OFF2000: Program Unexpectedly Quits After You Click "Register Later" 50 Times

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This article was previously published under Q243317

WARNING:This information is preliminary and has not been confirmed or tested by Microsoft. Use only with discretion.IMPORTANT: This article contains information about modifying the registry. Before you modify the registry, make sure to back it up and make sure that you understand how to restore the registry if a problem occurs. For information about how to back up, restore, and edit the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

256986� (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/256986/EN-US/ ) Description of the Microsoft Windows Registry

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Symptoms

When you start an Office program after clicking Register Later 50 times, the Office Registration Wizard may not appear, and the Office program fails to start.

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Resolution

WARNING: If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

To resolve this problem, follow these steps:

Click Start and then click Run.
In the Open box, type Regedit and then click OK.
Find the following registry key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall
If you find only one subkey that has a 32-character {GUID}, select that subkey and go to step 4.

If you have more than one subkey that has a 32-character {GUID}, select each one until you find the one whose DisplayName value matches your version of Office.
Select the ProductID string value that is several items below the DisplayName that you identified in the previous step.
Write down the first 15 digits of the 20-digit number to the right of the ProductID string value. For example, this number may be 50627-751-010962-02684. In this example, the first 15 digits of this number are 50627-751-010962.
On the Registry menu, click Exit.
In Control Panel, double-click Add/Remove Programs.
In the Add/Remove Programs Properties dialog box, double-click the entry for your Office 2000 product.
In the Maintenance Mode dialog box, click Remove Office.
Click Yes to confirm the removal of Office.
After Office is uninstalled, click Run on the Start menu.
In the Open box, type Regedit and then click OK.
Select the following registry key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Office\9.0\Common\LV
In the Name column, select the DWORD value that matches the 15-digit number from step 5.
On the Edit menu, click Delete. Click Yes to confirm the deletion.
Select the 0001 subkey below the \LV key.
In the Name column, select the DWORD value that matches the 15-digit number from step 5.
On the Edit menu, click Delete. Click Yes to confirm the deletion.
On the Registry menu, click Exit.
Install Office.
Start one of the Office programs. The Office Registration Wizard appears. You now have another 49 program starts before you experience the problem described in the "Symptoms" section of this article.
In the first Office 2000 Registration Wizard dialog box, click Next.
Complete the remaining dialog boxes in the Office 2000 Registration Wizard to register your version of Office.