Office Home/Student 2010 asks for key and configuration EVERY time

Downloaded and installed MS Office Home and Student 2010 successfully, (or so I thought), but every time I open Excel or Word upon startup, I receive a prompt asking me for my key and then a configuration. Once complete, I activate the program just like anyone would the very FIRST time you installed Office 2010. However, when I power down and then restart, Office will ask me for the key AGAIN for another configuration. Sometimes I'll receive this error message. Followed by this message. If so, I re-enter the key and configure a second, or sometimes even a third time. Eventually I can get Home and Student 2010 to open up Word or Excel but this can be anywhere from a five to fifteen minute process. This is never ending and it's driving me bananas! I've tried the Microsoft Fix It download in an attempt to completely uninstall any and all previous versions of Office (trial, beta, etc.) then reinstall but the pc still remembers something somewhere. Is this a potential fatal error from Microsoft? Any advice and assistance is greatly appreciated.

Run as administrator didn't help any. It's got to be something within the registry. Very frustrating. I've been working on this for three days now.

I downloaded it from an online retailer (a Microsoft partner authorized retailer). They email you a link and a key. Software Speedy is the retailer.

Oh yeah, the folks over at Software Speedy have been most helpful. Didn't call directly but used their chat feature over the course of two days. The issue is not the key itself or activation. The key is valid. Configuration and activation works every time. Although sometimes configuration and activation may take more than one attempt. Sometimes two attempts. Rarely three. Once activated all Office applications run perfectly. The issue occurs after shutdown. On Startup, when any Office application is opened, be it Excel or Word, I am required to enter the key, configure and activate. The people at Software Speedy had me uninstall, run MS Fix It, install and still nothing. We also tried activation via internet and telephone. Still nothing. I still think that the pc recognizes a previous trial or beta version of Office somewhere on the HDD. Software Speedy and I came to the conclusion that it may be a fatal MS error that is more than likely unresolvable. Except for having to enter the key for configuration each and every single time after startup, which is a PITA, MS Office Home and Student 2010 runs just as it should. I was hoping that anyone here at Seven Forums had any other insight or experience with this issue.