BleepingComputer.com: Office 2003 not genuine

HI,a few months ago I bought a used computer from a dealer.it came with installs of WindowsXp and Office2003. All was well for awhile but now suddenly I started getting messages stating that the office2003 is not genuine and it failed the test.Along with that they told me how to aquire a genuine copy of it. i dont undeestand why this is.If the guy who installed it is paying Microsoft for each time he installs it on a computer,why are they saying all of a sudden that its not genuine.
one thing that has changed is that I bought a used laptop with open office installed and i have been sending files from there to the computer with office on it,and vice versa.could this be why?
I went ahead and uninstalled office and installed open office,because i am not paying Microsoft for something that i already paid the guy who installed the software
thanks in advance for your replies.

The guy who you got the computer from could possibly be into nefarious things. Did you actually get the software and COA for Office 2003?

cryptodan, on 14 November 2010 - 09:55 PM, said:

No,I didnt get any software. He installs it on all the computers he sells. I imagine he has some sort of volume license that allows him to do this? He also installs WindowsXP professional SP 1,and AVG Free on the computers.Im not sure what a COA is.

Is Open office as good as Microsoft Office? I like that it is open source and free.

A Certificate Of Authenticity(COA) should come with any liscensed software that you but Usualy found as a sticker with the product key used to validate the install on the computer. Sounds like he may be installing the a pirated copy, and after the windows genuine update those alerts started popping because MS realized it was an invalid copy. I'm an avid Open Office user, and for word processing it works wonders(opens many dif types of docs,etc) Hard to tell if it would be right for you, but its free so i'd say give it a try and decide for yourself. Take A look at the diferent variants too, as some of those may be better suited to your needs.

sobernva, on 15 November 2010 - 11:01 AM, said:

Well if you didnt get a COA then the likelihood of it being pirated is greatly increased. You are supposed to receive all installation media used on the PC along with any keys.

OpenOffice can mess up formatting in Word Documents, as i learned due to me losing 2 job interviews.

Barajiqal, on 15 November 2010 - 11:11 AM, said:

Oh dear! I hope the same thing doesnt happen to my WinXP.He sells uses computers and laptops with XP,office,AVG and Adobe reader installed. Never had a problem before..
I think Open Office will work nicely for me on the desktop. It came installed on the used laptop I bought from Goodwill and does fine. I dont have lots of crucial stuff involving an office suite.

Well if you didnt get a COA then the likelihood of it being pirated is greatly increased. You are supposed to receive all installation media used on the PC along with any keys.

OpenOffice can mess up formatting in Word Documents, as i learned due to me losing 2 job interviews.
[/quote]


I had no idea I was supposed to get a COA on a used computer from an outlet.I figurred he has a licence to install copies on each computer and just pays Microsoft for each install which he then passes along to whoever buys the computer.
Should I buy a store copy of an OS? I wouldnt mind upgrading to 7 if my computers will work for it.

Run this program: Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor to see if your computer passes. If you didn't get a COA for your OS then it too could be pirated. I would recommend buy legit copies of each.

cryptodan, on 15 November 2010 - 07:57 PM, said:

I ran the program on both the laptop and the desktop. there are enough things I would have to do in order for 7 to work that it isnt worth the bother. guess I will look for copies of XP on Ebay or something. what should I look for to make sure im not getting a pirated copy. I know a COA but what else/

Thanks so much to everyone who has responded to me

This post has been edited by sobernva: 15 November 2010 - 08:20 PM