Out of "activations" on Visio Std 2003: how can I get around this?

Ouch. I can get a copy of Visio 2003 on Amazon for less than that. But, partly it's my finances, and partly the principle of the issue.

But thanks, anyway.

Hello Liz -

Check your SevenForums PM mail.

Regards,
GEWB

Liz27 said:

I'll read your links, carwiz, thank you, but I don't have much hope if it involves contacting MS. I did that three times already and always got the same answer: no. Not supported; we don't extend activations' you will have to buy a product or product key; we can't tell you where to get either one; we can't even tell you how to tell a legitimate source of a product key from a scam.

Hi there

If Ms has genuinely said (and there's no reason to suspect they didn't) that this is an out of life totally unsupported product then I would (although I'm probably on thin legal ground here) regard it as "Abandonware" and search out one of those "unofficial activation tools". Rules of the Forum prevent naming the product, how to use it or where to get it from - but my view is that you've tried to activate legally and Ms won't support you saying "No Longer Supported" - Well my answer is "...There's always more than ONE way to skin a cat...."

That's my PERSONAL view however -- It's between YOU and your MAKER whether you go down the route I've suggested. My way certainly won't be endorsed by a lot of people either so over to you.

Cheers
jimbo

Microsoft is justified in stopping support for older products because of lack of revenue from those products. However under the axiom "if is isn't broke, don't fix it", I don't believe that Microsoft is justified in terminating the functionality of perfectly good software in an attempt to force users to buy the latest versions of their software. This is really an issue if the user does not like the way the user interface on the latest version of the software works. A good example of this is Windows 8. Imagine how much of an uproar there would be if Windows 7 suddenly stopped working after Windows 8 had been released, or even more so after Microsoft Windows 10 subscription services start charging yearly fees for the use of Windows 10. The analogy of purchasing a hard copy book is perfectly good in this circumstance.

Personally, I don't like the user interface on Windows Office 2007 or later. I don't like having to retrain each time there is a major release of Office applications. I may be an "old fuddy", but I like the way that Microsoft did the 2003 version of Office applications. I want to keep using Office 2003 applications each time that I upgrade my computers. Microsoft's refusal to allow the software to function makes me want to find an alternative to Microsoft applications instead of buying the VERY EXPENSIVE newer versions, or to have to spend money each year on a subscription service. For retired technical people such as myself, this is a problem for Microsoft.

As a side note, Microsoft is no longer supporting any kind of activation of Visio 2003. Perhaps we should recommend users look for some other vendor's software that will do the same thing that does not have the "activation" problem that Microsoft is presenting to its users.

GEWB said:

You asked about similar programs - I've used iGrafx Flowcharter but it is very pricey ($599 USD per seat latest version).

Regards,
GEWB

Hi there

At that price you might just as well buy the current version of OFFICE !!!!.

A cheaper solution might be to temporarily buy a subscription to Office 365.

Cheers
jimbo