click Next.
  3. In the Open MSI File pane (2 of ...), select the MSI file that you want to use, and then click Next.
  4. In the Open the MST File pane, click Open an existing MST file, select the MST file that you want to use, and then click Next.
  5. In the Select the MST File to Save pane, select the MST file that you want to save to, and then click Next.
  6. Click Yes to confirm that you want to overwrite your existing MST file.
  7. In the Specify Default Path and Organization pane, click the down-arrow on the 5 of 24 button, and then click 8 Configure Local Installation Source.
  8. In the Configure Local Installation Source pane, click Configure local installation source, type the product key in the Product Key box, click to select the I accept the terms in the License Agreement check box, and then click Finish.
  9. Click Exit to quit the Custom Installation Wizard.

Method 2: Add Your Product ID Key to Your Setup.ini File

To add your Product ID Key (PIDKEY) to your Setup.ini file, follow these steps:
  1. Locate and then click to open your Setup.ini file in Notepad.
  2. Locate the [Product] section.
  3. Add the following to the [Product] section:

    PIDKEY="123467890123456789012345"

    Note "123467890123456789012345" is your Product ID Key enclosed in quotation marks.

Method 3: Include Your Product ID Key on a Command Line

In your batch file or script that you use to install Office, specify a command line that is similar to the following to include your Product ID Key (PIDKEY):

Setup.exe TRANSFORMS="path\filename.mst" PIDKEY=123467890123456789012345 /qb-

Method 4: Add Your Product ID Key to Your MST File

To add your Product ID Key (PIDKEY) back to your transform (MST) file, follow these steps:
  1. Start the Custom Installation Wizard.

    To do this, click Start, point to All Programs, point to Microsoft Office, point to Microsoft Office Tools, point to Microsoft Office 2003 Resource Kit, and then click Custom Installation Wizard.
  2. In the Custom Installation Wizard, click Next.
  3. In the Open MSI File pane (2 of ...), select the MSI file that you want to use, and then click Next.
  4. In the Open the MST File pane, click Open an existing MST file, select the MST file that you want to use, and then click Next.
  5. In the Select the MST File to Save pane, select the MST file that you want to save to, and then click Next.
  6. Click Yes to confirm that you want to overwrite your existing MST file.
  7. In the Specify Default Path and Organization pane, click the down-arrow on the 5 of 24 button, and then click 23 Modify Setup Properties.
  8. In the Modify Setup Properties pane, do one of the following:
    • If your Product ID Key is listed in the Property name list, modify your PIDKEY. To do this, follow these steps:
      1. In the Property name list, click PIDKEY.
      2. Click Modify.
      3. If your Product ID Key is correct, click OK to close the Add/Modify Property Value dialog box.
    • If your Product ID Key is not listed in the Property name list, add your PIDKEY. To do this, follow these steps:
      1. Click Add.
      2. In the Add/Modify Property Value dialog box, type PIDKEY in the Name box, type your Product ID Key (for example,123467890123456789012345) in the Value box, and then click OK.
  9. Click Next in the Modify Setup Properties pane.
  10. Click Finish in the Save Changes pane.
  11. Click Exit.

Method 5: Create an Administrative Installation Location

To create an administrative installation location, follow these steps:
  1. Click Start, and then click Run.
  2. In the Open dialog box, click Browse.
  3. Locate and select the Setup.exe file on your Office 2003 CD-ROM disk, and then click Open.
  4. In the Run dialog box, the Open box should now have the full path of the Setup.exe file listed.

    Click in the Open box and move the insertion point to the end of the path statement after the closing quotation mark. Type a space, and then type /a. The path in the Open box should now look similar to the following:

    "path\Setup.exe" /a

    Note The /a should not be enclosed inside the quotation marks.
  5. Click OK to start your administrative installation of Office 2003.
  6. In the Administrative Installation pane of Office 2003 Setup, type your Organization, type (or locate) your installation location, type your Product Key, and then click Next.
  7. Click OK when your administrative installation of Office 2003 has completed successfully.
Modification Type:MinorLast Reviewed:3/24/2006
Keywords:kbwindowsinstaller kbsetup kberrmsg kbprb KB831178 kbAudITPRO
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