Office 2000 Product Key

A new twist on an old problem...

I have the original discs for an OEM version of Office 2000 SBE.

I also have it working on the old PC which is going to be scrapped and I can read the product key from the Help screen of Word or Excel etc.

But when I come to install it on the new PC it is asking for a 25-digit product key. Five groups of five digits. The only problem is that the product key on the old PC only shows 20 digits in this format;

xxxxx OEM xxxxxxx xxxxx

Needless to say, the installation does not accept this key. I've tried adding leading zeros and trailing zeros to pad it out to 25 digits but still no joy.

Is there a way of finding what the CD is expecting, from the CD itself?

Cheers,
Lee

 

No

There are several utilities written to recover serials but due to Office 2000 not actually storing it anywhere none of them will recover it.

 

If it doesn't store a key anywhere, how does it know if it's being given the correct key or not during installation?

 

Thats based on a pattern. The installer utility holds an algorithm and if the key entered matches the pattern then your ok to install. Or something like that anyway

 

So the product key that's shown on the "about Word" screen is not the same product key it expects to see during installation?

And there is no way of finding the product key even though I have the original CDs and a still installed and working copy of Office 2000 on the old PC?

 

If you can get into your old system at all, even in safe mode... you can download a progran called Magical Jelly Bean from www.magicaljellybean.com. It will give you the key.

 

MagicalJellyBean does NOT support office 2000. As I have already stated office 2000 does not store they key therefore it cannot be retrieved.

 

So that's it is it??

Without the original label with the product key on it, that came with the CDs there is no way to transfer Office 2000 to another PC? Even though it's still working on the old PC and I have the original CD?

Sorry but I can't believe that!!

 

Thats about the long and short of it yes. I DO have a fair bit of experience with this.

You could always contact Microsoft and ask them if there is a way to do it.

 

>> So that's it is it?? Without the original label with the product key on it, that came with the CDs there is no way to transfer Office 2000 to another PC? Even though it's still working on the old PC and I have the original CD? Sorry but I can't believe that!! Leepy Lee <<

A few years ago I lost my Office 2000 product key and was able to get a new key for free from Microsoft; however I believe that nowadays Microsoft will only supply the key for @ $10 fee; provided you have retail software and the ProductID code. Since you said that Office 2000 is "currently installed" you can get the ProductID code from Help...About Word menu item on the toolbar.

See the Microsoft Office Assistance webpage Replace Lost Office Product Keys

To obtain a new product key for your Office program in the United States, call 1-800-936-5700 and speak to a Microsoft customer service representative. Outside of the United States, call the number that appears in the activation wizard.

When you call Microsoft for a new Office product key, have the following items available for the customer service representative:

The product CD-ROM
The computer on which you want to install Office
The readable parts of your original product key (if available)
The ProductID information in the registry​

Also, I’m pretty sure that if you have OEM software (you can tell from the ProductID code), then Microsoft expects you to contact the OEM - Original Equipment Manufacturer - for the key.

Someone in another forum told me that they were able to retrieve the Office 2000 key by using a $5-$7 dollar shareware program called InsaneWare Keyfinder Package which "claims" to be able to find your lost Microsoft Office 2000 product key (among other MS keys) by decrypting a registry setting in your Windows registry.

However, I’ve never actually tried InsaneWare Keyfinder so I can’t personally vouch for its effectiveness.

Good Luck!

 

Thanks for the suggestion.

I will try Microsoft and see how far I get.

Cheers,
Lee

 

"Outside of the United States, call the number that appears in the activation wizard."

Which activation wizard?

As soon as I insert the CD, it starts and immediately asks for the product key...

How do I find or start the activation wizard?

Cheers
Lee