Article ID: 950929 - Last Review: October 16, 2009 - Revision: 2.0

How to contact a Microsoft Product Activation Center

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INTRODUCTION

This article describes the process of activation and contacting the appropriate Microsoft Product Activation Center for the following products:
  • Windows 7
  • Windows Vista
  • Windows XP
  • 2007 Microsoft Office
  • Microsoft Office 2003
Note Telephone numbers for Microsoft Product Activation Centers are not listed in this article because there are many regional Product Activation Centers worldwide. However, you can use this article to learn how to obtain the appropriate telephone number by running the Product Activation Wizard
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MORE INFORMATION

Each product has a slightly different way to start the Product Activation Wizard, and we have detailed those steps for your individual product in this article. If you start activation and the online activation fails, you see an Activate by Telephone option in the wizard. After you select this option, you are prompted to select your country and region and then the appropriate telephone number will be displayed.

When you start the activation process for your product and select the option to activate through the automated telephone system, you must have your Installation ID available to continue the activation process. The Installation ID is generated when you choose to activate through the automated telephone system.

If activation fails or you cannot complete activation in the automated interactive voice response system, you will be given the option to connect to a Microsoft Product Activation Customer Service Representative. The Representative may request all or part of your Installation ID for processing. Please be prepared to provide additional information about the Microsoft product that you are trying to activate, especially information that is included on your Proof of License/Certificate or Authenticity located on your OEM computer, or on the media that you received when you purchased the Microsoft product from a reseller.
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How to access the Product Activation Wizard

If the Product Activation Wizard is not open, follow these steps to start the wizard:

Windows 7

  1. Click Start
    Collapse this imageExpand this image
    Start button
    .
  2. Right-click Computer.
  3. Select Properties.
  4. At the bottom of this window, click Activate Windows now.

Windows Vista

  1. Click Start
    Collapse this imageExpand this image
    Start button
    .
  2. Right-click Computer.
  3. Select Properties.
  4. At the bottom of this window, click Activate Windows.

Windows XP

  1. Click Start.
  2. Point to All Programs.
  3. Point to Accessories.
  4. Point to System Tools.
  5. Click Activate Windows.

Office programs, such as Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint, and so on

2007 Microsoft Office

  1. Click Start.
  2. Point to All Programs.
  3. Point to Microsoft Office.
  4. Click any Office program.
  5. After the Office program starts, click the Office button.
  6. Click program_name Options. (For example, click Word Options or Excel Options.)
  7. Click Resources.
  8. On the activate Microsoft Office line, click Activate.

Microsoft Office 2003 or earlier versions of Microsoft Office programs

  1. Click Start.
  2. Point to All Programs.
  3. Point to Microsoft Office.
  4. Click any Office program.
  5. After the Office program starts, the Office Activation Wizard will be displayed.
For more information about how to activate an office product, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
828958  (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/828958/ ) Resources to help you activate a license in Microsoft Office programs
For more information about how to activate Windows 7, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/Activating-Windows-frequently-asked-questions (http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/Activating-Windows-frequently-asked-questions)
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Additional information

For more information about product activation, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
http://www.microsoft.com/piracy/mpa.aspx (http://www.microsoft.com/piracy/mpa.aspx)
For more information about Product Activation, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
302806  (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/302806/ ) Description of Microsoft Product Activation
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APPLIES TO
  • Customer Service and Support Information
  • Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit Edition
  • Windows Vista Home Basic 64-bit Edition
  • Windows Vista Ultimate 64-bit Edition
  • Windows Vista Business
  • Windows Vista Business 64-bit Edition
  • Windows Vista Home Premium
  • Windows Vista Home Basic
  • Windows Vista Starter
  • Windows Vista Ultimate
  • Windows Vista Enterprise
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2003 R2 Enterprise Edition KN
  • Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
  • Microsoft Windows XP Professional
  • Microsoft Office Basic 2007
  • Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007
  • Microsoft Office Standard 2007
  • Microsoft Office Professional 2007
  • Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2007
  • Microsoft Office Ultimate 2007
  • Microsoft Office Visio Standard 2007
  • Microsoft Office Word 2007
  • Microsoft Office Outlook 2007
  • Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007
  • Microsoft Office Project Professional 2007
  • Microsoft Office Project Standard 2007
  • Microsoft Office Publisher 2007
  • Microsoft Office InfoPath 2007
  • Microsoft Office OneNote 2007
  • Microsoft Office Excel 2007
  • Microsoft Office Professional Edition 2003
  • Microsoft Office Excel 2003
  • Microsoft Office FrontPage 2003
  • Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2003
  • Microsoft Office Publisher 2003
  • Microsoft Office Small Business Edition 2003
  • Microsoft Office XP Service Pack 1
  • Microsoft Office XP Pack for Tablet PC
  • Microsoft Office XP Professional Edition
  • Microsoft Office XP Proofing Tools Standard Edition
  • Microsoft Office XP Small Business Edition
  • Microsoft Office XP Standard Edition
  • Microsoft Excel 2002 Standard Edition
  • Microsoft FrontPage 2002 Standard Edition
  • Microsoft Outlook 2002 Standard Edition
  • Microsoft PowerPoint 2002 Standard Edition
  • Microsoft Word 2002
  • Microsoft Windows Small Business Server 2003 Premium Edition
  • Microsoft Windows Small Business Server 2003 Standard Edition
  • Microsoft Office SharePoint Designer 2007
  • Microsoft Office Access 2003
  • Microsoft Access 2002 Standard Edition
  • Windows 7 Enterprise
  • Windows 7 Home Basic
  • Windows 7 Home Premium
  • Windows 7 Professional
  • Windows 7 Starter
  • Windows 7 Ultimate
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Keywords: 
kmcustomerservice kbhowto KB950929
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