On opening, Outlook reports that the program has expired and certain features of the program are missing, such as the ability to create a new email. What can I do? The computer is running Windows Vista.

New versions of Microsoft Office and Microsoft Windows require product activation. This is designed to combat software piracy, and requires you to activate the product to prove it is authentic and has not been installed on multiple computers. When you initially install Office you are allowed to open programs in the Office suite 25 times before you must activate the product to avoid going into the reduced-functionality mode of the software, which results in the loss of the ability to save documents or create new emails. It seems that you have exceeded the 25 openings of the software which you now need to activate. You can activate Office online at any time. If you are running Office 2007 the activation wizard should appear when you open the software, allowing you the opportunity to activate. If not, once the program has opened go to the Office menu button (top left-hand corner) > [Program Name] Options > Resources > Activate. If you are running Office 2003, the activation wizard should also appear. If not, go to the “Help” menu > “Activate Product”. For more information on product activation visit: support.microsoft.com/kb/293151 .