Windows will not start

torrentg · 30 Oct 2009

I never used iTunes before but I guarantee you there is a way to tell it in the software where your audio files are. It will then use them.

In worst case scenario with Office, you might have to contact Microsoft and tell them your situation. They'll ask for proof of purchase or serial. They may charge a very small postage fee for having to mail a disc to you and for having to actually send you something physical ($ for plastic.) Or it may even be free. Them working with you on this is probably the action they would take. Only a guess on my part. Especially if you tell them you've just purchased Win 7 too.

In the meantime, there are beta versions of Office 2010 codenamed Mondo that you can download and use for free. The beta is not official to public yet I believe, but nonetheless, can be found and used.

harpua · 30 Oct 2009

Well once again, here is where knowing what your system specs are would help people help you. If we knew what your system specs were, we probably could tell you where the back up installation files for MS Office, if any, might be located or give you suggestions on where to look. For example, on my Lenovo laptop, (before I wiped the factory install), such things were stored in a folder called "Tools" or "Software Tools." But every manufacturer does it differently.

In your case, you might have to contact your system manufacturer and request a disk containing the OEM apps that your system came with, if you don't already have such a disk. They might charge a small fee for shipping/handling if they even would be willing to support you in this manner. But it's worth a try if you can't find where the installation files are located in your Windows.old directory (assuming they are there somewhere in the first place).

Also, there are various tools available to dig out your product key which would likely be needed to reinstall MS Office. I think one such tool is called product key explorer or something like that. "Everest Ultimate" is another tool that can dig out many software keys (including Windows & MS Office) and tell you what they are. I think they might offer a free trial version. You would start the app, click on software, licenses, and you would be presented with a list of apps and keys, but it probably only reports for installed apps. Anyway, might be worth a try. Good thing to do for the future anyway to create a record of your various keys. Then you can always reinstall by just obtaining installation media which is pretty easy to find online if you know where to look and how to make sure what you downloaded is genuine and unmodified from the original install disks.

torrentg · 30 Oct 2009

Maybe C:\Windows.old\MSOCache ?

Good idea.