How do I get what I need together to install my MS Office on 2nd machine w/o disks or #s?

What does the EULA say? I don’t think that’s allowed for a beta, but their Home & Student version is 3 licenses if I recall. Use the beta for 2010, good until October until you can scrounge up for a license.

Forget Microsoft Office!!! Get this http://www.openoffice.org/ instead. Open Office is a completely free Microsoft Office alternative. The programs mirror Word, Powerpoint, and Excel (Text, Draw, and DataBase) and are completely compatible with Office formats. With a free plugin, it even handles Acrobat PDF’s as well!!!

what’s a eula?

End user license agreement. It’s the gobbledygook no one reads. you agree to it before you install the software. Since they know most users won’t read it, they’ll put in crazy clauses like your information is ours, aliens may descend upon you (seriously), pretty serious stuff regarding your information and their lack of responsibility if you were to try and take action against them.

can I find this on my installation? I didn’t install it. my ex did.

I think OpenOffice is great, and although it may be “compatible,” if you’re working on files that will be transferred or used for presentations, there are formatting issues between the two. I’ve seen it happen and it’s embarrassing.

You’re still going to need the installer, as for the key, there is software that can pull the keys from all your software. I forgot the name, but I know it’s possible.

I know that. I have it. And am experimenting with it. Just as I have Adobe CS4 but also have downloaded GIMP, and some other open-source Adobe substitutes. They don’t replace. They do not export to those programs particularly well, but I am trying to learn to use them separately and build a base for them.

Is this key-puller the kind of software that would be on cnet, or be on sites that make my security software jump up and down and scream?

The one I used was run in the browser, no installation required. I don’t recall, but here’s a listing of key finders: http://pcsupport.about.com/od/productkeysactivation/tp/topkeyfinder.htm

Good luck