Pop up about upgrading to Office 2021

IvanDrago · May 22, 2023

I bought my PC last August. I've got a pop up saying to renew to 2021. When I click renew now, I have 3 choices, all of which costs money.

I already paid for office so why should I have to pay for this again?

Also, how do I stop this from popping up all the time?

Scott · May 22, 2023

Have you ever had Office 365?

glasskuter · May 22, 2023

IvanDrago said:
I already paid for office so why should I have to pay for this again?

Exactly where and when did you pay for office? You new computer probably came with a free trial of Office 365 (Most do). You can renew its subscription which I believe is $99 a year and includes 1tb cloud storage or you can purchase an installable version. StackSocial has Office Pro 2021 for $29.99. If you go with the installable version be sure to uninstall whatever version is on your computer first and restart before installing the purchased 2021 version. This version will be registered to your MS account.

Microsoft-Verified Partner! Get All Essential MS Apps for Your Windows PC With This One-Time Purchase.

<p>Say hello to a lifetime of productivity! Secure all the MS Office 2021 apps with just one smart purchase from a Microsoft-verified partner.</p>

stacksocial.com

Wynona · May 22, 2023

IvanDrago said:
I bought my PC last August. I've got a pop up saying to renew to 2021. When I click renew now, I have 3 choices, all of which costs money.

I already paid for office so why should I have to pay for this again?

Also, how do I stop this from popping up all the time?

View attachment 60664

It looks like you may have gotten a "free" version of Office when you bought your PC. Possibly a trial version.

Since it wants you to update to the 2021 version, it's most likely not a subscription.

But, here's the thing . . . no matter which version of Office you have a license to, if you move up to the next full version, it's going to cost you.

That said, you're not required to update/upgrade if the version you're using does everything you want it to do.

The next thing is that I've never experienced what you're showing (not even with my subscription to Office 365), so you may want to wait until someone with more knowledge comes along, since I don't use a "standalone" version of Office.

If you do in fact have a "standalone" version of Office. Don't click yet! Yeah, it looks legitimate, but you can't be too careful . . .

BTW, there is a comparable program group called Libre Office which is free and compatible with Microsoft Office. IOW, it has a version compatible with Word, Excel, Power Point, etc. . . . Download LibreOffice | LibreOffice - Free Office Suite - Based on OpenOffice - Compatible with Microsoft

Bree · May 22, 2023

IvanDrago said:
I already paid for office so why should I have to pay for this again?

Also, how do I stop this from popping up all the time?

Exactly how did you pay for Office?

The pop-up says at the bottom that it's Powered by PC App Store™

That suggests your Office may have come from somewhere other than Microsoft, PC App Store is a 3rd party app and not part of any official Microsoft distribution. Or it may be that your Office is official, but you have installed other software besides Office that had PC App Store secretly bundled with it. This seems relevant....

How did PC App Store install on my computer?
PC App Store does have an official promotional webpage. However, it is distributed using other channels as well.

One commonly used method to promote software like PC App Store is "bundling". The bundled content is distributed using small "download programs" (also called "download clients", "download managers", etc.) on freeware websites and other third-party sources. These channels use "download programs" as free services and traffic monetization tools since they offer installation of additional (bundled) programs with the chosen software. Keep in mind that reckless download and installation of freeware carry system infection risks.

PC App Store Unwanted Application

www.pcrisk.com

Wynona · May 22, 2023

Bree said:
Exactly how did you pay for Office?

The pop-up says at the bottom that it's Powered by PC App Store™

View attachment 60665

That suggests your Office may have come from somewhere other than Microsoft, PC App Store is a 3rd party app and not part of any official Microsoft distribution. Or it may be that your Office is official, but you have installed other software besides Office that had PC App Store secretly bundled with it. This seems relevant....

https://www.pcrisk.com/removal-guides/8957-pc-app-store-adware[/

And now I know why I've never seen anything like that!

Bree · May 22, 2023

Bree said:
...it may be that your Office is official, but you have installed other software besides Office that had PC App Store secretly bundled with it.

@IvanDrago seems to be suffering from a lot of pop-ups....

I get a pop up for something called "RAV endpoint protection" asking me to install it.

The pop up seems to indicate that it's a Microsoft product. My laptop is about 2 months old with Windows 11. I clicked the icon on the system tray and clicked open. To see what I get, see the attached picture. I don't recall accepting any of this so this concerns me. 1. Do I need this even...

www.elevenforum.com

McAfee pop up

My subscription doesn't end until 9/2025. Why am I getting this? I don't see a way to cancel out of this. When I click Extend protection, there is still no way to close out of the following screen. Why am I getting this? How can I prevent this from popping up? How can I close this out?

www.elevenforum.com

IvanDrago · May 23, 2023

Scott said:
Have you ever had Office 365?

