Install Office 2016 OEM without Live account

Anonymous
2015-10-07T18:12:57+00:00

I manage IT services for several small businesses and periodically need to purchase new computers with Office. I just purchased a new Dell laptop with the OEM version of Office 2016 Home & Business. It will not let me activate it without adding it to a MS account.

I know this is a perennial question, beginning with Office 2013, that is a major headache for independent technical consultants that support small businesses, as I do. But I have never seen a solid answer as to how to get this installed on the computer without the MS account--just a lot of try this, try that. This is NOT Office 365, just Office H & B 2016!

 I will not:

  • Add it to my MS account, or it will be forever stuck to me--which is inappropriate, since I will not own the computer or software once I am paid for the system by my client.
  • Make my client set up a MS account just for this.
  • Pry into my client's information to get his MS account information (if he even has one).

But I must have Office installed, activated, and updated before I give the system to my client. The activation dialog, in fact, gives me the option of using a product key instead of a login, but then proceeds to "Redeem Online"--which I believe will end up with the same result that requires a MS account.

At this point, I now have a bigger issue. I backed up the Program Data folder that contains the cached Office installation files, then uninstalled MS Office, hoping that a reinstall would give me some option to truly install without being forced to figure out a MS account for my client. The uninstallation removed the original setup folders. Good thing I backed it up, but then when I reinstall from any of those, it installs Office 2013, not Office 2016. And while it still validates the key when I click the option to use a key instead of a logon, it (as before) takes me to "Redeem Online".

Hello, Microsoft: this issue alone has just eliminated my entire profit from this project, given the time I have already spent trying to get this done, then uninstalling and attempting to reinstall.

I know there are versions that can be activated without a MS account, but I do not buy in bulk and can never seem to figure out which is which.

How do I get this installed for my client without being required to use a MS account?

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

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  1. Anonymous
    2015-10-30T20:57:41+00:00

    So no word from Microsoft on a fix for this?

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  2. Anonymous
    2015-10-29T15:45:54+00:00

    Sounds like an idea Crusher. As well as posting the here, there is another (maybe better) place to post it.  MS has setup "suggestion box" sites to collect ideas

    Suggestion Box / Feedback

    MS has finally added web sites to allow users to make suggestions similar to the “smiley”/”sad” face buttons you may have seen in the pubic beta versions of Office.


    NOTE: when you post comments / suggestions it is best to limit each submission to one issue. That way replies can be specific to that error. And it makes it easier for MS to assign a submission to a specific development group or person.






    PS I suspect there are more, but there is no single “master” page that shows all of the sites, and not even adequate cross links between the sites. I actually found several just by changing the app name.


    Some of these sites have options for the various versions of each application, ie Desktop vs Oneline vs Android vs Mac etc.

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  3. Anonymous
    2015-10-29T14:31:39+00:00

    Carlos,

    Let me share something that may be pertinent to this case, as well as some others that I believe have the same problem as you with the key being already used.

    Microsoft has most likely instituted this new policy of linking a product key to a Microsoft account because of the enormous piracy problem.  However, in their planning, I believe they have forgotten something.

    Dell used to ship all their PCs with the Windows product keys on the Certificate of Authenticity (CoA) on the top of the PCs.  I was told by someone at Dell that they no longer have the product key on the Dell PC because shipments of PCs were being opened, the product keys written down, and the PCs then shipped forward as if nothing had happened.  Those license keys were then illegitimately being used on other systems.  So, now Dell ships the PCs with no product key.  If you try to install Windows on them, the Windows Installer looks at the credentials inside the BIOS chip and sees that it is a legitimate Dell PC and allows the installation.

    However, Dell still ships the MS Office product key cards along with the shipments of the PCs.  The boxes can still be opened, the product key written down, the boxes resealed, and then shipped as if nothing had happened. Then, when the end user tries to register his legitimate copy of Office, he is told the product key has already been used. That is because the thief or the person he sold it to registered it already.

     In fact, I recently purchased a PC for a customer of mine with Office 2016.  The laptop arrive WITHOUT the keycard.  I called Dell multiple times to get this resolved and my business customer who urgently needed Office was forced to wait for Dell to respond. Of course it took me hours to resolve this issue, for which I was not paid.  It could be the original product key card was stolen and used somewhere else.

    All this is only a theory.  However, it would explain why we see so many people with the "already been used" problem.

    How could vendors like Dell work with MS to solve this problem?  This is my idea:  First, they do NOT ship the product key card any longer.  Instead, they set up a system where legitimate purchasers of Office are sent an email telling them where to go to access their product key.  They can also log into their Dell account (or HP, Lenovo, etc) and access their purchase that also has the same link to the product key.  Whatever the case, the product key is displayed for the account that purchased the Dell PC.  Please note that I am NOT saying the product key is forever linked to a Dell reseller, but it is always allowed to be DISPLAYED to the reseller (or end user) who purchased it.  The purchaser would log in to their Dell account (reseller or end user), get the product key in a downloadable PDF document, print the PDF document (for the reseller to pass on to the customer or the end user to keep in a safe place), and then they can activate Office.  Microsoft does this same type thing for obtaining product keys through their Refurbisher program as well as for their Action Pack subscribers.  It is effective and safe.

    Please click Helpful if you think this would be helpful.

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  4. Anonymous
    2015-10-29T11:28:23+00:00

    I'm in brazil.

    The same is happening with me. On top of this, there are key problems that do not activate. No error message, no message saying that the key has already been used somewhere, nothing. I can not register the OEM key. Microsoft says I should talk to Dell and Dell says I should talk to Microsoft.

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  5. Anonymous
    2015-10-25T23:43:49+00:00

    Robear,

    I hear you!  Nevertheless, there is no we we have found outside doing the very things you say you won't do to accomplish activating Office 2016.  If you do find a way, please post it for the rest of us!  We would like to know about it, too.

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