Question for Michel on Office 2004

[dbeachley]

My intial problem: Didn't take off Test Run and thus had conflict
opening docs wtihout opening apps first. Deleted Office 2004, plus all
Test Run and reinstalled 2004. Ran disk permissions, etc. Now, can open
all but Entourage. Getting msg when try to open: "This identify cannot
be opened with this version of Entourage." Any clues? I did have the
old Office 2001 (right year?) on my G3, which was firewired over when I
did the Vulcan mind meld after I got my new iMac last weekend.

Thanks in advance,

- Dave

 

[Michel Bintener]

But you were able to see it in the previous install of Entourage 2004,
right? This message usually means that you have not updated Entourage
completely. The latest version is 11.2.1, and the update to 11.2 changed the
database format, which is why any pre-11.2 version of Entourage cannot read
it. Run the Microsoft AutoUpdate application until all the updates have been
applied, and you should be able to access your database again.

If that doesn't solve your problem, try importing your old Entourage 2001
database again, through File>Import, "Import information from a program". If
there are any problems, post back!

Michel

 

[dbeachley]

Michel

Yes, I was able to see it (and read mail) in the original install. On
your advice, last night I ran AutoUpdate, but I'm still getting the
same messsage ("This identify cannot be opened with this version of
Entourage"). Note: I ran AutoUpdate from the AutoUpdate file on on the
computer. There was only one update there (an Office-related one). If I
go to the M'soft site, do they have specific updates for Entourage 11.2
(or whatever is currently on Office 2004?

Thanks for your assitance and patience.

- Dave

 

[Michel Bintener]

Hi Dave,
running AutoUpdate a couple of times should solve the problem. See if
running it again shows you new updates. Also, just to make sure you are
running the latest version of Entourage: in Applications/Microsoft Office
2004, select Entourage, then ctrl-/right-click it and select Get Info from
the contextual menu. You should see the version number in there, somewhere,
and it should be 11.2.1; if it's not, then you don't have the latest
version.

If you're having problems with AutoUpdate, then you'll have to download the
updates manually. There are two, actually, to get you up-to-date.

The first one is the SP2 updater, which you can find here:
http://tinyurl.com/dbnta

And the second one, the 11.2.1 updater, can be found here:
http://tinyurl.com/9ucht

(By the way, I used TinyURL since the original URLs are way too long.)

Anyway, you're welcome, of course. And as usual, if there are problems, post
back!

Michel

 

[dbeachley]

Michel

Yes, I was able to see it (and read mail) in the original install. On
your advice, last night I ran AutoUpdate, but I'm still getting the
same messsage ("This identify cannot be opened with this version of
Entourage"). Note: I ran AutoUpdate from the AutoUpdate file on on the
computer. There was only one update there (an Office-related one). If I
go to the M'soft site, do they have specific updates for Entourage 11.2
(or whatever is currently on Office 2004?

Thanks for your assitance and patience.

- Dave

Another idea: should I rebuild my Identify in Entourage?? I saw this
option in the M'soft support info, but am not sure if it is appropriate
in my case.

 

[dbeachley]

Thanks, Michel. I'll try them this evening when I get back to my
machine.

- Dave

 

[Michel Bintener]

Another idea: should I rebuild my Identify in Entourage?? I saw this
option in the M'soft support info, but am not sure if it is appropriate
in my case.

There's no need to rebuild your database unless there's anything wrong with
it. Also, in this case, it's not related to the problem, your database is
fine (since you were able to access it in the previous setup), it's only
Entourage itself that can't access it for reasons highlighted in the other
post.

 

[dbeachley]

Michel,

I just checked by Entourage version - it's 11.0.0 (on a week-old iMac
Intel Duo, nonetheless). How do I get updated versions? Most of what I
see on Mactopia are updates for versions more recent than my own.

- Dave

 

[Michel Bintener]

Hi Dave,

the links I gave you are correct; the SP2 updater is a combo updater, i.e.
it will work for any pre-SP2 version of Office 2004, including the original
11.0.0 release. The 11.2.1 updater requires SP2, so just follow the order I
mentioned in my email. I'm curious, by the way, if you have tried running
AutoUpdate a couple of times, as I suggested. Let me know if everything
works out alright.

Michel

 

[dbeachley]

Michel,

Well, I solved the problem (with your help and from Microsoft
support). Since I had a new version, I had some free support calls, so
I gave them a buzz, thinking that some real-time support would help me
work thru this quickly. Funny thing, I got routed to India where they
evaulated my issue and gave me a claim (?) number, then India routed me
to M'soft's Office 2004 support team that is located - of all places -
in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia (they service ALL of M'soft's Office suite
support calls there, I was told).

In short, the issue had to do with my old version of Entourage (11.0.0)
and the fact that I had added updates from AutoUpdate that required a
newer version in order to work. I don't understand all of the micro-IT
issues surrounding the solution (only reaching the level of junior geek
after nearly 15 years on Macs), but they requested that I go to
Mactopia and first download the "Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac Service
Pack 2." That updated the app and - as a result - Entourage is working
without a hitch (except for the occassional annoying "close out of all
Office 2004 apps" in order to switch identities.

Once again, thanks for your generous support and insights, Michel. It
reminds me of the early days of the "Net" (I got online with my first
ISP in Sep. 1989 - a free connection from the University of Denver at
9600 baud) when everyone was helping everyone else get - and stay
-connected .... all in virtual relationships and selfless comraderie.
That's what hooked me and why a light went on in my brain about the
potential of the "Net". I never looked back.

Thanks again, Michel!

- Dave

 

[Michel Bintener]

Hi Dave,

glad I could help. Thanks for the feedback.

Michel