Office X can't find programs and templates

[Arno Wouters]

I have installed Office X (UK version, with service release 1) under OS
X 10.2.8. I did an "easy install" and ran the following updaters:
1. Microsoft Office v. X 10.1.2 Update
2. Microsoft Office v. X 10.1.4 Update
3. Microsoft Office v. X 10.1.5 Update
I did not move any files.
I have two (probably related) problems:

1) If I open the project gallery I don't see the templates in the
"Applications/Microsoft Office X/Templates" folder

(I have solved this problem by specifying this folder in Word's
preferences as the "Workgroup templates" folder (under file locations)
but, if I've understood the help file this is not as it should be).

2) If I try to make an organization chart in powerpoint the program says
"The server application, source file, or item cannot be found. Check
that the path and file name are correct, or try reinstalling the server
application". I don't know were to check if the path and file name are
correct. The "Organization Chart X" program is in the
"Applications/Microsoft Office X/Office" folder and if I try to
reinstall it the installer refuses that saying "You don't need to do
this installation. Program already installed".

I have searched both the help file and the knowledge base for the term
"organization chart" but did not find any useful item.

I would appreciate any clue (solution, suggestion, pointer to an faq,
url etc.) as to solve this problem.

Best wishes,

Arno.

 

[Jim Gordon]

Hi

The first thing I would try is to run Disk Utility First Aid and use it to
repair permissions.

-Jim Gordon
Mac MVP

All responses should be made to this newsgroup within the same thread.
Thanks.

About Microsoft MVPs:
http://www.mvps.org/

Search for help with the free Google search Excel add-in:
<http://www.rondebruin.nl/Google.htm>

 

[Arno Wouters]

I have two (probably related) problems:

1) If I open the project gallery I don't see the templates in the
"Applications/Microsoft Office X/Templates" folder


2) If I try to make an organization chart in powerpoint the program says
"The server application, source file, or item cannot be found. Check
that the path and file name are correct, or try reinstalling the server
application". [...] The "Organization Chart X" program is in the
"Applications/Microsoft Office X/Office" folder.

The first thing I would try is to run Disk Utility First Aid and use it to
repair permissions.

Thanks for you suggestion!

I've tried it, immediately. Disk Utility First Aid found many permission
errors and repaired them, but, unfortunately this did not solve the
problem. Any other suggestions?

 

[Jim Gordon]

Hi again,

Apparently you installed Office X somewhere other than the Applications
folder. Is that the case?

-Jim Gordon
Mac MVP

All responses should be made to this newsgroup within the same thread.
Thanks.

About Microsoft MVPs:
http://www.mvps.org/

Search for help with the free Google search Excel add-in:
<http://www.rondebruin.nl/Google.htm>

----------

I have two (probably related) problems:

1) If I open the project gallery I don't see the templates in the
"Applications/Microsoft Office X/Templates" folder


2) If I try to make an organization chart in powerpoint the program says
"The server application, source file, or item cannot be found. Check
that the path and file name are correct, or try reinstalling the server
application". [...] The "Organization Chart X" program is in the
"Applications/Microsoft Office X/Office" folder.

The first thing I would try is to run Disk Utility First Aid and use it to
repair permissions.

Thanks for you suggestion!

I've tried it, immediately. Disk Utility First Aid found many permission
errors and repaired them, but, unfortunately this did not solve the
problem. Any other suggestions?

 

[Arno Wouters]

I have two (probably related) problems:

1) If I open the project gallery I don't see the templates in the
"Applications/Microsoft Office X/Templates" folder


2) If I try to make an organization chart in powerpoint the program says
"The server application, source file, or item cannot be found. Check
that the path and file name are correct, or try reinstalling the server
application". [...] The "Organization Chart X" program is in the
"Applications/Microsoft Office X/Office" folder.


The first thing I would try is to run Disk Utility First Aid and use it to
repair permissions.

I've tried it, immediately. Disk Utility First Aid found many permission
errors and repaired them, but, unfortunately this did not solve the
problem. Any other suggestions?