I bought this laptop from Dell last September. I bought an Office 365 subscription. Does this change anything?

IvanDrago · May 23, 2023

Bree said:
Exactly how did you pay for Office?

The pop-up says at the bottom that it's Powered by PC App Store™

View attachment 60665

That suggests your Office may have come from somewhere other than Microsoft, PC App Store is a 3rd party app and not part of any official Microsoft distribution. Or it may be that your Office is official, but you have installed other software besides Office that had PC App Store secretly bundled with it. This seems relevant....

PC App Store Unwanted Application

www.pcrisk.com

That makes sense. I paid for an Office 365 subscription from Dell when I bought my laptop.

Earlier today I remember seeing something about "PC App Store" updating. I guess that's causing the problem. Should I delete the PC App Store?

TraderGary · May 23, 2023

You are still under Dell Premium Warranty.
Call Dell and have them straighten everything out.

Bree · May 23, 2023

IvanDrago said:
That makes sense. I paid for an Office 365 subscription from Dell when I bought my laptop.
Earlier today I remember seeing something about "PC App Store" updating. I guess that's causing the problem. Should I delete the PC App Store?

That's certainly a legitimate source of Office then :wink:

You seem to have had PC App Store installed without noticing, it was most likely bundled with some free software you downloaded and installed. That is also the probable explanation for the other two pop-ups you asked about in your other threads. The McAffee one is ~~probably PC App Store again, working its way through your installed software and promoting you to update/buy it again through them.~~

Edit: It 's definitely PC App Store, I've just seen your screenshot on your other thread. 12 months of McAffee was included by Dell with the software bundle at purchase, PC App Store would not have been!

The RAV endpoint protection one would be another one that was bundled with something you installed. You have to be really careful when installing free software, 'bundled' software is often installed by default, with maybe a very tiny note saying 'untick this box if you don't want it'.

TraderGary said:
You are still under Dell Premium Warranty. Call Dell and have them straighten everything out.

I wouldn't have thought Dell support would want to spend a lot of time sorting through and individually uninstalling software that was installed (intentionally or otherwise) since purchase. I would expect their offered solution would be a Factory Reset back to how it was when purchased.

They can certainly confirm that PC App Store and RAV endpoint were not supplied by them. If it were me I would uninstall both those.

TraderGary · May 23, 2023

I've had the experience of owning several Dell computers over the past couple of decades. I do know what Dell support does. They will, with your permission, log on to your computer remotely and expertly analyze and fix problems while you watch.

Bree · May 23, 2023

TraderGary said:
I've had the experience of owning several Dell computers over the past couple of decades. I do know what Dell support does. They will, with your permission, log on to your computer remotely and expertly analyze and fix problems.

I've had a number of Dell laptops over the years but mine were all bought as used machines, quite a few were new enough to still be in support. One nice thing about Dell Support is that it's tied to the machine, not the original purchaser. The one and only time I needed to call on them I got great service, I needed help to clear a bios password on a Latitude 5410 I had just bought.

Wynona · May 23, 2023

@IvanDrago

There are two security measures one should always take:

1. Always, always, always, download any programs or apps from their "Official" site in order to prevent what you're experiencing. IOW, download RootsMagic from rootsmagic.com, download LibreOffice from libreoffice.org, etc.

2. Download and install Unchecky from its official site: unchecky.com.

(Unchecky aims to keep potentially unwanted programs (PUPs) out of your computer. Download. Introducing Unchecky! Keeps your checkboxes clear. Unchecks. Unchecky automatically unchecks unrelated offers, both saving you mouse clicks and making it less likely to miss a checkbox of an unwanted offer.)

FYI, Adobe Reader is one those legitimate apps that just loves to sneakily download and install McAfee, which in my not so humble opinion, is a PUP (potentially unwanted program)!

Finally, examine every download to be sure there's not something you don't want that takes a free ride into your computer.

IvanDrago · May 25, 2023

TraderGary said:
I've had the experience of owning several Dell computers over the past couple of decades. I do know what Dell support does. They will, with your permission, log on to your computer remotely and expertly analyze and fix problems while you watch.

Yesterday I called Dell. They did a remote connection and uninstalled PC App store. I rebooted my PC.

However, today I'm still getting the McAfee and the MS Office 2021 pop-ups. At the bottom of each it says PC App Store.

I click Start and I see PC App store (1st screenshot). I right clicked and selected Uninstall and I see the 2nd screenshot which doesn't show PC App store as an installed app.

What is going on here?

glasskuter · May 25, 2023

Removing PC App Store: A Step-by-Step Guide

PC App Store is a legitimate application that provides users with easy access to a variety of software vendors. However, users need to exercise caution when downloading and installing the application, as it may contain unwanted software, such as adware, browser hijackers, and potentially...

www.myantispyware.com

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