Own your software so it does not own you!
Aysë Stenabaugh
Jesters Computers
(12/2020) All software that you purchase has a license which determines the end-users rights to their applications. It's common for popular software such as Microsoft Office or QuickBooks to require you to enter a serial number or product key for the software you purchased which is usually somewhere inside the software packaging, on your store receipt, or if purchased online, could be included in an email. Should you ever need to reinstall your software that information will be required, so it's important to
keep it somewhere safe.
Product keys are generally used by software companies to cut down on piracy or the illegal use of their applications. If you ever find yourself needing to contact support for your program, your product registration will also help determine your support eligibility. In the case of Microsoft Office, with the exception of the subscription software (Office 365), your paying for the license to use the software on that one device, not to be confused with Owning the software. You will not be able to then install that software on a second
device without first uninstalling it on the first device and deactivating it. Ever since Microsoft office 2013 users of Microsoft products have the ability to add their product key to their Microsoft account thus negating the need to keep your product key safe as long as you maintain access to your Microsoft account.
In order to maintain access to your Microsoft account, you should always keep your email address and phone number up to date in the event that you forget your password or get locked out of your account. You can check your Microsoft account information by logging in at www.account.live.com if you'd like to add your product key to your office account you can navigate to the office.com website where you can login with your Microsoft account. Once you’ve selected your account you can then choose, "I have a product key" to add your already
purchased product.
If you end up losing your product key some products like QuickBooks will display your information if the application is still accessible on the device. Key finders can retrieve product keys for older versions of Office but those versions are now obsolete and those versions (2010 and older) shouldn’t be installed anyway. It’s recommended that you keep your software up to date, as a general rule of thumb, software that is ten years or older is considered to be obsolete. Avoiding software updates can seem like a good idea but can cause
issues to be compounded and more difficult to troubleshoot and resolve.
For those who don’t need to use specific applications and prefer to save money, there are often alternatives to mainstream software that offer similar functionality with little or no price tag. Open office is a great option to replace many of the same functions found in the Microsoft Office suite. Adobe Acrobat Pro users can find many cheaper options that let you edit and create PDF’s including Foxit or Nitro. Since each user has their own preferences its best to shop around and compare features and try a trial version of the software
to ensure the software is a good fit for you.
For any user, the best method to ensuring that you do not lose any of your licensed software is to ensure that your device is backed up with a system image. A properly configured system image back up not only your important data files but your software and settings as well. We recommend purchasing an external backup drive and setting up a system image with Windows built-in software which will back up all your software and data. In the event that your device received a bad update or experienced a hard drive failure, you would be able to
restore to the latest system image.
This holiday season let us at Jester’s Computer Services help make the most out of your devices. Whether you are looking to purchase a new machine, upgrade an existing one or just want to learn how to use your technology more efficiently we can help. Contact our support team at 717-642-6611 or visit us on the web at www.jesterscomputers.com or on Facebook.
