This link sums it all up! http://wtf.rotten.com/wtf/wtf.01/final.html On Wed, 15 Mar 2000, you wrote:

5. BEHIND THE OFFICE REGISTRATION WIZARD - PART 3

Our in-depth look at the Office Registration Wizard has promted from interesting responses, including an article in the Washington Times from Mark Kellner http://www.washtimes.com/technology/bizcomputer0313.htm.

KEEPING YOUR CONFIRMATION CODE The confirmation code you receive from Microsoft is your key to unlocking ongoing use of Office on that computer. But once you have entered into your computer, you'll never see it again! The confirmation code is not displayed on any screen once you have completed the registration process. If you don't have the Confirmation Code recorded elsewhere you'll have to apply to Microsoft for another code.

If you are reinstalling on the same computer then the Internet registration option should work - even if you are beyond the first two Confirmation Codes - here's why. When you request a confirmation code the Microsoft system checks your history of installations, it should recognize that the 'new' request is really a duplicate of one approved previously.

Notwithstanding that we suggest that anyone who regularly reinstalls Office 2000 for any reason make a separate note of the confirmation code they are given plus the Product Key and computer that confirmation applies to. This may not be necessary for many people with relatively stable computer setups - but for those who are always tinkering, adding, reformatting etc it's invaluable advice.

In theory getting another code from Microsoft should not be a problem if their registration system works perfectly but, as we've already seen, the process of getting a confirmation code is hardly flawless. It's better to rely on your own resources than trust Microsoft to honor their promises. As a worst case Microsoft can refuse to give you a confirmation code and you're stuck with a non-working copy of Office.

Even if there are no hardware changes on your computer, if you have to reinstall Office (after a computer crash for example) that confirmation code can get going again. Better to type in a number you already have than rely on Microsoft to be available when you need them.

Changing your hard drive will require a new confirmation code unless you have the old one ready to type back in. When you type the code in the ORW will realize that your hardware is slightly different to that in the Installation ID but if the difference is only small the confirmation will be accepted.

If you don't have the previous confirmation code then you'll have to contact Microsoft for a fresh confirmation, this may count against your use of confirmations and could impact your future ability to get a working copy of Office.

According to Microsoft, if you call for another registration code the system is smart enough to work out that the new Installation ID represents a deviation from the previously registered computer (not a totally new computer). Customers are allowed codes for the same machine as many times as need be. This recognizes the fact that people occasionally crash/corrupt their machines and go through a re-installation process. You could do this an unlimited number of times via any registration method (including the Internet) and not get rejected. That fact should be taken into account by Microsoft staff when issuing additional confirmation codes. Based on our experience and reader feedback we don't share Redmond's confidence that the proper distinction will be made.

In our opinion the best thing to do is keep a record of the Installation ID (the number you give to Microsoft) and the Confirmation code (the code you get from Microsoft) plus the computer they apply to. You can then re-use the confirmation if necessary without referring to Microsoft in some cases of small hardware changes. This reduces the number of separate confirmation codes you have to ask for and thus reducing the possibility of a dispute about 'over-use'.

You can enter a previous confirmation code when the ORW appears simply by choosing the 'Telephone' registration option and entering the code as if you had Microsoft on the line.

Keep in mind that an 'old' confirmation code may not always work. It depends on the number and nature of the hardware changes made since the original installation. Also the confirmation code will only work with the matching Product Key on the same computer it was issued for. If the confirmation code isn't accepted then you'll have to call the registration center (not Technical Support). Registration centers (unlike Tech support) are available 24/7 and are setup to deal with registration specific questions.

It's only fair to warn you that Microsoft doesn't recommend that customers make a note of the confirmation codes for re-use on the same computer. They have confidence that their system is sufficiently reliable to provide confirmations when you request them and also properly detect repeated requests for the same user and computer. They've asked us to remind people that if the confirmation code does not work you should call the registration center NOT tech support.

We don't share Redmond's confidence in their technology and feel customers should have their own records. Even if you don't have to re-enter a confirmation code, it may be useful to have your own record of confirmations requested and received in case of a dispute.

PRIVACY PROS AND CONS Do you give your personal information (name, address etc) when registering or not? According to Microsoft it is entirely optional, but as we've already noted their staff apparently have other ideas.

While it is true that giving the personal information is theoretically optional there are possible consequences for not doing so.

The most important is that giving your personal information when applying for your first confirmation code may help in proving that you are a legitimate user if there's a problem with getting later confirmation codes.

Originally Microsoft said that there were 'none whatsoever' disadvantages or restrictions if personal details were not given. However that conflicts with statements of their staff that talk about the advantages of doing so.

The most touted benefit is notice of future updates to the software. Microsoft quotes surveys they have done which show that the majority of users want the company to know how to get in touch with them for product updates etc. No doubt this is what their focus groups said - if you ask the questions in the right way you'll get the answer you want.

In the real world, outside the focus group, things are quite different. The benefit given as an incentive for personal information isn't delivered in most cases. While it is true that in the USA registered Office users can get posted notice of Service Releases that is not usually the case elsewhere in the world.

In Australia there has never, to our knowledge, been any individual advice to registered Office users of updates however registration does mean that if you call to get a update CD you may not have to go through so many hoops to prove your entitlement.

In the UK, Microsoft staff are quite open about the fact that software registration means nothing except that you are added to a marketing mailing list. For the last Office 97 Service Release, customers who had faithfully completed and returned registration cards received no advice of its existence. Those who did know about the SR had to send separate and different proof of ownership in order to get a belated delivery of an update CD. This wasn't an accident, the UK subsidiary of Microsoft made the decision to insist upon separate proof of ownership, knowing that had not been required elsewhere.

There's nothing to guarantee you'll get the promised benefits of supplying personal information to Microsoft.

According to one of the Registration Wizard screens there's further details on the company privacy policy in the help file, but we could not find it. It also states that you can correct information about you held by Microsoft. Microsoft tells us that the reason we could not find it is because the help file for Office 2000 was not properly indexed to allow this detail to be found in a search! That omission is fixed in the SR-1 release, for those of us with the original Office 2000 you'll find the relevant page buried at: Getting and Using Help Other Ways to Get Help Technical Support About the Office Registration Wizard and your privacy

BEYOND OFFICE 2000 The Office Registration Wizard is just the start, eventually all Microsoft products will probably use this form of enforceable software licensing, including Windows itself. It's also possible that Microsoft will sell this technology to other companies with a view to it being a widely used form of software licensing.

That's why this series has gone into the ramifications of the current Office Registration Wizard. If it is deemed successful by Microsoft's yardstick then it will become a fact of life for all computer users.

NEXT WEEK We'll look at the benefits to customers from the ORW and our suggestion for a simple way to vastly improve public confidence in their new registration system.

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