Can I install MS office on a new computer or do I have to buy it again?

[MmeLindt]

I bought a new computer in January, bought and installed MS office and the computer was stolen in April.

Now I am trying to install MS office (that I bought and paid for not even 4 months ago) and it wont let me. There was a trial version on my computer when I bought it.

I have MS Office for Home and Student.

You are supposed to be allowed to install the student edition of Ofice on up to 3 computers, so that shouldn't be a problem.

Normally if you have a trial version on a new computer & you enter the serial number from your disk it will update the trial - but this may not work if the trial is a different version from the disk.

Which version do you have the disk for & which version is the trial?

What happens when you try to install it?

I get a message "Activate now" or "Buy now" or "Test now"

When I choose "Activate now" it takes me straight to a blank word document, without any way of putting in my code.

ok, found where to activate it. Word Options, Activate product. When I put my product key into that box, it will not take it.

Is it the same version? Most new computers now come with a trial of Office 2007. If your student edition is 2003, your code won't work.

MS office for Students has come down in price a lot recently. The computer retailer I got my laptop from a few weeks back said it was on sale for £70.

If all else fails that is not too bad a price - but still annoying to have to buy it again.

Did you buy the MS Office package you have already preloaded on the PC tht got stolen ? Those preloaded packages are annoyingly not quite the same thing as buying the software separately from the PC in my experience.

It is not the same version, that is what the problem was. The trial version was Professional and the one I bought is Home and Student.

I have removed the trial version and rebooted and now voila it works!

Thanks all.

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Now OUTLOOK is gone. I forgot that it was on the trial version.

Gah.

I hate computers.