Office 2003 licensing question.

luft11_hoflich · 07-11-2008, 04:02 PM

Hello.

We have at least 70 computers, and most of them have office 2003 professional installed on all of them (last sysadmin didn't care about licensing I guess)

BUT.. we have Licenses for all of them but with Office 2003 Basic edition which contains Outlook, Excel and Word, which is the only software our users need anyway.

The users that have Office 2003 Pro have installed only t hose 3 applications with a "generic key" the question is, will the license key (of the O2k3 Basic we already have for each one) can be updated on those computers with O2k3 pro?

Or we have to un-install all the O2k3pro and reinstall O2k3 basic with each license key?

Thanks..

djaburg · 07-11-2008, 04:37 PM

If your hope is to put the proper version of office on your computers, then you should uninstall and reinstall the product. That's the best way to do it. Could you simply install the Basic version without uninstalling? Yes, but if for some reason you were ever audited (and for those who think it doesn't happen, I have a client who was and was hit with $23,000 worth of fees before they called me to straighten things out) you would still show both products being installed on the computer, which could cause issues. I always opt for the clean way to do it to avoid the issues associated with not doing it right the first time.

luft11_hoflich · 07-11-2008, 05:07 PM

Thanks m8,

I have another Q.

What if we are audited and we have 2003 pro on all computers BUT (with WOrd, Excel, Outlook ONLY), and we have 2003 Basic licenses of all those computers.

Will we be in trouble? or as long as we have only installed the individual programs we have licenses for we will be OK? (word, excel, outlook)

Thanks

**gistek** · 07-11-2008, 06:02 PM

Your question would best be answered by a business lawyer rather than an online group.

Personally I would either uninstall Pro and install Basic on all computers, or buy the licenses needed for Pro.

If you have licenses for Basic, but no install disks, you might be able to contact MicroSoft for replacement install disks. (or a download site & authorization)

License tracking is becoming quite sophisticated, and, in my opinion, software auditing will significantly increase in the near future.

djaburg · 07-11-2008, 09:38 PM

I'm certainly no lawyer, but to me it's pretty straight forward, you either have the correct licensing or you don't, just as you either have the right program installed or you don't. I don't think there's much gray area there. You can certainly do as you wish, but if I were in charge of IT and the potential for my company to take a hit existed, then I'd do what I could to minimize exposure to problems. If the boss squawks, then you simply point out that you can do it the right way or the expose the company to risk. Most bosses will see the light and let you do what you need to do to protect them and the business.

07-11-2008, 04:02 PM	#1 (permalink)
luft11_hoflich Registered User Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 11 OS: Vista Business	Office 2003 licensing question. Hello. We have at least 70 computers, and most of them have office 2003 professional installed on all of them (last sysadmin didn't care about licensing I guess) BUT.. we have Licenses for all of them but with Office 2003 Basic edition which contains Outlook, Excel and Word, which is the only software our users need anyway. The users that have Office 2003 Pro have installed only t hose 3 applications with a "generic key" the question is, will the license key (of the O2k3 Basic we already have for each one) can be updated on those computers with O2k3 pro? Or we have to un-install all the O2k3pro and reinstall O2k3 basic with each license key? Thanks..

07-11-2008, 04:37 PM	#2 (permalink)
djaburg Registered User Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 305 OS: XP SP2	Re: Office 2003 licensing question. If your hope is to put the proper version of office on your computers, then you should uninstall and reinstall the product. That's the best way to do it. Could you simply install the Basic version without uninstalling? Yes, but if for some reason you were ever audited (and for those who think it doesn't happen, I have a client who was and was hit with $23,000 worth of fees before they called me to straighten things out) you would still show both products being installed on the computer, which could cause issues. I always opt for the clean way to do it to avoid the issues associated with not doing it right the first time. __________________ Computers make it easier to do a lot of things, but most of the things they make it easier to do don't need to be done. Andy Rooney

07-11-2008, 05:07 PM	#3 (permalink)
luft11_hoflich Registered User Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 11 OS: Vista Business	Re: Office 2003 licensing question. Thanks m8, I have another Q. What if we are audited and we have 2003 pro on all computers BUT (with WOrd, Excel, Outlook ONLY), and we have 2003 Basic licenses of all those computers. Will we be in trouble? or as long as we have only installed the individual programs we have licenses for we will be OK? (word, excel, outlook) Thanks

07-11-2008, 06:02 PM	#4 (permalink)
gistek Folding Along Join Date: May 2007 Location: PA, USA Posts: 1,184 OS: xp	Re: Office 2003 licensing question. Your question would best be answered by a business lawyer rather than an online group. Personally I would either uninstall Pro and install Basic on all computers, or buy the licenses needed for Pro. If you have licenses for Basic, but no install disks, you might be able to contact MicroSoft for replacement install disks. (or a download site & authorization) License tracking is becoming quite sophisticated, and, in my opinion, software auditing will significantly increase in the near future. __________________ I am not a computer professional, My advice comes from personal experience and/or friends who are computer professionals. Interested in Search and Rescue? Check out the Civil Air Patrol. Come Fold with us. TSF Folding@Home Team

07-11-2008, 09:38 PM	#5 (permalink)
djaburg Registered User Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 305 OS: XP SP2	Re: Office 2003 licensing question. I'm certainly no lawyer, but to me it's pretty straight forward, you either have the correct licensing or you don't, just as you either have the right program installed or you don't. I don't think there's much gray area there. You can certainly do as you wish, but if I were in charge of IT and the potential for my company to take a hit existed, then I'd do what I could to minimize exposure to problems. If the boss squawks, then you simply point out that you can do it the right way or the expose the company to risk. Most bosses will see the light and let you do what you need to do to protect them and the business. __________________ Computers make it easier to do a lot of things, but most of the things they make it easier to do don't need to be done. Andy Rooney