I did a reformat & reinstall on my computer last week, but when I went to reinstall MS Works Suite 2003 the product key didn’t work. I’ve tried 3 times and the computer keeps telling me it’s not the right product key.
Is there a legitimated way around this or am I just SOL?
If I can’t use MS Word, is there a good, free alternative that is compatible with the word documents?
I assume you don’t have a bill/PO from Microsoft or and e-mail confirmation?
I’d try customer service, I bet they have a record of the purchase and just may help you out.
Other than that, I’ve found Open Office to be very capable.
Do you have any other versions of word on your computer. For example trial versions of software that you have no intention of using because you have a legitimate version? These could prevent an older version of Works installing.
No. I should have mention that the computer & software that came with it, was purchased 11 years ago as a gift for my ex by his sister. He gave it to me when I moved out.
There is no MS WORKS Suite 2003
Works Word is not MS Word - 2 different versions.
Are the files you presumable backed up in wps or doc files?
MS Works, usually does not ask for a serial, if it’s an OEM version shipped with the PC.
The product code for MS Office 2003 is not the one that’s on the sticker on the PC or Laptop that says Windows XP Home. However, the sticker might look similar and is printed on the CD sleeve.
Free versions: Open Office It’s compatible with Word - if you save the files as *.doc files.
I ran into trouble reinstalling Office 2003. It had been installed on an old pc long since trashed. The MS validation rejected my key and gave a number to call. A automated system guided me through getting a new key and my Office validated.
If you are running Windows 7 or earlier, you can install MS Office Starter. It’s a cut down version of Word and Excel, but it does the job for most people.
This page has a download link (MS don’t make it obvious where to get it on their site)
Actually, it is being maintained very actively. Officially it is called Apache Open Office. The latest version is 4.0.1 and information can be found at https://www.openoffice.org/
I’ve used OpenOffice and LibreOffice both with great success. I’d recommend either one of them. This computer is running Windows 8.1. I’ve got LibreOffice installed on it, and I use it daily, including saving files into Word format. I used to use OpenOffice on my old computer. It had Windows 7 on it. My mom still does. Her computer also has Windows 7. I haven’t really noticed a difference between OpenOffice and LibreOffice.
I wonder (if you really meant Word everywhere and no Works), could you run data recovery on your harddisk to recover the old Word configuration files and find the key in there? You’d need the files to be recoverable, though.