Can I still activate Word 2011, or do I need to?

[Triumphdriver]

I have a very good and perfectly boxed original copy of Office 2011 that I use regularly (all I use is word) but after installing a new hard drive I reloaded it and must activate it again. I know support has ended so do I still need to activate it?
It won't let me do it online so I tried phoning, and to be honest I could not understand one word the guy on the other end of the phone said - his accent was just unintelligible. I'll try again, I've still got 9 days to do it, but firstly can I still actually activate it, or is that finished too? What happens if I don't? And secondly, I trust I'll have to talk to someone on the phone again? All help and advice welcome, and before you ask, I have different versions of Word on my laptop, and on my Apple Mac, but really use this computer so need it there too.

 

[wither 2]

I found this as a potential fix at another website-

"The catch is with two step verification of MS account. I disabled my two step verification in the MS account, changed my password, used the new password in the activation page and voila,"

 

[BlueGuy]

Why bother? LibreOffice is so much more flexible, constantly updated and cross platform compatible and free.

 

[Triumphdriver]

Why bother? LibreOffice is so much more flexible, constantly updated and cross platform compatible and free.

Well, firstly because I have two copies of Word 2011 that I paid money for...
Secondly because my agents require submissions in Word and in a Word-specific format.
However I'm just off the phone with Microsoft Activation, spent fifteen minutes supplying e-mails and code numbers, only to be told: "Sorry, we can't help you. Bye."
They won't be getting any more money from me in the future, so it looks like LibreOffice might have to do - so long as it works.

 

[wither 2]

I guess the instructions in the link I provided didn't help. Kind of strange, I had to reinstall Office 2007 a year ago and as far as I know, it's activated.

 

[Triumphdriver]

Why bother? LibreOffice is so much more flexible, constantly updated and cross platform compatible and free.

Update: just tried Libre Office; it opened the document ok but when I went to save it (a 70,000 word manuscript) it told me that saving as a 2007-2019 Word document might not save all of the changes and amendments, and recommended saving as an ODF. That did worry me slightly.

 

[BlueGuy]

Update: just tried Libre Office; it opened the document ok but when I went to save it (a 70,000 word manuscript) it told me that saving as a 2007-2019 Word document might not save all of the changes and amendments, and recommended saving as an ODF. That did worry me slightly.

ODF/.odt is their propriety format, but it can save and import in MS .docx format as well.
Were you presented with a dialogue allowing a choice of formats? I get that when I save.
In the configuration, you can also set a default. I use the portable version from John Haller.
AKA PortableApps.com .

 

[Triumphdriver]

Just the two suggested formats, with ODF being their preferred option. I had to manually switch to the word option then got the warning that it may not save all of the changes in the correct format.

 

[BlueGuy]

Just the two suggested formats, with ODF being their preferred option. I had to manually switch to the word option then got the warning that it may not save all of the changes in the correct format.

I should have been clearer, I meant when I use 'save as' from the drop down menu, then it offers a variety of formats. Like both the .docx and the older .doc .


The dialogue box should have "save as type" in the 2nd work line.

 

[Triumphdriver]

Thank you - that has reassured me quite a bit! nothing worse than having something you've worked on for a year, maybe 140,000 words, and you save it to another program (like Mac Pages) and all of the spacing is wrong...

 

[peterwwilo]

if you can use without activation, then i think that's fine.=]

 

[Triumphdriver]

I can't. On startup it just gives the message: you need to activate your copy of 'Microsoft Office' then nothing.

 

[peterwwilo]

did you try to reinstall the software without network? or download another installer packer.
btw i think you still need to update your office later on, new release version is providing more function to opreate.

 

[BlueGuy]

did you try to reinstall the software without network? or download another installer packer.
btw i think you still need to update your office later on, new release version is providing more function to opreate.

I already told him to go with LibreOffice.

 

[Triumphdriver]

I already told him to go with LibreOffice.

And I already have done, so many thanks.

However: as I have two copies of Office 2011 now gathering dust, it would be nice to find some kind of workaround. Take it as a 'lockdown-style nothing else to do' sort of project. It just galls me that they have decided I can no longer use it. Is it really doing Microsoft so much harm financially, that I may be using software that they no longer want to support? It would put me off upgrading in the future if I thought it was going to happen to the next upgrade too.

If I install it with no network it gives me the phone activation option.

 

[wither 2]

Did you ever try to do what I mentioned in Post 2? I don't see where you mentioned trying it.

 

[Triumphdriver]

Did you ever try to do what I mentioned in Post 2? I don't see where you mentioned trying it.

Doesn't make any difference; I'm on an Apple Mac anyway so don't use anything else Microsoft such as the OS. It's not linked in any way to my Microsoft account, so I don't need to be signed in anywhere to activate it.
After your post above I thought there might be some way to get it running through my Microsoft account, but there's nothing anywhere to say that I have Word or Office connected to the account in any way.
It has now completely stopped working bar the Activation Screen on startup.

 

[wither 2]

Since you're on a MAC, why are you posting in a Win 7 forum?

I remember that Activation screen when I had to reinstall Office 2007 and, for the life of me, can't remember how I got around it. Seems it had something to do with the serial number. You can install a single version of Office (or Word) on two computers but I don't know if that's what you're doing or what difference it would make in regards to getting a solution.