Excel crashes when I try to access on Help.

[MidwestGeek]

Version: 2008
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard)
Processor: Intel

I just installed Office 12.1.9 on my iMac 8.1 , and most apps work ok. However, Excel crashes whenever I try to get Help, i.e., if I click on the Help menu. This only happens in Excel, not in Word or PowerPoint, for example. I tried deleting the Preference file com.microsoft.Excel.plist and restarting Excel, but this did not help. I have done the usual things, rebooting the computer, running the Disk Utility to fix permissions, etc. Now what?

I was one of those who encountered the error that there was "nothing to update," described in <http://www.entourage.mvps.org/error/not_found.html>.

I understand that the upgrade cannot be uninstalled.
I have a backup of my folder ~/Applications/Microsoft Office 2008 prior to upgrading (version 12.1.7.) Can I somehow start over?

Interestingly, I did not encounter this problem upgrading my MacBook 4.1, which is configured essentially the same.

P.S. I don't see any way to attach a file here, but here is the start of the crash report:

Microsoft Error Reporting log version: 2.0
Error Signature:
Exception: EXC_BAD_ACCESS
Date/Time: 2009-06-16 11:54:26 -0700
Application Name: Microsoft Excel
Application Bundle ID: com.microsoft.Excel
Application Signature: XCEL
Application Version: 12.1.9.090515
Crashed Module Name: CoreFoundation
Crashed Module Version: unknown
Crashed Module Offset: 0x0008aa07
Blame Module Name: CoreFoundation
Blame Module Version: unknown
Blame Module Offset: 0x0008aa07
Application LCID: 1033
Extra app info: Reg=en Loc=0x0409

 

[Diane Ross]

Crashed Module Name: CoreFoundation
Crashed Module Version: unknown
Crashed Module Offset: 0x0008aa07
Blame Module Name: CoreFoundation
Blame Module Version: unknown

FWIW, reading a log is not something most of us mere mortals can accomplish.
I just know to look for certain elements like the Crashed Module and Blame
Module to point to the problem. Using these from your log and the
description of what Core Foundation involves, this indicates to me that it's
not Office but your base OS files.

How to read Crash Logs...

http://developer.apple.com/technotes/tn2004/tn2123.html

Core Foundation provides the fundamental data types and essential services
that underlie both the Cocoa and Carbon environments on Mac OS X.

Let's try downloading and running the latest Apple combo to see if that
helps.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.

<http://support.apple.com/downloads/Mac_OS_X_10_5_7_Combo_Update>

If this fails, to solve the problem, we need to look at doing an "Archive &
Install" (Just be sure to select Preserve Users & Settings.
) of the OS and/or re-install of Office.

Mac OS X: About the Archive and Install feature

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1710?viewlocale=en_US

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.

Steps to re-install Office

<http://www.entourage.mvps.org/install/reinstall_steps.html>

If these suggestion do not fix your problem then we need to look at a
Hardware problem.

Sorry you are having a problem that does not have an easy answer.

 

[MidwestGeek]

Thank you very much for your prompt response and your suggestions and links. I ran the 10_5_7_Combo_Update, but the problem remains. I am rather more inclined to try to reinstall Office than the "Archive & Install". I don't see anywhere that I can make use my backup of version 12.1.7. Do I infer correctly that just trashing the current Office 2008 folder and reinstalling the backup won't work?

 

[Diane Ross]

I don't see anywhere that I can make use my backup of version 12.1.7. Do I
infer correctly that just trashing the current Office 2008 folder and
reinstalling the backup won't work?

You can revert to your previous version by simply moving it back. I would
zip your 12.1.9 copy in case you decide to use it. Delete the Office for Mac
folder in Applications and drag back the previous version.

Let me know if this solves your problem.

 

[MidwestGeek]

Well, that was easy. Now that I have 12.1.7 back, the Help error is gone. Doesn't that prove that it is not OS X but the interaction between the OS and Excel 12.1.9 that is the culprit.

Given the amount of time I've spent, maybe I should wait until the next iteration of 12.1.X, or at least the next build of the installation package of 12.1.9, before upgrading again! Whaddya think?

