OFFXP: Activation Wizard does not start

When you attempt to activate Microsoft Office XP after you successfully install it, the Activation Wizard does not start. You do not receive any error messages.

This issue can occur when there is part of a previous Office installation in the registry or in the Office folders.

Warning Serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly by using Registry Editor or by using another method. These problems might require that you reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that these problems can be solved. Modify the registry at your own risk.
To resolve this issue, follow these steps in the order in which they are presented.

NOTE: Because there are several versions of Microsoft Windows, the following steps may be different on your computer. If they are, see your product documentation to complete these steps.

Uninstall Office XP

To remove Office XP and any stand-alone Office products that may be present on your computer, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
2. Double-click Add/Remove Programs.
3. In the list of currently installed programs, click Microsoft Office XP.
4. Use the appropriate method for the operating system that you use: If you use Microsoft Windows 2000 or Windows XP, click Remove.
   
   If you use Microsoft Windows 98, Microsoft Windows NT 4.0, or Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition (Me), follow these steps:
   
   
   1. Click Add/Remove
   2. In the Maintenance Mode Options dialog box, click Uninstall Office.
   3. Click Next.
5. Click Yes to confirm.

Repeat steps 3 through 5 for all stand-alone Office products that are installed in your computer.

Delete Microsoft Office Folders

1. Start Windows Explorer.
2. On the Tools menu, click Folder Options (or, click Folder Options on the View menu), and then click the View tab.
3. Click to select the Show hidden files and folders check box (or click to select the Show all files check box), and then click OK.
4. Delete the following folder:
   C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office
5. Navigate to and open the following folder, if present:
   [AppDataFolder]\Microsoft\Office\Data
   NOTE : [AppDataFolder] is the \Application Data folder. The location of this folder varies, depending on the version of Microsoft Windows that is on your computer.
   
   
6. Delete the following files, if present:
   • Data.dat
   • Data.bak

Delete .tmp Files

1. Quit all programs that are running, and then restart your computer.
2. Click Start, and then click Run.
3. In the Open box, type %temp%, and then click OK.
4. Press CTRL+A to select all files, and then press DELETE to clear the default Temp folder.
   
   Note You cannot delete files that are being used by currently running processes.

Rename the Config.msi Folder

1. Start Windows Explorer.
2. Rename the folder Config.msi to Config.old. This folder is usually located at the root of drive C: (for example; C:\Config.msi).
3. On the Tools menu, click Folder Options (or, click Folder Options on the View menu), and then click the View tab.
4. Click to clear the Show hidden files and folders check box (or click to clear the Show all files check box), and then click OK.

Remove Office-related Keys from Registry

1. Click Start, and then click Run.
2. In the Open box, type regedit, and then press ENTER.
3. Delete the following registry keys:
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Office
   -and-
   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office

Run Office XP Setup

Run Office XP Setup, and then start any Office XP program to complete activation.