Office 2010 came preinstalled on Dell Inspiron laptop and now won't update

Question

I don't know why but I have 19 Office 2010 updates trying, every day, to get installed and I get error messages. This has been going on for months. At Microsoft Support, they tell me to use the Office product key but the software came preinstalled and I don't have a CD. I'm also having problems with something called "Microsoft Office Single Image 2010" that gets installed and then, immediately rolls back the installation.

People at Microsoft tell me to come to Dell because the software was installed by your company. I don't know what to do and I've spent probably a hundred hours trying to find ways around this problem, to repair the program or fix it. I haven't been able to work on any Office documents since January. Also, I try to use your support system but the diagnostic tests never finish! They can run for hours (and they are supposed to take 2-10 mins) and they just keep whirring away, never letting me move forward in the Support seeking process.

Can you just give me the product key for the Office 2010 software you installed on my Inspiron N5010 running Windows 7? This is my fourth Dell computer but this has been so frustrating, it might be my last. The rest of my family has Macs and they don't seem to have any of these problems.

Philip_Yip · Accepted Answer

If you have Office 2010 preinstalled and it isn't the Starter version, your key should be on an MPI card:

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

However you can obtain it from Belarc Advisor as its currently installed:

http://dellwindowsreinstallationguide.com/gathering-information-about-your-pc/belarc-advisor/

Links to download Office are given here:

http://dellwindowsreinstallationguide.com/download-microsoft-windows-and-office/download-microsoft-office/

If it was the Starter version, it is completely obsolete and replaced by WebApps:

Mary G · Answer

This is a user to user forum, not Dell support. If Office was installed you would have paid extra for it and received a card with the key. That model came out at the time when MS Office Starter with Word and Excel was installed for free as an inducement to install the paid version. There is no key for that. See if this is familiar--

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/starter-help/introduction-to-office-starter-2010-HA101886942.aspx?CTT=5&origin=HA010380218

If that is not the right version, search Google for MS single image 2010 there are long threads in the Office forum about this.

LizPullen · Answer

Yes, this was not a Starter version, it was the actual program. The situation is a bit confused though because this was a replacement, refurbished Inspiron that Dell sent me as my previous laptop had so many problems. So, the full software came installed but this wasn't the original laptop I purchased so I don't have a "key". The CD I received with the original laptop had Office 2007 but the refurbished model had Office 2010 installed.

I was hoping the key number was somehow programmed into my computer information/settings but I guess that is not how it is done. I am doubtful of calling into Dell but at this point, I'm out of other options so I suppose it can't hurt.

Philip_Yip · Answer

See if you can get the Office 2010 key using Belarc Advisor: http://dellwindowsreinstallationguide.com/gathering-information-about-your-pc/belarc-advisor/

Productivity Software

Office 2010 came preinstalled on Dell Inspiron laptop and now won't update

Was this post helpful?