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MS Office issue

by laurencewins
18 replies
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HI all, edit see post 7 for clarification.

I have read so much conflicting info about this so I figure I would come to where the brains are hiding.

If I buy MS Office, can I load it onto more than one laptop?
I have found articles that say yes, others saying no and others say, well it depends on this and that.

I am happy to get 2010 or 2013.
This is actually for a friend anyway.

I await your replies.
  • Profile picture of the author seasoned
    you can install it on as many systems as licensed for. There ARE apparent BUGS in the system! I installed mine on 3 systems, and I was LICENSED for three, but had to uninstall one and reinstall. I did, and it ended up in limbo asking for the key, though when it got an invalid response, it ran it as if it wasn't improper.

    Steve
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  • Profile picture of the author waterotter
    Laurence ,

    Can this work for you (or your friend)?

    http://www.warriorforum.com/warrior-...wait-what.html

    Note: Not an affiliate link. I just owe Thomas, lol!
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  • Profile picture of the author gottahave
    Hi Laurence

    It depends on what version you purchase. I recently purchased Office365 Home version which allows 5 installations. Lesser versions have restrictions.

    Neil
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  • Profile picture of the author seasoned
    Well GEE, there is OPEN OFFICE TOO!!!!!! https://www.openoffice.org/

    Made by the SAME organization that makes the most popular webserver on the planet, and the most popular java application server on the planet. ALL 100% FREE!

    Steve
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    • Profile picture of the author Kurt
      Originally Posted by seasoned View Post

      Well GEE, there is OPEN OFFICE TOO!!!!!! https://www.openoffice.org/

      Made by the SAME organization that makes the most popular webserver on the planet, and the most popular java application server on the planet. ALL 100% FREE!

      Steve
      While OO is free, it isn't a viable option for making videos, IMO.

      OO Impress doesn't have an "export as video" feature, like PowerPoint 2010 and 2013 have. Plus, Impress doesn't embed media and only links to it, meaning if you make a presentation on one PC, it's a pain to use a presentation on another PC.
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  • Profile picture of the author laurencewins
    OK. I thank you all so far but I need to shoot a few down in flames.

    @Steve, perhaps you can clarify for me the licensing aspect. I only got one licence with mine and didn't know you could get more.

    @Steve. Open Office isn't working with the material my friend has to use. He currently uses that and so has to switch.

    @Neil, Office 365 is a bit of a rip off in one way because you only get the licence for 1 year. I don't know how the new year goes if you need to reinstall or what but that is no good either. I looked into it when buying my own MS Office 2013.

    @Waterotter, I don't even understand the link you sent me but it is obviously not MS Office and so won't be as helpful.

    I have to add, which I guess I should have said at the beginning, he does need A version of MS Office, whether it is 2010 or 2013.

    I really appreciate all the feedback so far folks, as I knew I would get some, and look forward to more.
    Signature

    Cheers, Laurence.
    Writer/Editor/Proofreader.

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    • Profile picture of the author seasoned
      Originally Posted by laurencewins View Post

      OK. I thank you all so far but I need to shoot a few down in flames.

      @Steve, perhaps you can clarify for me the licensing aspect. I only got one licence with mine and didn't know you could get more.
      Well, MY license is simply a multiuse license. It is ONE string that works on several computers. But YEAH, the license is SEPARATE from the software, and you can PURCHASE it separately.

      @Steve. Open Office isn't working with the material my friend has to use. He currently uses that and so has to switch.
      Yeah, I didn't think about THAT aspect.

      @Neil, Office 365 is a bit of a rip off in one way because you only get the licence for 1 year. I don't know how the new year goes if you need to reinstall or what but that is no good either. I looked into it when buying my own MS Office 2013.
      As I recall, office 365 is the stupid "cloud" version, and a RIPOFF! They have been saying for YEARS on nearly all retail software that you DON'T own the software, but have full use of it FOREVER! It was treated like a FILM. NOW, they have more and more garbage that is called SaaS(Software As A Service). Though SOME things, like accounting packages that are updated, tax packages, that are updated, Business apps that are maintained, Antivirus programs that are updated, etc.... make sense, Microsoft Office does NOT!!!!!

