Microsoft Equipt?

Vista Ultimate X64 - I had a thread posted earlier about this same PC, it had a corrupt user profile, and that issue has been fixed. But when I booted to the desktop, I got a message that Microsoft Equipt was corrupt (probably a residual effect of the corrupt user profile). After contacting the PCs owner, it was determined that MS Equipt would be uninstalled (she didn't even know what it was, and honestly, neither did I :-o I had never even heard of Equipt before). So I started the uninstall, and noticed at one point that it had started uninstalling Office 2007 also!!! I immediately stopped the uninstall because removing Office was not part of the plan. I performed a repair of Office (it had been partially messed up by the Equipt uninstall), but now when I launch Word, Excel, whatever, it says I must verify the license. So I click "Verify" and get a lengthy message about how Equipt has been discontinued and I won't be able to create or edit Office docs, I can only open and view/print them. How did Equipt get so tied in with Office to where it makes Office un-useable? Should I simply try to uninstall Office 2007 and Equipt (again) then re-install Office (I think I already tried this, but I've done so much on this PC I can't be sure)? Just because MS has decided to discontinue Equipt and all support for Equipt, that should NOT affect the status of Office. Was Equipt originally marketed as an 'all-in-one' type of app that included Office and some other stuff?

 

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/959675. Surprised that Office was still working.

 

Actually, Office was not working.... it would open a document, be I couldn't edit it, nor could I create a new document. I extracted the Office '07 product key, then completely removed Equipt and Office. I then re-installed Office '07 using the extracted key, and it enters "reduced functionality mode" along with a notice that Equipt has been discontinued. :banghead So I'm assuming that the end-user purchased Equipt at some point, and now because Microsoft has decided to discontinue it and all support for it, she's totally screwed and has to purchase Office again! I told her that she can try contacting Microsoft for either a new product key or license or install disc, but to not get her hopes up. :cry