I'm unable to activate Office XP after upgrading from Windows XP to Windows 7

Anonymous
2011-04-04T05:40:38+00:00

I recently upgraded to Windows 7 Professional 64-bit (though since I upgraded from Windows XP technically I did a clean install of Windows 7). I'm in the process of re-installing all of my programs but I encountered a problem when attempting to activate Microsoft Office XP over the internet. I get a message that reads:

"We are unable to process your request at this time. Please try again later, or contact a Customer Service Representative by clicking OK and selecting the Telephone option. (0xb017)"

However, when I attempt to use the telephone option and select USA as my region, no telephone number is displayed. So, I'm at a loss for what to do. I haven't had any luck finding information regarding anyone with a similar problem. I would very much appreciate any help/advice anyone could give me!

Microsoft 365 and Office | Install, redeem, activate | For home | Windows

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

0 comments
Answer accepted by question author
Anonymous
2011-04-11T12:27:39+00:00

Hi guys,

I'll list the steps that I took which resolved the issue. Keep in mind, while it worked for me, I'm not 100% sure it would work for everyone.

  1. First, use the option to activate Office XP by telephone and follow the steps until it asks you for a confirmation ID, this is what you'll hopefully be getting from a Microsoft representative. This window should also contain another ID number that the representative will probably ask you for.
  2. Next, go to www.microsoft.com and click the “Contact Us” link (should be a small link at the bottom of the page).
  3. On the page that comes up, click the link that says "Chat Now".
  4. On the next page that comes up, click the link for "Product Sales, General Inquiries and Genuine Advantage Questions".
  5. Fill in the required fields in the window that pops up and click "Start Chat" to talk to a representative.
  6. Explain the issue you're having to the representative and he/she will probably ask you for the ID number I previously mentioned you might need. Give them the ID number, and he/she will hopefully provide you with a confirmation ID number.
  7. Enter the confirmation ID number in Office XP to complete the steps for telephone activation. This worked for me, I hope it works for you!!

Hope this helps, good luck!!

Was this answer helpful?

0 comments

49 additional answers

Sort by: Oldest
Most helpful Newest Oldest
  1. Anonymous
    2012-03-09T15:15:16+00:00

    Thanks!  It worked great and quickly.  Much better than old live non-native language English speaker!

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  2. Anonymous
    2012-09-17T14:29:58+00:00

    This worked perfectly. Was very quick and the agent gave a Confirmation ID within a minute of contacting her. Definitely the solution to this problem.

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  3. Anonymous
    2013-02-28T12:50:31+00:00

    Hi,

    same problem activating outlook 2002 on Windows 8 calling the 08448002400 number and following the instructions works fine

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  4. Anonymous
    2013-03-20T08:03:05+00:00

    You guys talks about method of activate office xp on phone calls but.. Don't you know that you can't activate office bco'z of the Win7 Firewall !!  This is a very simple way to get fix by open up firewall config throu system console and turn off all firewall for a short time.  Go back to office and too easy to activate it on internet, finally put the firewall back to the last state.

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments