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Microsoft Office Activation Assistant Update 1.1

Overview The Microsoft Office Activation Assistant (OAA) is a tool that allows customers who have the 2007 Microsoft Office system preinstalled on a new PC to:

  • Buy a product key; or
  • Get a key to activate a 60-day trial version of Microsoft Office Professional 2007.

After the OAA is installed, the customer can use a desktop icon to obtain a trial product key and find more information about Office Professional 2007.

60-Day Office Ready Trial The free 60-day trial version of Office Professional 2007 is installed on PCs built by OEMs and system builders and shipped with the Windows Vista or Windows XP operating systems. To enable the customer to activate the trial, the system builder should install the following:

  • Office Ready PC image that is included in the OPK Master Kit for the 2007 Office system
  • Office Activation Assistant

How to Obtain the OPK Master Kit

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OAA Update 1.1 Features and Benefits

Office Activation Assistant Update 1.1 features include reporting and customization tools that provide system builders with a greater opportunity to:

  • Increase sales. Capture that second-chance opportunity to sell the 2007 Office system by redirecting trial customers back to you for the final sale. Now you can include your contact information in the new Office Activation Assistant.
  • Strengthen customer relationships. Starting in May 2008, your 2007 Office system trial customers will receive regular e-mail from Microsoft with options for purchasing a full license. You can customize the OAA to always show your business as the first place for customers to contact when they are ready to purchase the 2007 Office system.
  • Make updates quickly and easily. Update your contact information or include promotional offers anytime. Use the server-based application to make changes and keep your customers well informed.
  • Improve customer experience. The user interface has been simplified to make it easier for customers to navigate through the key purchase options. In addition, customers no longer need to fill out lengthy forms—and only an e-mail address is required for trial activation.

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OAA Update 1.1 Languages

Office Activation Assistant Update 1.1 is the most recently released version of OAA and for the first time allows system builders to customize the Office trial experience for their customers.

OAA Update 1.1 is available in thirty-eight languages. Once installed, the Office Activation Assistant automatically displays the interface based on the end user’s Web browser language settings.

Arabic German Norwegian
Bulgarian Greek Polish
Chinese (Simplified) Hebrew Portuguese (Brazil)
Chinese (Traditional) Hindi Portuguese
Croatian Hungarian Romanian
Czech Indonesian Russian
Danish Italian Slovak
Dutch Japanese Slovenian
English (International) Korean Spanish
English (United States) Latvian Swedish
Estonian Lithuanian Thai
Finnish Macedonian Turkish
French Malay  

Compatibility with Windows Vista Multilingual User Interface OAA Update 1.1 is compatible with Windows Vista Multilingual User Interface (MUI), so you can install it on a language-neutral setting (for example, English) and the desired Windows Vista language packs. When your customer chooses the operating system language it will automatically update the OAA’s icon and start menu text in the language chosen by your customer.

If you install OAA Update 1.1 on Microsoft Windows XP, it presents you with the language choice during the installation process.

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OAA Update 1.1 Download

After downloading the OAA Update 1.1, follow the instructions below for burning the image to a CD.

To burn the OAA Update 1.1 .img file to a CD:

  1. Download Office Activation Assistant Update 1.1. The file will be in .img format.
  2. Use third-party CD authoring software to burn the .img file to a CD.
  3. Select the appropriate MSOSAA.exe file and the two .doc files in the language(s) you need to install and copy from the CD to your destination computer. The two .doc files are the manuals with the instructions on how to install and manage the OAA system.
  4. Now you can update your destination computer by installing the appropriate MSOSAA.exe file.

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Customizing the Office Activation Assistant

You can now customize the first screen of the OAA user interface with your company name, address, branding, and links to your Web site, as seen below.

If you choose not customize OAA Update 1.1, the user interface displays a default text message advising the customers to go back to the store where they purchased their PC. The steps on how to customize OAA Update 1.1 are detailed in the OAA Quick Installation Guide .pdf 2.3 MB.

The following diagram shows a customized OAA in an Office Ready PC. Configure the hyperlink provided in the user interface to point to your own Web site, provide your address to customers and write a short promotional message.

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OAA Account Management

After downloading and installing OAA Update 1.1, use the Office Activation Assistant Account Management tool to:

  • Configure and set up your OAA account.
  • Customize the OAA.

Localized OAA Management Web Site and Manuals The OAA Management website is located at http://www.microsoftosaa.com. The Web site and manuals are available in 11 languages. The partner chooses the preferred language through a pull down menu in the login page.

The languages for the Web site and manuals include:

Web Site and Manual Languages
English French Portuguese (Brazilian)
Chinese (Simplified) German Russian
Czech Italian Spanish
Dutch Polish  

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OAA Installation and Customization

To download and Install OAA Update 1.1:

  • Download Office Activation Assistant Update 1.1.
  • Run the Office Activation Assistant Setup.exe program on the destination computer to install the OAA Update 1.1 client.

To configure and customize OAA Update 1.1:

1. Sign in to http://www.microsoftosaa.com.*

Note: This procedure does not have to take place on the same computer where OAA Update 1.1 is installed.

* When you click on the link above, you will leave the Microsoft OEM Partner Center site. All information, offers and downloads will be subject to the terms of use and privacy policy of that site.
2. Create an account and customize the information on the OAA Management Web site.

Note: The customization process requires authorization from the System Administrator. You should allow up to two days for review and approval.
3. Download the customized OAA.config file.

4. Copy the downloaded OAA.config file to the C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office Suite Activation Assistant folder in the PC that the system builder is buying for resale. This will overwrite the existing file.

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Support Resources and Documentation
  • Office Activation Assistant Account Management Web site
    Begin the OAA customization process using this tool.
  • OAA Management System Management Manual .pdf 609 KB | .xps 593 KB
    Contains details about the features of the OAA Account Management site, including reporting capabilities.
  • OAA Quick Installation Guide .pdf 881 KB | .xps 861 KB
    Step-by-step installation instructions for installing the OAA.
  • Growing Your Business with Office Activation Assistant Update 1.1 .pptx 2.2 MB
    Comprehensive overview of OAA features and benefits, installation methods, and customization process.
  • Customer Activation of the Office Ready Trial
    Highlights the Office Ready preinstallation process and the customer trial experience using OAA.
  • OAA Frequently Asked Questions .pdf 1.4 MB
    Get answers to everything you want to know about getting started with the Office Activation Assistant.

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