I have data files dating back to the previous century and have never had a problem accessing them with upgraded versions of Office or newer operating systems.
Word files, Excel files, .txt files, pictures, videos, etc.
I can't even recall the version numbers on old versions of Office, but I've been using it consistently for 20 plus years and am currently on Office 2010 Home and Student.
So I want to buy Office 10 from Office 7. However, I have to watch that the product key that comes with it is valid. I once bought another Microsoft product and it worked fine for a few years. But when I contacted Microsoft over a fault, they said the product key was blocked some years earlier and sorry. Any way of checking out the validity of a product key for Office 10?
Talk to Microsoft directly. Let them tell you about the key.
There are known good sources and shaky sources.
A cheap source is a reasonable indicator of a shaky source. eBay is the typical shaky source. As you experienced previously, you may think everything is fine for a while and then find out that key isn't quite what you thought it was.
Err, you can buy the latest Office, Office 2013, as a standalone license for $139.00 per computer. This is not a subscription, and lasts in theory forever.
Buy Microsoft Office Student and Home 2013 - Microsoft Store
This is direct from the Microsoft Store so its 100% legitimate, and the only place I would buy Office from. You even get it in downloadable form, so you can access the software and license immediately.
But as stated, I need the app for two computers. Which is why Office 10 is better (ie a whole lot cheaper).
With respect to product keys, I came across this link to check it out:
https://officesetup.getmicrosoftkey....c-3f95b23e36c6
Presumably, if the product key is a bad one, this will flag that fact up? And places like EBay have a policy that items sold there must be legal.
As a matter of fact, I bought the bad product key app from a supposedly reputable and established local dealer. So buying away from EBay is no guarantee that you will get a better item.
eBay's policy about legality doesn't stop thousands of sellers from violating it on a daily basis.
Your second assertion is correct.
There are some known good sources that may or may not have Office 2010 any more. Quite possibly not due to its age.
So your choices are:
Buy Office 2010 from whatever source you can find and take the risk of being ripped off.
Buy Office 2013 or some other product at a possibly higher price from a known good source.
Roll the dice as you wish.
Well, unless you know better, buying Office 13 will without doubt cost a lot higher. So we are not talking about simply the possibility of this happening, unless they raised the price of Office 10 substantially recently. The fact is that if I do buy Office 10 off EBay, I can run it through the Microsoft link I told people about to see if it's genuine. There is also a "chat" service run by Microsoft to verify the product key. If the key is illegal, we also know that EBay and Paypal (if you pay through them) have a means of compensation. So not really a risk there, if things do go "wrong."
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