Local disk (Q:) / MS office 2010

Dexterboy,

Thank you for using the Dell Community Forum.

I found this information on another forum site.

Yes the Q drive is associated with Click to Run (CTR).

CTR is a PITA for the average home user. I can see it as a valid approach for a corporate/school network, but not wasting bandwidth for home user.

The way to make the Q go away is to uninstall the CTR and download and install an equivalent MSI version of office.

You need the product key to do the installation (so it does not apply to Starter which is OEM only).

What is Click to Run

Click-to-Run is a new Electronic Software Distribution (ESD) technology for Office 2010 that utilizes Microsoft’s streaming and virtualization technology. Click-to-Run provides a much faster and simpler download and installation experience for customers trying or buying Office 2010 over the Internet. Click-to-Run allows customers to maintain multiple versions of Office so customers can easily try Office 2010 side by side with an existing version of Office. Click-to-Run automatically downloads and installs any software updates when connected to the Internet, helping to maintain a more secure and up-to-date Office experience. At this time, only Office Home and Student 2010 and Office Home and Business 2010 will be available through Click-to-Run and limited based on broadband speed requirements.

NOTE:  CTR is a relatively new approach to installing and running Office. Introduced with 2010. So very few technicians are aware of it, let alone familiar with trouble shooting it. As well, it introduces a whole new set of errors, like the one that you encountered. My personal recommendation is that unless you have a clearly identified need for it and explicitly requested the download, DON’T USE IT.

Overview of Microsoft Office Click-to-Run for Office 2010

Microsoft is offering a new way to download and install products of Microsoft Office 2010. This technology is called Microsoft Office Click-to-Run, and this article discusses how Office Click-to-Run works and lists some frequently asked questions (FAQ).

Introduction to Office Click-to-Run

Office Click-to-Run is a new way for broadband customers to obtain Microsoft Office and to update Office 2010. Office Click-to-Run uses the virtualization and streaming technologies of Microsoft.

Office Click-to-Run Technology

Office Click-to-Run products use streaming technology that is similar to watching a video on the web. When you watch a video on the web, you can watch the first part of the video before the whole file is downloaded. Similarly, you can start using Office 2010 before the whole suite or product is downloaded when you use Office Click-to-Run. Therefore, the rest of Office 2010 is being downloaded in the background quietly while you use one part of Office 2010.

Office Click-to-Run products also use Microsoft virtualization technology that stores Office 2010 in virtualized application space. This virtual space separates Office 2010 from the regular file system and from the other applications on your computer. This separation lets Office 2010 coexist together with any existing version of Office that is already installed on your computer. There are also other benefits to Office Click-to-Run. For more information, visit the following Microsoft blog website:

blogs.technet.com/.../click-to-run-delivering-office-in-the-21st-century.aspx

Office Click-to-Run products

To download Office Click-to-Run for Microsoft Office Home and Student 2010 and for Microsoft Office Home and Business 2010, download the installation files from Microsoft directly.

Note The Office Click-to-Run technology is also used in Microsoft Office Starter 2010.

Switch to using an MSI-based Office edition (only applies to versions bought online) - office.microsoft.com/.../click-to-run-switch-to-using-an-msi-based-office-edition-HA101850538.aspx

Alternate Method

You will need to go to “my account” link in order to access all the different installation methods. Here are the full steps:

1.        Go to the website that you purchased your version of Office 2010 from (Ex:office.microsoft.com/buy  oroffice.microsoft.com/tech-guarantee)

2.        Click on the green button to advance to the next page (depending on the site, the green button will say something different, but most of the time it is Download Now or Update Now)

3.        On the next page, look in the top right corner and you should see a link for My Account, click on it

4.        Now you will see what you previously purchased, next you should click on Download

5.        Below the Green button (Download Now) Click on Advanced Options

6.        In this window, click on the link for 32bit.

And you are good to go!

More Click to Run Information

Go to the MS Office site office.microsoft.com/en-us and search for “click to run” you will see titles such as  office.microsoft.com/.../results.aspx    office.microsoft.com/.../results.aspx :

•Click-to-Run: Introduction -  office.microsoft.com/.../click-to-run-introduction-HA101850493.aspx

•Learn more about Office Click-to-Run  - office.microsoft.com/.../learn-more-about-office-click-to-run-HA010382090.aspx

•Click-to-Run: Switch to using an MSI-based Office 2010 edition

Did you purchase microsoft office with your system? If so it may be worthwhile copying all your data onto an external harddrive (shouldn't be so much if only 2 months old). Then use the dell quick restore to get yourself back to factory settings with office back and rid yourself of this problem. (instructions here)

Once that is done you can use Belarc Advisor to extract your product key and you can download a trial version of microsoft 2010 (same version as you have) and copy it onto your external harddrive, with a copy of the product key in notepad for back up purposes.

