Microsoft Office 2011 needs key after full Time Machine Restore

The key you entered was not saved in the application file. It is actually stored in the /Library/Preferences/ folder. Look for it there in Time Machine.

Office 2011 is a lot more sneaky about how it verifies the license. In this case it not only checks the serial number of the Mac, but also the Volume UUID of the volume it is being installed on. As you have restored it to a different drive that volume has a different UUID and hence the license file that was restored does not match your previous configuration.

You would have the same problem if you put the original unaltered drive in to a different Mac because then even though the volume UUID would be unchanged the serial number of the Mac logic board would be different.

Office 2008 used to merely check for a valid OfficePID.plist file in /Applications/Microsoft Office 2008/Office/OfficePID.plist and that it contained a valid serial number and did not check this against the hardware for changes.

Your only recourse is to either go back to the original drive in the original Mac, or re-enter the serial number which will then be re-verified against Microsoft's product activation servers and then re-encoded and stored on your Mac including the encoded values for the Mac serial number and volume UUID.

This is why I loath product activation. Adobe are even worse, if you forget to deactivate your originally installation first they can refuse to let you activate the new install. Of course if your computer gets stolen or dies how are you supposed to do this?

Why not just call Microsoft? They have an automated painless system for handling cases such as this. It will take you two minutes. And you will not need to buy a new license.

Your key is indeed stored in a preference file in your user account, but it's a very long hash value that cannot be translated by the user back to the original key.

If you can, call someone back at home and have them read the key from the disk jacket to you. Otherwise, you'll have to contact MS, as mentioned earlier.

+1

Try this

1-866-825-4797

Instead of the drama "and am off on a new venture, seemingly as difficult as the first one." why not just click on File > Help in any of your Office products. The product key is there, prominently displayed. At least it is in my version of Office.

Unfortunately, that doesn't work. If you choose Word > About Word, it does indeed show you a Product ID. But that's just a number generated for you to use for support calls when MS asks for that ID. The Product Key is a completely different strings of letters and numbers for activating the product.

The Product Activation Key is its name, and it came with the documentation for your copy of Office. Get back on the phone and work forward until you get a human, then ask them what to do next.

OK,

You will not get the Intallation code from your computer, quit wasting your time, get back on the phone and STAY THERE UNTIL YOU GET A HUMAN, MS can get you the code but if you give up because it is not easy, you will fail. Consider it the cost of not writing the code down and keeping it handy.

If that is too much work for you, buy another copy of Office.