      Steve
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      • Profile picture of the author dragica659
        [DELETED]
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        • Profile picture of the author seasoned
          Originally Posted by dragica659 View Post

          I want to share my experience about purchasing office 2010 Professional plus online.
          I purchased Office 2010 Professional Plus at Windows 7 Key Sale - Buy Windows 7 Ultimate Product Key Online website.
          I paid 35.99 for the software and 5$ for download link.
          The software was full of malwares and I was not able to download it before I disable my Avast. But after that my home page was changed and annoying ads were on my screen. The product was not compatible with my windows and after trying another link I decided to give up. I tried to contact Microsoft support but without any success. The seller stopped responding. I am desperate. I need word specifically but I cannot afford paying again and do not be able to get support or handle more virus attacks.
          I don't think M/S allows ANY non M/S downloads! I recently went to a NON M/S website to download M/S SQL SERVER. HEY, it was a big company with a good reputation that I trusted. GUESS who owned the main domain I went to to download the product? MICROSOFT!

          ALSO, I could say a LOT of nasty things about M/S! But M/S does NOT distribute malware! The worst they will do is give you a trial link for THEIR software.

          So you did NOT buy an M/S product. You either bought a look alike, or "cracked" software. M/S won't help you.

          Steve
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  • Profile picture of the author laurencewins
    Does anybody else have any solid information?
    Signature

    Cheers, Laurence.
    Writer/Editor/Proofreader.

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    • Profile picture of the author Frank Donovan
      Laurence,

      You have a choice. If you purchase MS Office 2013 (Home & Student) you can only use it on one computer. The current cost is $139.99.

      If you subscribe to MS Office 365, you'll need to pay an annual fee, currently $99.99. However, you can install this on up to five computers. There are also several extra programs included in Office 365.

      Details here: Microsoft Office For Home, Students, & Professionals - Microsoft Store

      The other option is to search online for the cheapest downloads of MS Office 2010. Again, the licence will be for one PC/laptop, although if they're cheap enough, you could always purchase multiple copies.


      Frank
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  • Profile picture of the author Mark Singletary
    Buy Microsoft Office Home & Business 2013 says it's for installation on one PC at a time. The license here seems to state the same: Microsoft Software License Agreement

    I think the Office365 offerings are the only way to get more licensed installs "free" for the consumer.

    However Office 2010 retail version, according to the license, APPEARS to allow you to install on a desktop and a laptop if owned and used by the same person. Microsoft Software License Terms, Microsoft Office 2010

    Your best bet is to ask Microsoft though - they know their licenses and you won't (hopefully) have conflicting information like that you've found floating around on the Internet.

    Mark
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  • Profile picture of the author WD Mino
    Short answer. No
    Microsoft user agreements are for single machine use only, if you do use it on another it is called a hard disk copy and it violates their terms of service. That is directly from Microsoft representative I spoke with when building systems

    There are exceptions such as non profit licenses and multiuser licenses which are primarily for businesses and schools and the like. Which also if I recall are more expensive but work out less per user.

    Best,
    -WD
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    "As a man thinks in his heart so is he-Proverbs 23:7"

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    • Profile picture of the author seasoned
      Originally Posted by WD Mino View Post

      Short answer. No
      Microsoft user agreements are for single machine use only, if you do use it on another it is called a hard disk copy and it violates their terms of service. That is directly from Microsoft representative I spoke with when building systems

      There are exceptions such as non profit licenses and multiuser licenses which are primarily for businesses and schools and the like. Which also if I recall are more expensive but work out less per user.

      Best,
      -WD
      It's a good thing you added that second paragraph. Since you have built other systems, there is ALSO the OEM program. It DOES violate the contract to sell such a program by itself, or with like a disk drive, though you could maybe argue a motherboard is OK. Of course, it is SUPPOSED to be as part of a useful package, meaning like a full system. You have to be licensed as an OEM, but the product then costs a LOT less. Of course you don't get a box, or a big manual. ALSO, there ARE betas and demos, though they are set to work for only a limited time, like a few months.

      Steve
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      • Profile picture of the author WD Mino
        Sure, OEM has to be sold with a piece of hardware not particularly a machine.
        installing os that can be set up is fine as long as the license accompanies the machine.
        In other words I don't need separate copies of win 7 to install on a machine I just have to have the licenses for the machine it is running on.

        Good points Steve.

        Best,
        -WD
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        "As a man thinks in his heart so is he-Proverbs 23:7"

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        • Profile picture of the author Karen Blundell
          Microsoft rip-off fest - I use Open Office myself however I have licensed copies of all kinds of software and none are as restrictive as MS is.

          Example: I wish the OEM versions of MS OS's weren't tied to hardware - I wish they were tied to a user - so that a user could use the OS on their own machines.

          I stripped my desktop and got rid of all HP traces and did a clean install of WIN7PRO because I bought a new harddrive - I would love to put WIN7PRO on my laptop - but I have to buy a piece of hardware for this laptop and then another WIN7PRO OEM version for the laptop too.

