Product key for pre-installed MS office, but no preinstallations on PC

[esther23]

Hi,
Sorry if this is a basic question. Recently I bought a PC without MS Office, then I purchased MS Office professional.By mistake I

purchased the a product key that will only activate pre-installed MS Office versions.
Activating the trial software from the MS site did not work with my product key. Is there any way to get a version of Office that I

can activate with the key I purchased, or have I just wasted quite a bit of money?
I really appreciate your help!
Thanks,
Esther

[JAMES_911]

How to check whether you have a trial version or full version of the product
If you are not sure whether you have a trial version or full version, you can check by using the installation CD. If you do not have your installation CD, go to the "How to locate the product key for a trial version" section or the "Next steps" section for information about how to contact Support.

To check your version using the installation CD, follow these steps:

1. Insert your Office XP CD-ROM into your CD or DVD drive.
2. Click Start, click All Programs, and then under Accessories, click Windows Explorer.
3. In the left navigation pane under My Computer, click the CD or DVD drive icon in Windows Explorer to view the files.
4. In the right navigation pane, locate the .msi file.

If your installation is a trial version, the .msi file name has "tri" appended to it (for example, Protri.msi). A full version has "ret" appended to the .msi file name (for example, Proret.msi). A full version of Windows XP Enterprise does not contain "ret" or "tri" in the file name, for example, Pro.msi or Proplus.msi.

More information here.

[Bassus]

I guess you need to contact Microsoft click on the below link to find your helpline number.

http://www.microsoft.com/licensing/e...n-centers.aspx

[esther23]

Thanks Bassus,
I tried that already, but they were rather unhelpful and said I should contact my computer supplier. Given that I ordered a PC without software I don't see how they can help.
Is there no way to download/obtain the specific "prelicensed" software?
Thanks,
Esther

[chroma]

I think it should be possible to install the MS Office Professional with the product key you have purchased. Try once again, or else take the cd of MS Office Professional and the product key to the retailer....they might fix or if not they can directly send them to the manufacturer.