How do I install a pre-installed Microsoft Office on another machine?

First, in my opinion, there's no reason not to have installation media for any software that's preinstalled on your machine. I say that for no other reason than the ramifications of a hard disk failure. If your disk dies and you need to reinstall everything from scratch you must have the original installation media.

So step one is to contact the manufacturer from which you purchased your machine. Get them to provide the CDs or DVDs for everything that was installed on your machine. Sadly, sometimes they'll charge for this. Even worse, some will simply refuse which in my mind is unacceptable.

And next time you purchase a machine, make sure to request or order the installation media with it. Always. And avoid manufacturers that won't provide it.

If you cannot get the original CDs, then your options are limited. There are tools you can purchase that advertise they can move an installation of a software installation from one machine to another. I've not tried any of them, but depending on your budget, they may be worth some investigation. Of course depending on your budget, it may also be as easy to just purchase another copy of Office.

Which brings us to the non-technical ramifications of what you're attempting to do.

You may need to purchase another copy anyway.

It is very possible, even likely, that the copy of Office you have preinstalled is licensed to exactly one installation. By that I mean that if you are trying to copy the installation to a second machine and then use Office on both machines, you're breaking the terms of the license. Effectively that's piracy, as you've made an illegal copy of the software.

Unfortunately, particularly with pre-installed software, it's also very possible that the software is licensed to that specific machine only. That means that even moving it to a second machine and uninstalling it from the first might technically be in violation of the license. Seems silly, I know, but that's the way some of these are written.

So, what should you do?

First, get installation media if you can at all. Not necessarily so you can install it on another machine, but so that you can reinstall it on your own machine after a hard disk crash.

Second, read the licensing agreement that came with the software to find out if what you're attempting to do is even legal. My guess is you're trying to make a second copy, and that likely is not.

Finally, research application moving tools to move pre-installed programs from one machine to another. I don't (yet) have a recommendation here, but perhaps my readers do, and of course some internet research will also turn up lots of ideas.

But start by getting the CDs.