          And this cloud business - I hate it. You're basically renting their software now - an even huger rip-off! That is why I would never in a million years use Office 365 - luckily my livelihood doesn't depend on MS Office

          Laurence, unless you buy a multi-license version - as others have posted, you can only put either 2010 or 2013 versions of MS Office on one machine at a time, unfortunately.
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          • Profile picture of the author Joe Mobley
            Office 365 includes:

            Office 365 Home

            A personalized Office experience for everyone in your household on up to five PCs or Macs, plus selected devices
            The latest Office applications--Word 2013, Excel 2013, PowerPoint 2013, Outlook 2013, OneNote 2013, Publisher 2013, and Access 2013
            Easy document access and sharing with an additional 20 GB of online storage in OneDrive
            Automatic updates so your customers will always be using the latest version
            Sixty minutes of Skype calls each month to phones in more than 60 countries
            One-year subscription
            Transferable license
            Non-commercial use rights
            ...

            Office 2013 suites include:

            Office Home and Student 2013

            The latest Office applications--Word 2013, Excel 2013, PowerPoint 2013, OneNote 2013
            One user, one PC
            Transferable license*
            Non-commercial use rights


            Office Home and Business 2013

            The latest Office applications--Word 2013, Excel 2013, PowerPoint 2013, Outlook 2013, OneNote 2013
            One user, one PC
            Transferable license*
            Commercial use rights


            Office Professional 2013

            The latest Office applications--Word 2013, Excel 2013, PowerPoint 2013, Outlook 2013, OneNote 2013, Access 2013, Publisher 2013
            One user, one PC
            Transferable license*
            Commercial use rights
            Office 365 and Office 2013 licensing and packaging

            Joe Mobley
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            Follow Me on Twitter: @daVinciJoe
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          • Profile picture of the author seasoned
            Originally Posted by Karen Blundell View Post

            Microsoft rip-off fest - I use Open Office myself however I have licensed copies of all kinds of software and none are as restrictive as MS is.

            Example: I wish the OEM versions of MS OS's weren't tied to hardware - I wish they were tied to a user - so that a user could use the OS on their own machines.

            I stripped my desktop and got rid of all HP traces and did a clean install of WIN7PRO because I bought a new harddrive - I would love to put WIN7PRO on my laptop - but I have to buy a piece of hardware for this laptop and then another WIN7PRO OEM version for the laptop too.

            And this cloud business - I hate it. You're basically renting their software now - an even huger rip-off! That is why I would never in a million years use Office 365 - luckily my livelihood doesn't depend on MS Office

            Laurence, unless you buy a multi-license version - as others have posted, you can only put either 2010 or 2013 versions of MS Office on one machine at a time, unfortunately.
            Karen,

            OEM products are products that are packed economically and/or limited or restricted in some way, and software products generally require a license fee to be paid for EACH SYSTEM! ALSO, OEM software isn't for resale, unless modified in some custom way, or included in another product, and it THEN generally requires a licensing fee.

            So you are upset about MS, because they have the software do what it should? BTW MS OS to the best of my knowledge AREN'T tied to hardware. HOWEVER.....They ARE OEM and meant to be modified BY THE "SYSTEM INTEGRATOR"! These are companies like DELL, ACER, ASUS, TOSHIBA, etc... WHY is it done that way? SEVERAL reasons!

            1. It allowed companies to provide their own custom packages, registration scheme, etc...
            2. All the systems are a little bit different. This setup allows the integrator to put their own drivers on the disk, etc...
            3. They offer it at a far lower cost. I believe the cost I had to pay was about 30% of the retail price. I used to be a M/S OEM.

            You CAN buy the RETAIL version, for your own system. They shouldn't be tied to anything.

            I agree with you on the "cloud" software though. Luckily, a lot of such things are now open, so they may regret their decision! Look at ORACLE! They made a lot of statements that were wrong, and they did the only thing they could to quash the competition that did what oracle could only claim. They BOUGHT THE COMPANY! YEP, MYSQL is now an ORACLE company! GUESS WHAT! They did that a decade or so too late, and it has FORKED! So now there is MARIADB!

            Steve
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            • Profile picture of the author Karen Blundell
              thanks, Steven. I do know about OEM software - I have been servicing my own computers and web servers for years. I am a bit of a nerd that way.

              I'm merely saying that I don't agree with Microsoft's licensing policies. And if it wasn't for the fact that my work makes it necessary to use Windows OS -
              I would be using Linux Ubuntu.

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