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- Re: Lost Microsoft Office Home and Student 2013

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10-31-2019 08:49 AM
Had a virus on my laptop and when it was removed I lost the Microsoft Office Home and Student 2013. It was installed when I bought the laptop and I don't know how to get it back. I have the key code but it will not work when I go to Microsoft. I need any help I can get.
10-31-2019 02:02 PM - edited 10-31-2019 02:03 PM
Ever since Office 2013, Microsoft has distributed Office products in two different "versions".
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The first is similar to what they did previously, with the software installed locally on your PC, using a product key that came with the product. When done, that product key is stored locally in your PC, in the registry. This means that you can use a variety of registry scanning tools to retrieve that product key later -- should you need it.
If you have reformatted the drive or reinstalled Windows, you have wiped out the office key information previously stored there and that can not NOW be recovered. You would have to contact HP Customer support directly to see if they can help in any way...
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The second is something new known as Click to Run (abbreviated CTR). In this case, you download the installation package from Microsoft, install it, and use the product key obtained from Microsoft. With the CTR version, the product key is NOT stored on your local machine, but instead, in your account at Microsoft. There is no way to retrieve the product key from your machine because it simply is not stored there. IF you had the second version, the ONLY way to get the product key, is from your MS account.
But you said your key code does not work -- are you sure you are entering the Office 2013 code and not the Windows code?
I am a volunteer and I do not work for, nor represent, HP