I’ve been planning to get it together enough to come up with a tip about Visio every week. That was until I was thwarted by Microsoft’s activation/trial loop on Friday.
So, the first Visio tip of the week is to register and activate your trial version of Visio before the trial expires.
Earlier last week, I got my registration key. I didn’t stop what I was doing (yes, it is that busy these days). I entered the key without shutting down Visio. Did I mention that I didn’t restart Windows either for a couple days? Stupid, stable Windows XP.
When Friday morning came along, I had to finally shut down Windows. I restarted Visio, and it asked me for the registration key. I entered it, shut down the program, and restarted for the “changes” to take effect. When I started up again, it asked me for the registration key. Lather, rinse and repeat that about 50 times. I needed to reinstall; but, for reasons outside of my control, I didn’t have access to the media on Friday.
So, the lesson? Don’t expect Microsoft’s activation to magically transform your trial copy of Visio into your full, legal version when you need it the most. And, sit on the edge of your seat until next week’s tip.