Need urgent Vista help

I ran Belarc and found the 25 character key(s) like you said. Tried entering them for products below but MS still says the key is incorrect. Any other thoughts? 

The key on your computer is not for Office, it is for Microsoft Windows only. To get the key, there should be one in the packaging or documentation somewhere. The other thing you can try is running Belarc. In the results about half way down shows the licenses of the software on your computer.

Thanks, I'll try Dell.

No luck with Dell. Have to try MS. 

The COA is for Windows Vista, more details about the COA are provided here:

http://dellwindowsreinstallationguide.com/download-microsoft-windows-and-office/download-microsoft-windows/request-a-reinstallation-dvd-from-dell/

Although Office 2007 may have came preinstalled by Dell it is unactivated at factory settings and a trial version. If you bought a license with your system it would have came with a MPI card and you would have input the 25 digit key when you got the system see here for details:

http://dellwindowsreinstallationguide.com/download-microsoft-windows-and-office/download-microsoft-office/microsoft-product-identity-mpi-card/

As you have reverted to factory settings you have lost your product key and a key finder program such as Belarc Advisor will be useless as it won't find it as its not in the registry anymore. Its a shame you never wrote on the forum before restoring to factory settings.

I seriously doubt you will get any useful support from Microsoft and you are pretty much caught in the Microsoft-Dell OEM customer triangle, one of the reasons I never customise a Dell with Microsoft Office and always get it seperately. Microsoft will likely try and sell you Office 2013 but this needs Windows 7 or 8.1 to run... They may also send you back to Dell because its an OEM license. Dell do not keep a record of the product key and are unlikely to have any Office 2007 replacement keys.

I have someone trying to find the Vista/Office disk back home. Are you saying that if they find the original product key, it won't work?

If so, please let me know. 

"As you have reverted to factory settings you have lost your product key and a key finder program such as Belarc Advisor will be useless as it won't find it as its not in the registry anymore. Its a shame you never wrote on the forum before restoring to factory settings."

Actually, I did a couple of days ago when I reported corrupt Vista files preventing WinVista updates. You suggested a clean reinstall of the OS. I tried that but chose the option to save data files. After the reinstall, some 250+ updates finally got installed with 2 exceptions. For the most part, the machine is now working okay except that I may lose Office.   

I would have suggested manual clean installation and referred you to my Reinstallation Guide. The guide has a section called gathering system information which would have instructed you in obtaining your product keys with Belarc Advisor before Windows Reinstallation:

http://dellwindowsreinstallationguide.com/a-clean-install-of-windows/

Your product key will still work but your only chance is to find the MPI card or purchase Office again. You can't purchase Office 2013 as its incompatible with Vista.

Loss of the MPI card has led to many unhappy customers who have paid full price and lost Office 2007/2010 and given the solution to buy Office again. Its the same with Windows COAs. We have been asking for a better service since Office 2007/Windows Vista came out. With Windows it doesn't matter because there is a SLP activation mechanism which doesn't require a 25 digit product key.

Microsoft stepped up the game in Windows 8/Office 2013 by embedding Windows 8 OEM product keys in the BIOS and linking Office 2013 with a Microsoft Account. Media for Office 2013 can be downloaded from the Microsoft Account and the Product Key will be stored with the Microsoft Account. Microsoft however provide an awful service regarding Windows 8 installation media.

You would think that MS with all of their geniuses would have figured that out long ago. Now I may have no choice but to buy Win 7 and Office all because MS Vista files find ways to get corrupted. And to make matters worse, all of their repair tools were useless.

What a great way to drive customers over to Apple.   

You would think that MS with all of their geniuses would have figured that out long ago. Now I may have no choice but to buy Win 7 and Office all because MS Vista files find ways to get corrupted. And to make matters worse, all of their repair tools were useless. What a great way to drive customers over to Apple.

One thing you can do temporally is to use Office 2013 Web Apps in OneDrive. This version is free:

http://office.microsoft.com/en-gb/

It does not include all features however.