Also create a backup copy of your Dell Windows 7 Disk if you have not already done so. Save a copy of it in notepad. The drivers and standalone service packs are available from Dell/Microsoft Websites so you can them anytime if you need to. Berlarc advisor will also tell you your product key, would advise you to keep a copy in notepad aswell although it is also on a sticker at the bottom of your system.

Note do you know how this happened? Was it a sudden change. Some program you are using. Are you using any registry, speed up my pc programs or the likes? What antivirus/security software are you using?

@natakuc4:

I purchased a download of MS Office Professional Plus back in March, but waited until my new Dell Inspiron 620s arrived before downloading and installing it.  The new Dell 620s has the "Starter" version of MS Office already pre-installed.  I thought the Pro-Plus version would uninstall the Starter version, however, it seems that they both are installed and apparently conflict, since the Pro-Plus version key is being rejected as invalid. (Actually, I purchased two keys and neither one works.)

I uninstalled the Pro-Plus version, then tried again to enter the key, but neither key is accepted as valid.  I would like to uninstall the starter version then install the Pro-Plus, but if afterward the key is still invalid for Pro-Plus, how do I go back to the Starter version?  I have looked for a way to download it, but since it is proprietary to Microsoft, I assume that Dell can't distribute a backup copy via the web site.  I find no instructions for creating a backup copy of the software *program*, only backups for *data* files.  How might I restore the Starter copy should I need to?

I really don't want to go back to square-one with everything, since we've spent a good bit of time transferring files and setting things up.

(Btw, if I become confident enough to remove the Starter copy, then reload Pro-Plus and it still doesn't accept the key, I will call tech support for the seller I bought it from.)

Thanks for the help ...

In my system I done exactly the same as you and I experienced no conflicts with home and starter and professional plus whatsoever.

The starter version cannot be downloaded. If you lose it the only way to recover it is via the Dell Quick Restore to factory settings.

"Office Starter 2010 is not a trial–it has a perpetual license that does not expire. Office Starter 2010 is an advertising-supported base productivity suite that is available only on new PCs. It must be preloaded on new PCs at the point of manufacture. Office Starter 2010 is not available for existing PCs at any time after manufacture; for example, Office Starter 2010 cannot be installed on new PCs being sold by resellers, even brand-new PCs. It will not be sold through distribution or available to end users as a standalone product."

I would personally get rid of it and any other office products and try reinstalling office. You may want to use the 30 day free trial of Revo Uninstaller Pro to uninstall any office products. It is worth running ccleaner (using both the cleaner and registry cleaner) and defraggler.

I would then try installing Office 2010 Professional Plus again.

Did you download professional plus from the website you bought it from or from microsoft? 

You are getting this error? Check you definitely have a profession plus product key and it says professional plus at the top (just to confirm). If they are both Professional Plus then you may somehow have a volume license installer and are using a retail product key or vice versa. (I had this problem recently with Visio 2010).

I was hoping that there was a way to backup the software, and actually I found that the Dell "Datasafe Local Backup" will do that, IF you purchase the premium version for $39.99, plus tax.   I like your suggestion of using Revo Uninstaller / CCleaner / Defraggler.  I will keep it in mind, however, I've found an 800 number for Microsoft and I've also found the receipt for the purchase of the keys.  I am going to try phone support first, just to say I did, then if nothing better comes up, dive into your suggestion.  Thanks so much for the help!

Excellent tips, thanks!

After calling the MS 800 number, I find that I have been sold "MSDN" keys which apparently are not allowed to work, except through the companies within the licensed MS developer network.  I have contacted the seller, so we will see if they honor their commitment, or find weasel words to try to get out of it.  They still have an ongoing web site, but only allow contact via e-mail.  I've looked up the WHOIS info, but of course, it's restricted.  If they weasel, the state Attorney General and the BBB will be notified, and I may choose to seek legal recourse.

Long and short, if I had the proper keys, they should work fine, no problems.  Since I don't, that's what caused the problem.  As a result of this little exercise, I have found out about the "click-to-run" setup, and find that is what they have used to install the Starter edition.  And the Starter edition downloads ads and tracks your activity.  This is all getting a bit too "big-brotherish" for me.  But I digress ...

Thanks, again.

Use Windows Backup & Restore instead of purchasing Datasafe. It will let you make backups, system images and system repair disk. Store backups and images on an external hard drive. It works fine and it's free. Type Backup in the Start Box to access it.