Apparently you installed Office X somewhere other than the Applications
folder. Is that the case?

I did not change the location during installation and I haven't moved
anything after installation. Powerpoint, Word and Excel are in
'Applications/Microsoft Office X/' (I did not install Entourage). So I
think the answer to your question is 'No, I installed Office X in the
Applications folder.'

 

[Arno Wouters]

I have two (probably related) problems:

1) If I open the project gallery I don't see the templates in the
"Applications/Microsoft Office X/Templates" folder


2) If I try to make an organization chart in powerpoint the program
says "The server application, source file, or item cannot be found.
Check that the path and file name are correct, or try reinstalling
the server application". [...] The "Organization Chart X" program
is in the "Applications/Microsoft Office X/Office" folder.


The first thing I would try is to run Disk Utility First Aid and use
it to repair permissions.

I've tried it, immediately. Disk Utility First Aid found many permission
errors and repaired them, but, unfortunately this did not solve the
problem. Any other suggestions?

Apparently you installed Office X somewhere other than the Applications
folder. Is that the case?

I did not change the location during installation and I haven't moved
anything after installation. Powerpoint, Word and Excel are in
'Applications/Microsoft Office X/' (I did not install Entourage). So I
think the answer to your question is 'No, I installed Office X in the
Applications folder.'

This morning I reinstalled Office X, after removing the old copy with
the Remove Office utility. I used Disk Utility First Aid to verify that
the preferences were as they should be. I choose custom install and
installed everything except Entourage and MSN messenger. After
completion I ran the value pack to install clipart, the equation etitior
and the proofing tools for dutch, german and french. After this I ran
the 10.1.2, 10.1.4 and 10.1.5 updaters (in that order).

Unfortunately, this had no effect on the problem. Immediately after
installation PowerPoint's project gallery showed the templates, but when
I tried to make an organization chart, I got the same problem. I quited
powerpoint and ran Disk Utility First Aid one again, which now found and
repaired many errors. I restarted and opened PowerPoint: no problem with
the project gallery, same problem with the organization chart. I then
opened word and set the user templates file location to
~/Documents/Microsoft User Data/. Now neither Word nor PowerPoint's
project gallery showed the templates.

I feel hopeless about this especially because the problem costs me far
too much time. Does anybody have a clue?

Many thanks in advance!

Arno.

 

[Jim Gordon]

Hi again,

At this point I'd recommend that you contact Microsoft's support people and
see if they have any suggestions. Searching for "Panther" didn't turn up
anything of use in Microsoft's KB articles.

-Jim Gordon
Mac MVP

All responses should be made to this newsgroup within the same thread.
Thanks.

About Microsoft MVPs:
http://www.mvps.org/

Search for help with the free Google search Excel add-in:
<http://www.rondebruin.nl/Google.htm>

----------

I have two (probably related) problems:

1) If I open the project gallery I don't see the templates in the
"Applications/Microsoft Office X/Templates" folder


2) If I try to make an organization chart in powerpoint the program
says "The server application, source file, or item cannot be found.
Check that the path and file name are correct, or try reinstalling
the server application". [...] The "Organization Chart X" program
is in the "Applications/Microsoft Office X/Office" folder.


The first thing I would try is to run Disk Utility First Aid and use
it to repair permissions.

I've tried it, immediately. Disk Utility First Aid found many permission
errors and repaired them, but, unfortunately this did not solve the
problem. Any other suggestions?

Apparently you installed Office X somewhere other than the Applications
folder. Is that the case?

I did not change the location during installation and I haven't moved
anything after installation. Powerpoint, Word and Excel are in
'Applications/Microsoft Office X/' (I did not install Entourage). So I
think the answer to your question is 'No, I installed Office X in the
Applications folder.'

