I have this exact problem. Additionally I cannot even uninstall the Office
suite (using the uninstall application). I have tried to reinstall/repair
Office above the old version and that went well, but I sill can't update or
uninstall it.
What happened when you used "Remove Office"? It's possible you have issues
with permissions and that needs to be addressed first.
If I shall manually remove Office. Is it just the application's folder that
I need to trash or are there other files as well? I believe that there are
some user settings etc.
This page helps with removing Office. At the bottom of the page is a link to
manually remove Office 2004 but it would apply to Office 2008 too. I listed
specific 08 files on the page that "Remove Office" does not remove now.
<
http://www.entourage.mvps.org/install/remove_office.html>
Again if "Remove Office" does not work this indicates some other issues. I
would check permissions first and if they are OK, then run the Apple combo.
Last resort...do an "Archive & Install". Directions below.
Apple Combo Updater
You might need to download the combo updater from Apple and run it again
rather than using Software Update. Doing so overwrites potentially
problem-causing files. Combo updaters will install on the same version as
they¹re applying‹no need to roll back or do a clean install. (Whenever there
is a major update to the OS, I always advise using the combo updater rather
than the incremental updater that is download via the Software Updater.)
Leopard:
Mac OS X 10.5.8 Combo Update (For both PowerPC- and Intel-based Macs )
<
http://support.apple.com/downloads/Mac_OS_X_10_5_8_Combo_Update>
Tiger:
Mac OS X 10.4.11 Combo Update (PPC)
<
http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/macosx10411comboupdateppc.html>
Mac OS X 10.4.11 Combo Update (Intel)
<
http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/macosx10411updateintel.html>
If you can¹t move or copy a file or folder (Permissions)
If you are prevented from moving or copying an item, you may need to change
its permissions settings. You may also need to change permissions settings
for the disk, server, or folder where you want to move the item.
To check your permissions for an item:
1. Select the item and choose File > Get Info.
2. Click the triangle next to Sharing & Permissions to expand the section.
3. Open the pop-up menu next to your user name to see the permission
settings. You may need to click the lock icon and type your password.
4. For the item you want to move or copy, choose Read Only or Read & Write.
For the location where you want to place the item, choose Read & Write or
Write Only.
If you are logged in as administrator for your computer or you know the user
name and password of an administrator, you may be able to change permissions
for an item.
If you don¹t have the permissions you want, contact an administrator of your
computer or the owner of the file or folder.
You can also use Disk Utility to repair permissions on your disk.
disk (in most cases, it will be the only one available).
In addition, see this article on MacFixIt, Resetting home folder permissions
<
http://tinyurl.com/m9j4sy>
3) Click Options. If you want to save your existing files, users, and
network settings, select ³Archive and Install,² and then select ³Preserve
Users and Network Settings.² If you want to erase everything on your
computer and reinstall Mac OS X, select ³Erase and Install.² You can¹t
recover erased data.
Archive and Install
1) Insert the Mac OS X Install Disc and double-click the Install Mac OS X
icon.
2) Follow the onscreen instructions. In the pane where you select the
destination disk, select your current Mac OS X disk (in most cases, it will
be the only one available).
3) Click Options. If you want to save your existing files, users, and
network settings, select ³Archive and Install,² and then select ³Preserve
Users and Network Settings.² If you want to erase everything on your
computer and reinstall Mac OS X, select ³Erase and Install.² You can¹t
recover erased data.
4) Click Continue.
5) Click Customize to select which parts of Mac OS X you¹d like to install,
or click Install to perform a basic installation (recommended).
Once the install has finished, your system will be at whatever level the
disk you have is. So if your Install DVD/CD disk is 10.5.0, that's what
version of OS will be on your Mac. You will need to download the appropriate
Combo Updater from Apple's site to restore the system to a higher version.
After you run the combo, allow Software Update to download and install any
additional updates.
4) Click Continue.
5) Click Customize to select which parts of Mac OS X you¹d like to install,
or click Install to perform a basic installation (recommended).
Once the install has finished, your system will be at whatever level the
disk you have is. So if your Install DVD/CD disk is 10.5.0, that's what
version of OS will be on your Mac. You will need to download the appropriate
Combo Updater from Apple's site to restore the system to a higher version.
After you run the combo, allow Software Update to download and install any
additional updates.
