OFF95 Err Msg: This Is an Invalid CD Key value

ID: Q138079

The information in this article applies to:
  • Microsoft Office for Windows 95, version 7.0
  • Microsoft Access 7.0
  • Microsoft Excel for Windows 95, version 7.0
  • Microsoft PowerPoint for Windows 95, version 7.0
  • Microsoft Project for Windows 95, version 4.1
  • Microsoft Publisher for Windows 95, version 3.0
  • Microsoft Word for Windows 95, version 7.0
  • Microsoft Money, version 5.0 for Windows 95

SYMPTOMS

When you install any of the programs listed above from CD, you may encounter the following problem or error message when you attempt to enter the CD Key:

  • The space provided to type the CD Key appears insufficient to enter 10 digits.


  • When you type the first digit of your CD-Key, you receive the following error message:
    This is an invalid CD Key value. Check the identification number from your CD sticker.


CAUSE

The message appears when you install Microsoft Office if the MS Sans Serif font is not present in the fonts folder on your hard disk or if the font is corrupt.


WORKAROUND

To work around this problem, use either of the following methods for all products listed at the beginning of this article except Publisher. Microsoft Publisher does not support the "/k" switch mentioned in Method 1 and you must, therefore, use Method 2.

Method 1: Run Setup With the /k Switch

This switch, when followed by the CD key, passes the information directly to the Setup program, and bypasses the dialog box where you enter the CD Key. When you use this method, the message does not appear because the MS Sans Serif font is not used.

To use the Setup program with the switch, use the following steps:
  1. Insert the Microsoft Office for Windows 95 compact disc.


  2. Click Run on the Start menu.


  3. In the Open box, type the following:


    4. <drive>:\setup /k "<CD Key>"
    where <drive> is the drive letter for the CD-ROM on your Computer and <CD Key> is the 10-digit key from the CD-ROM sticker. This key must be entered enclosed in quotation marks and cannot include the hyphen, as in the following example:
    D:\setup /k "1111111111"
  4. Click OK.


Note that in order to obtain best results from other programs, you should use the steps listed under Method 2 to reinstall the MS Sans Serif font.

Method 2: Reinstall the MS Sans Serif Font

Exit Setup, remove, and then reinstall the MS Sans Serif font. After the MS Sans Serif font is reinstalled, run Microsoft Office Setup.

To remove and reinstall the MS Sans Serif font, use the following steps:
  1. Click Settings on the Start menu and click Control Panel.


  2. Double-click the Fonts icon in Control Panel.


  3. Use the right mouse button to click the MS Sans Serif icon, and click Delete on the shortcut menu that appears.


  4. Click Yes to confirm you want to delete the font.


  5. On the Start menu click Run, and then type the following into the Open edit box:


    6. extract /l c:\windows\fonts <drive>:\win95\mini.cab sserife.fon
    where c:\windows is the folder in which you have Windows installed and <drive> is the drive letter for your CD-ROM drive.

  6. Close the MS-DOS window for the Extract utility.


  7. In the Fonts windows, click Install New Font on the File menu.


  8. In the Add Fonts dialog box, in the "List of fonts:" double-click "MS Sans Serif 8, 10, 12, 14, 18, 24 (VGA res)" to install it.


  9. Close the Fonts window.


For additional information, please see the following article(s) in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
Q141647 Publisher Setup Error: Invalid CD-Key


STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article. This problem has been corrected in Microsoft Office 97 for Windows.

Additional query words: cd-key CDKEY

Keywords : offwin
Version : WINDOWS:3.0,4.1,5.0,7.0
Platform : WINDOWS
Issue type :


Last Reviewed: May 7, 1999
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