Entourage HTML Email Crash

[Linkstah]

Version: 2008 Operating System: Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard) Processor: Intel Email Client: pop Hi All, need help!

Using Entourage 12.1.0 and until about a week ago all was fine. Then suddenly things went bad - around the time (I think) the 10.6.3 update went on the OS.

Now, if I click to view a HTML email in Entourage it quits unexpectedly.

I have re-built the database, deleted various pref and cache files as per instructions I've found online.

Deleting the user/library/caches/MicOffice/OP Cache/thumb_cache.xml worked until my next re-start, then the problem returned, and now even deleting that doesn't help.

I have even re-installed Office, but no luck.

Any ideas? Please help, I'm desperate.

Thanks.

 

[Linkstah]

Also, I forgot to mention, I created a new ID in Entourage, switched to that and the problem still occurs. Even clicking the "Welcome" email causes the crash.

Ta.

 

[Diane Ross]

Also, I forgot to mention, I created a new ID in Entourage, switched to
that and the problem still occurs. Even clicking the "Welcome" email
causes the crash.

Testing in a new User will quickly tell you if the problem is system
wide or if it’s your User’s folder that contains the problem.

Go to System Preferences --> Create a New User in Accounts. Switch to
the New User by logging out/in or use Fast User Switching. Test Office
there.

 

[Linkstah]

Thanks Diane,

Did that, Entourage appears to work in a new user. Interestingly, if I zap the P-RAM the problem goes away... for a while. Then it comes back again at a seemingly random point.

Any further ideas?

 

[Corentin Cras-Méneur]

Any further ideas?

Update Office all the way. I had that a while ago and it was corrected
in a subsequent update.

Corentin

 

[Diane Ross]

Did that, Entourage appears to work in a new user. Interestingly, if I
zap the P-RAM the problem goes away... for a while. Then it comes back
again at a seemingly random point.

Any further ideas?

Sorry, but it's just one of those bugs that has no certain fix.

 

[jon]

I am having a similar problem. I just updated to 10.6.3 and Entourage crashes repeatedly. I don't even have to do anything... it crashes on it own, within 3 minutes of opening. It is basically unusable now.

Seems like this was introduced with the 10.6.3 update.

Will Microsoft issue a fix?? Thanks!

 

[Corentin Cras-Méneur]

I am having a similar problem. I just updated to 10.6.3 and Entourage
crashes repeatedly. I don't even have to do anything... it crashes on
it own, within 3 minutes of opening. It is basically unusable now.

Not sure it's the same thing. It doesn't seem related to html e-mails.
First, make sure Entourage is perfectly up to date, then launch
Entourage pressing the Option key down to rebuild your identity.

Corentin

 

[jon]

I trashed the preferences. Entourage still crashes. I don't think I can create a new identity because it crashes too quickly for me to make changes. What else can I do? Help!?

 

[Diane Ross]

I trashed the preferences. Entourage still crashes. I don't think I can create a new identity because it crashes too quickly for me to make changes. What else can I do? Help!?

Steps to help determine where the problem is located.

1) you can eliminate your Identity by creating a new Identity in
Entourage and see if you experience the same problem. Since Entourage is
crashing, drag your Identity to the desktop so Entourage will be forced
to create a new one.

2) if a new Identity still exhibits the same issues, then create a new
User in System Preferences and test Entourage there. Go to System
Preferences --> Create a New User in Accounts. Switch to the New User by
logging out/in or use Fast User Switching.

If Entourage works in the new User, then you can test your current
Identity by dragging it to Shared and then in the new User drag from
Shared to the Microsoft User Data folder and test. IF the current non
working Identity works in the new User, it's a problem with your
preferences.

3) If the problems still exist in the new User, it's a problem with your
Office install or your base OS files.

Did you use the combo 10.6.3 updater or did you download from Apple
Software Updater? I always advise the combo updater.

Mac OS X v10.6.3 Update (Combo)

http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1017

 

[Linkstah]

OK, I've just discovered something interesting...

I have an external Firewire drive that all my work is stored on. Not enough space on my internal HD, plus I got burnt when my old iMac died and I lost a lot of time trying to rebuild.

So, if the external HD is on and visible when I launch Entourage I can hear the drive working away and it takes longer to launch Entourage. Then when it is open, that is when I get the crashing problem.

If the HD is turned off and removed from the desktop when I launch Entourage, it launches much quicker and the crash doesn't happen.

So, I'm wondering what it could be accessing on the Ext HD that's causing the problem? The only things I can think at this point are that there are some old backups of the Main ID folder, and some fonts?

Any thoughts?

 

[Diane Ross]

So, I'm wondering what it could be accessing on the Ext HD that's
causing the problem? The only things I can think at this point are that
there are some old backups of the Main ID folder, and some fonts?

Any thoughts?

I was thinking fonts too. Try deleting font caches using Font Nuke.

Microsoft fonts to delete after installing Snow Leopard (includes help
deleting font caches)

<http://www.entourage.mvps.org/troubleshoot/remove_fonts_snowleopard.html>

BTW, I was cleaning out old mail today and saw something about
Notifications crashing that had to do with the Tasman rendering engine.
The fix was to delete the "Tasman Browser.cache" and
"com.microsoft.browserfont.cache" in ~/Library/Caches. (08 does not have
the "Tasman Browser.cache" ) but deleting these caches might help with
the HTML crashes. Onyx helps with delete all kinds of cache files.

 

[Corentin Cras-Méneur]

I trashed the preferences. Entourage still crashes. I don't think I
can create a new identity because it crashes too quickly for me to make
changes. What else can I do? Help!?

Create a different user account on the Mac and check there if Entourage
crashes as well.


Corentin