Lost Office key

I have an Office 97 disk that has lost its cover and more importantly therefore its Key.

I dont have it installed right now so cant get the key from the program, does anyone know how to get it from the CD?

Call me stupido t if you like

Studio T

 

Use this

 

Office '97 doesn't use a product key; it uses an OEM number that looks something like this: abcde-OEM-fghijkl-mnopq where the lower case letters are numbers. It's been my experience with Office '97 that you can enter 111111111111 all the thru and it'll work just fine, but I'm pretty sure you won't be able to register it with Microsoft, but you don't need to as it's no longer supported by MS anyway.................. I'm in no way suggesting piracy or circumventing the law or Microsoft's rules; I'm simply suggesting a way to re-install the software if the original OEM number has been lost.....

hopperdave2000

 

No that won't find a key, notice he said not currently installed. There is no way to pull a cd off the cd its not stored anywhere on the disc.

 

According to a site I read ages ago, the CD key isn't on the CD. That said, the CD must have some way of knowing that the code you enter is acceptable for that program. I'm sure a lot of us have proved this for ourselves when we've put in a typo. Perhaps the CD has an algorithm to turn the key into a number which the CD then checks, in which case, you won't have any luck with the CD.

A really good idea if you're creating a backup copy of your disk is to add a text file with the CD key in it or write it on the backup CD or the original CD. That way, you have the key with the disk. Although that isn't any help to you at the moment.

Do you have sufficient proof of ownership such as the receipt anywhere? You could try ringing Microsoft and see what they say. You might get given a new key.

 

Well if Hopperdave is correct then there is the possibility that the key can be found in the registry assuming it had been installed one.

It is under the key HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Office\9.0\Registration\ProductID

The 9.0 may be something different for Office 97 but it's a while since I've used that.

 

Thanks everyone. The copy I have installed on one old pc I still have the packaging (jewell case). On the back is a Microsoft sticker, clearly labelled CD KEY. It comprises 4 digits dash 7 digits and the injunction not to loose the key.

The second copy has unfortunately lost its jewell case. Sods law says that is the one I haven't got installed either. Never mind I will try Microsoft, like you said. Each originally came as part of a package with a pc, back in the year dot.

I fell the alternative was offered in good faith and taken in good spirit.

Thanks again.

Studio T

 

I've got Office 97, which I don't use any more. You can have it if you like for the cost of the postage. Pm the address if you want me to send it. I haven't lost the cover for mine.

 

Thanks mate will do.

Studio T

 

Well we did try answer the question as Studiot had said

which implied that he may well have had it installed at an earlier time and so the key might well have been retrievable from the registry which is what I assumed. And yes I agree that this did not answer the second part of the question

but I, for one, was only trying to answer the question as I understood it. I'm sure you wouldn't want all questions ignored unless we understood them explicitly as you must know how vague some questions can be.