How to Preserve OEM Pre-Activation When Re-Installing Office Pro 2003

It's easy to back up and restore the file that activates Office 2003.

One of the bothersome aspects of reinstalling Microsoft Office is having to register and activate the software all over again. If your computer came with Office pre-installed by the manufacturer, you may not even know where your activation code is located. Fortunately, although it is not widely known, MS Office 2003 stores this activation data in a file that you can easily back up, allowing you to copy it into your new installation with minimal hassle.

Things You'll Need

• USB drive, recordable CD, or another backup medium

Instructions

Backing Up the Activation File

1. Ensure that hidden files and folders are visible. Open "My Computer," open the "Tools" menu and click "Folder Options." On the "View" tab, make sure that "Show hidden files and folders" is selected. Click "OK."

2. Open the folder "C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Microsoft\OFFICE\DATA" and locate the "opa11.dat" file.

3. Copy "opa11.dat" to a USB drive, CD, or other storage medium.

Restoring the Activation File

1. Open the folder "C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Microsoft\OFFICE\DATA" after reinstalling Office 2003.

2. Copy "opa11.dat" from your backup location to the data folder, overwriting the new file with the backup.

3. Restart Windows and your copy of Microsoft Office 2003 will be reactivated.

Tips & Warnings

• Office Product Activation records your hardware signature so you cannot use the file to activate Office on another computer.

References

• Outlook-tips.net: Saving Your Office Activation
• Jepstone.net: Backup and Restore Your Microsoft Office Activation