HELP, please - can't add new event to Calendar

[lmoi]

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

Whenever I try to add an event, the date switches to 1970 and I get a messsage I'm trying to add an event in the past.

I completely uninstalled Office 2008 and reinstalled it, complete with all updates, and this did not solve the problem. I had no trouble with the calendar until yesterday.

I'm desperate!

Any suggestion, anyone?

 

[Diane Ross]

Whenever I try to add an event, the date switches to 1970 and I get a messsage
I'm trying to add an event in the past.

I completely uninstalled Office 2008 and reinstalled it, complete with all
updates, and this did not solve the problem. I had no trouble with the
calendar until yesterday.

This sounds like an issue with Date & Time that Entourage uses when creating
events. This could be a battery or pram issue.

Reset the Power Management Unit.

<http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=14449>

<http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=5515627>

<http://www.macfixit.com/article.php?story=20030312020856258#date>

 

[lmoi]

I spoke to Apple and they said it is a Microsoft problem, since my date and time are fine everywhere else (including if I insert an iCal event in the future). Entourage knows what the present date and time are, it is just when I try to add a future event that the field changes to 1970 and says it's an event in the past and won't let me add it. BTW, I used to be able to add events in the past, and now I can't.

I've already tried reinstalling the entire Office suite, and that didn't fix it. Short of reinstalling Leopard AND Office again, can you tell me where I might try deleting the guilty files?

TIA for your help!

 

[Diane Ross]

Test in a new User and in a new Account.

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

Open Entourage and try creating an event. (no need to setup account info for
this test)

If the problem still exists, then at the system level and/or hardware. If it
goes away then we know the problem is in your User's folder.

Drag over using the Shared folder, your Main Identity to the new Test User.
If the problem exists in the new User, then it's your database. If the
problem goes away, it's a problem in your User's folder.

 

[lmoi]

"Open Entourage and try creating an event. (no need to setup account info for
this test)

If the problem still exists, then at the system level and/or hardware. If it goes away then we know the problem is in your User's folder."

The problem went away. It's not an Apple problem, but a Microsoft one. However, I don't understand your next directions:

"Drag over using the Shared folder, your Main Identity to the new Test User.
If the problem exists in the new User, then it's your database. If the
problem goes away, it's a problem in your User's folder."

Since it seems to be in my User's folder, how do I fix it????

 

[Diane Ross]

The problem went away. It's not an Apple problem, but a Microsoft one.

How do you get it's a MS one, when it worked in Entourage?

However, I don't understand your next directions:


Since it seems to be in my User's folder, how do I fix it????

We need to verify if the problem is in your Identity or your User's folder.
Another way to test this would be to create a new Identity in your regular
User's folder.

Under Entourage in the Menu bar, select Switch Identity. Click on New and
name it "Test". Try creating an event in this new blank identity. If the
problem goes away it's your database. If the problem exists you need to
troubleshoot your User's account.

Troubleshooting Your User Account for a Problem

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

Diane

 

[lmoi]

As you said, if it disappears when I switch users and go in to a new Entourage account without the problem appearing, it's not a system or hardware problem. It's just in my present calendar. And that's what happens. As a new user, I can create future events.

I did not understand how I can fix the problem. Word seems to be working fine; if I date a document, the date is correct. It's clearly a problem in one of the calendar's essential files, but I have no idea how to fix it. Please give me the entire path to the culprit so I can delete it (Without losing all my old data?).

TIA for your prompt responses; hopefully this will be the last one required.

 

[Diane Ross]

As you said, if it disappears when I switch users and go in to a new Entourage
account without the problem appearing, it's not a system or hardware problem.
It's just in my present calendar. And that's what happens. As a new user, I
can create future events.

Let's try this first...

Make a copy of your Identity in the Finder first as backup.

~/Documents/Microsoft User Data/Office 2008 Identities/Main Identity

Under File --> Export select export the default (as Entourage archive (.rge)
file ) but only check Calendar events. Select to delete after exporting.

Next, we're going to try importing the data back into Entourage. File -->
Import. Select an Entourage archive file and navigate to the exported .rge
file. Does the problem go away?

This is quick and easy but might not solve the problem. Next....

We need to verify if it's your Identity or it's in the User account. Under
Entourage in the Menu bar select "Switch Identity" Create a new Identity.

Does it work in the new Identity? If yes then you need to rebuild your
database.

If it fails in the new Identity, then it's in your User's Library. See the
steps here:

Troubleshooting Your User Account for a Problem

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

 

[lmoi]

This is really crazy.

Nothing helps.

I went to
<http://www.entourage.mvps.org/troubleshoot/test_user.html>
but the steps I tried did not help, and "com.microsoft" does not seem to exist in Leopard. All the instructions seem to be through 10.4 only.

I have spent hours on this and still have a calendar that is only good for past or previously entered recurring events. :-(

Restarting with the shift key did not help, but I'm afraid to restart in safe mode.
What next?

 

[Diane Ross]

I went to
<http://www.entourage.mvps.org/troubleshoot/test_user.html>
but the steps I tried did not help, and "com.microsoft" does not seem to exist
in Leopard. All the instructions seem to be through 10.4 only.

These are in Leopard see this screenshot:

<http://www.entourage.mvps.org/path/index.html#ent_prefs>

 

[lmoi]

Problem solved. I actually reinstalled Leopard, and the problem did NOT go away. But when I upgraded to Snow Leopard, it (hallelujah!) allowed me to enter future events. I have no idea what was wrong; nothing you told me to do fixed it. I just hope no one else has a similar problem.

But thanks for all your attempts, and I am now back to using the Entourage calendar, which I prefer to iCal.

Mercy buckets!!!

 

[Diane Ross]

I've seen a couple of reports that were fixed by upgrading to Snow Leopard.
Would be nice to know what got fixed, but I don't look a gift horse in the
mouth.

Thanks for letting us know.