For identifying the correct product when there are hundreds like products on the shelf...lol or even for ordering online by product number! It is similar to a UPC bar code.

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Your having a volume licensing product with an educational( student/teacher) designation means that you are stuck with only that CD....even if you find the COA it may no longer work for activation as those licensing agreements change from all the different (yearly) upgrades and as such the older versions are sometimes deactivated. That is why you can't get the key from the university anymore as it may be no longer valid.