 

[Diane Ross]

Well, that was easy. Now that I have 12.1.7 back, the Help error is gone.
Doesn't that prove that it is not OS X but the interaction between the OS and
Excel 12.1.9 that is the culprit.

I don't have enough info to say for sure, but it does indicate the problem
was in the Office folder. If I can find out anything I'll get back.

Given the amount of time I've spent, maybe I should wait until the next
iteration of 12.1.X, or at least the next build of the installation package of
12.1.9, before upgrading again! Whaddya think?

I would try again to see if the update works. You can always revert back.
This particular update might be a requirement for the next updater.

This update readies Office 2008 for Mac for the installation of Microsoft
Entourage 2008 for Mac, Web Services Edition, and must be installed before
Entourage 2008, Web Services Edition is installed.

 

[Diane Ross]

I'm working with a developer to track down the problem. He needs details.

What are you doing when you crash? Do you launch an app and it crashes on
launch? Trying to print? Exactly, how do you get the crash?

Did you install the Safari 4 beta? Do you have the final version of Safari
installed? Do you crash if they don¹t have Safari 4 installed?

What version of the OS are you running? eg: 10.5.7

Can you send me off list your entire crash log? Use "crash log" in the
subject so it doesn't go to my spam folder.

 

[MidwestGeek]

I'm working with a developer to track down the problem. He needs details.

It is good of you to want to follow up further.

What are you doing when you crash? Do you launch an app and it crashes on
launch? Trying to print? Exactly, how do you get the crash?

Excel 2008 launches fine, with or without a document. I had tried various ways of approaching it. If I click on the Help tab, it crashes. If I click on other tabs, such as Data or Window, things work fine. If I then simply use the arrow key to move right to the Help tab, it crashes. So it doesn't matter whether I use the mouse or keyboard, whether I have a document open or not.

Did you install the Safari 4 beta? Do you have the final version of Safari
installed? Do you crash if they don�t have Safari 4 installed?

No, I have Safari 3.2.3, but my default browser is Firefox (3.0.11), and Safari isn't running.

What version of the OS are you running? eg: 10.5.7

Yes, 10.5.7.

Can you send me off list your entire crash log? Use "crash log" in the
subject so it doesn't go to my spam folder.

Where do I send off-list? Should I send to your mvps.org address?

Thanks again for all your attention.

 

[Diane Ross]

Where do I send off-list? Should I send to your mvps.org address?

You can use that or the entouragehelp at Gmail dot com address. I don't hide
that one. So far Gmail is handling the spam for it without causing me
trouble.

Thanks again for all your attention.

P.S. I have not had time to try to reinstall version 12.1.9. As I said, I had
to work around the installation failure "nothing to update." I used the fix #6
UNOFFICIAL FIX on your <http://www.entourage.mvps.org/error/not_found.html>.

Ah!! This could very well be the problem. I bet if you did the reinstall you
would update OK. Maybe if we can verify that it does cause problems, then
people would stop using it just because it's easy.

Check your files. Let me know if these files are OK.

<http://www.entourage.mvps.org/error/verify.html>

Steps to re-install Office

<http://www.entourage.mvps.org/install/reinstall_steps.html>

 

[MidwestGeek]

Took me a while to find time for this.
Before resorting to #6, UNOFFICIAL FIX, I ran through numbers 1 through 5 to no avail. I didn't like hacking the installer, but it sounded as if this was a well-known but innocuous error in the Microsoft package.

In any case, I now downloaded the installation package again and tried to run it (having booted up in safe mode.) I received the "nothing to update" error again! Having just run the 10_5_7_Combo_Update, it seems doubtful that my OS configuration is the problem. I will check again the file names, but I didn't find the problem when I looked previously.

I sent the Crash Report off-list as you requested.

 

[Diane Ross]

I sent the Crash Report off-list as you requested.

I received and sent you a reply. I hate to say it and it really isn't as bad
as you might think, but an "Archive & Install" would probably be what it's
going to take to fix this. The last time I had to do an "Archive & Install"
the only thing I had to re-install was my Microsoft keyboard software.

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.