This morning I reinstalled Office X, after removing the old copy with
the Remove Office utility. I used Disk Utility First Aid to verify that
the preferences were as they should be. I choose custom install and
installed everything except Entourage and MSN messenger. After
completion I ran the value pack to install clipart, the equation etitior
and the proofing tools for dutch, german and french. After this I ran
the 10.1.2, 10.1.4 and 10.1.5 updaters (in that order).

Unfortunately, this had no effect on the problem. Immediately after
installation PowerPoint's project gallery showed the templates, but when
I tried to make an organization chart, I got the same problem. I quited
powerpoint and ran Disk Utility First Aid one again, which now found and
repaired many errors. I restarted and opened PowerPoint: no problem with
the project gallery, same problem with the organization chart. I then
opened word and set the user templates file location to
~/Documents/Microsoft User Data/. Now neither Word nor PowerPoint's
project gallery showed the templates.

I feel hopeless about this especially because the problem costs me far
too much time. Does anybody have a clue?

Many thanks in advance!

Arno.

 

[Corentin Cras-Méneur]

I feel hopeless about this especially because the problem costs me far
too much time. Does anybody have a clue?

Try trashing some of the prefence files. Since you used the Remove
OIffice utility, they should not be the ones creating this mess, but you
never know.
The first I'd delete is the Carbon Registration Database
~/Library/Preferences/Microsoft/Carbon Registration Database


Corentin

 

[Arno Wouters]

Try trashing some of the prefence files. Since you used the Remove
OIffice utility, they should not be the ones creating this mess, but you
never know.
The first I'd delete is the Carbon Registration Database
~/Library/Preferences/Microsoft/Carbon Registration Database

Trashing the Carbon Registration Database solved the problem! Thanks!
This is vodoo to me. Any explanation?

 

[Arno Wouters]

persisting problem my office program had in finding server programs such
as organization chart]:

At this point I'd recommend that you contact Microsoft's support people and
see if they have any suggestions. Searching for "Panther" didn't turn up
anything of use in Microsoft's KB articles.

Hi Jim,

As you can read elsewhere in this thread the problem was solved by
trashing ~/Library/Preferences/Microsoft/Carbon Registration Database. I
do not understand how the problem came into being or how the trashing
solved the problem. but it worked.

Many thanks for your suggestions!

Arno.

PS: I run OX X 10.2.8.

 

[Jim Gordon]

Hi again Anro,

I don't know either, but I am very glad that you took the time to post the
solution to the newsgroup so that others may benefit from your experience.

Please help us out in the newsgroups by checking to see if others post the
same thing. If you spot such a message (or any others that you know the
answer to) jump right in and offer your solution.

-Jim Gordon
Mac MVP

All responses should be made to this newsgroup within the same thread.
Thanks.

About Microsoft MVPs:
http://www.mvps.org/

Search for help with the free Google search Excel add-in:
<http://www.rondebruin.nl/Google.htm>

----------

persisting problem my office program had in finding server programs such
as organization chart]:

At this point I'd recommend that you contact Microsoft's support people and
see if they have any suggestions. Searching for "Panther" didn't turn up
anything of use in Microsoft's KB articles.

Hi Jim,

As you can read elsewhere in this thread the problem was solved by
trashing ~/Library/Preferences/Microsoft/Carbon Registration Database. I
do not understand how the problem came into being or how the trashing
solved the problem. but it worked.

Many thanks for your suggestions!

Arno.

PS: I run OX X 10.2.8.

 

[Corentin Cras-Méneur]

Trashing the Carbon Registration Database solved the problem! Thanks!
This is vodoo to me. Any explanation?

) It is Voodoo!!! ;-)))

No, actually this is ceated the first time you launch Office and stores
the location of all the components Office apps need to use (helper apps
like the equation editor, components for VBA...).

It seems that over time, this file can get corupted and Office apps
loose track of where the files they need are.
Simply deleting the CRD forces Office apps to re-create it from scratch
the first time you launch them. That's the reason why the first startup
of the first Office app after deleting this file probably took a little
longer.

I think deleting this file could be a decent maintenance operation.


Corentin