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Message: [QUOTE="Michael Bloom, post: 7139965"] I have also encountered a problem with Microsoft's instructions not working with an HP tablet PC. I believe I have found the source of the problem, and it looks like a "Catch-22". Finding people who had a different problem leading to the same symptoms helped me find what I believe to be the cause. Searching through the net, I found other people who had a similar problem that was introduced only when they installed SP3. In their case, installing SP3 replaced files in the directory "C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Ink". They were able to get the icon back by restoring the pre-service pack version of "penusa.dll" in that directory. I had not installed SP3, but nonetheless had no handwriting icon to start with. I took a look at the ink directory, and found that some files there, including "penusa.dll" were apparently stubs of size 3KB. I found a penusa.dll that was much larger in a cab file on another system.Looking at the "ink" dir on a Vista system, I noticed many directories that were not present in the XP "ink" dir. Absent files/dirs include: "1.0" (which includes Microsoft.Ink.dll), "en" (which contains Microsoft.Ink.Resources.dll), "en-US" (which contains a dozen files of type MUI), other language directories, "fsdefinitions" (containing 6 xml files and 6 subdirectories, "TabletLinks" (containing some shortcuts and a .ini file) Seeing the MUI files, I did a search at HP, and found a software guide (HP document part number 334243-001, "Software Guide - HP Tablet PC Series") that provides instructions to install the OS in 5 steps: 1. Xp Professional Tablet PC edition 2005 CD, 2. HP Driver CD, 3. .NET platform, 4. Microsoft Windows XP Professional MUI CD, 5. Windows XP Tablet PC MUI CD. Despite those instructions, HP only installs the first and second CD's, with the .Net Platform being on the driver CD. I called HP to try to obtain the two MUI CD's, and nobody I spoke to knew anything about them or could find anything about them in their support system. The best they could suggest was to get the disks from Microsoft. But Microsoft says that the MUI disks are only available through an OEM (like HP, who ought to supply them if their documentation instructs customers to use them. From what I can tell, you need a properly installed MUI platform in order for the Office 2003 Handwriting Icon to be present (along with the Speech Icon) under "Alternative User Input" in the "features to install" list. But while HP documents that using these CD's is part of a proper system installation, they do not follow their own instructions, and do not provide the CD's to enable the user to do so. So HP says to contact Microsoft get what (I think) you need. And Microsoft says you can only get it from your OEM. Hence, it's a Catch-22! (for those unfamiliar with the term "catch-22", read Joseph Heller's classic novel of the same name). Now, I must ask: Does Microsoft have any alternative mechanism for enabling the Handwriting Icon? Or, can Microsoft make an exception to their rule about the XP MUI CD's for customers who are stuck with systems that do not permit Microsoft's instructions for enabling Handwriting support to work in for their copies of Office? [/QUOTE]

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