Screwed up on MS Office install. Please Help

[jonzy]

I realize this was my own stupidity but I didn't know Mac included a
test drive version of MS Word soooo... when I installed Office 2004 on
a friends new Mac G-5 OS 10.4(sweet machine by the way!)of course word
wont open. It wants to upgrade the old installation but refuses to
accept any of the word or office folders I select. I have tried using
the remove office tool in the test drive package and reinstalling but
no joy! Anybody know what I should do now to get this to work?
TIA
tj

 

[JE McGimpsey]

I realize this was my own stupidity but I didn't know Mac included a
test drive version of MS Word soooo... when I installed Office 2004 on
a friends new Mac G-5 OS 10.4(sweet machine by the way!)of course word
wont open. It wants to upgrade the old installation but refuses to
accept any of the word or office folders I select. I have tried using
the remove office tool in the test drive package and reinstalling but
no joy! Anybody know what I should do now to get this to work?
TIA
tj

Without knowing what exactly you've done so far, my suggestion would be
to run the Remove Office application from the Office 2004 install disk,
and delete both the Test Drive and regular installations, then reinstall
Office 04 and update it with the SP1 updater, found at MacTopia
downloads:

http://microsoft.com/mac/downloads.aspx

If you then have trouble getting the installer to accept a previous
version, insert the CD of the previous version, and use that to validate
the install.

 

[Nicholas Coday]

Trash both folders!

 

[jonzy]

Thanks I didnt see the office removal tool in the the new
installation just in the test drive folder. I'm skeptical that it would
be different but I'll try that tomorrow when I get back over there.
Unfortunately he doesn't have internet access yet so I have to figure
this out from my place and I'll download the updates here and take take
them over.
About using "the CD of the previous installation" that would have to be
the install/restore disks then cause those those are only CDs he got
with the G5 I doubt that would work but hey I'll try anthing once.

Just to clarify eveything that happend for the record;
I installed a just purchased retail version of MS Office 2004 for Mac,
on a brand new, just out of the box Mac G5. OS 10.4. I was not aware
there was a "Test Drive" version of Office included with the OS. I used
the install wizard as opposed to the folder drag and (by the way
installer says it checked for previous office installations as part or
the process and found none! but...) the installer finished a
"successful install". When i tried to start word, a box came up saying
it now found a older version ... click to upgrade (it was pointing at
the office 2004 identities folder if I remember correctly, not the test
drive folder) or browse to the correct folder manually so I clicked
update but i was informed that folder wasn't eligble for upgrade find
the correct folder ect... thats when I saw the test drive folder in the
Apps ...Darn I said and outloud too! So chose that folder still not
eligible. i tried the office 2004 folder, still no. one or two more
likely canidates, nada.
I canceled out of the update went to the test drive where I saw the
remove tool cilicked that. It listed two entries which I can't remember
exactly but both were followed by (including test drive) removed them
restarted and did a reinstall from the retail cd again successful and
again tried to start word again finding an older version and yada yada
yada... thats why I'm here.
There is oviously something not being removed by the remove app which,
i was hoping, someone here had run into and could poiont me towards.
This could be a permissions problem but for which file?
I realize I was careless here but I'm getting a little tired of
installers and uninstallers that simple dont do what they say they are
doing. On a system that's been used and modified i can understand
having a problem but not on a clean box like this!

anyway sorry for the rant and thanks for the suggestion

 

[JE McGimpsey]

About using "the CD of the previous installation" that would have to be
the install/restore disks then cause those those are only CDs he got
with the G5 I doubt that would work but hey I'll try anthing once.

I realize I was careless here but I'm getting a little tired of
installers and uninstallers that simple dont do what they say they are
doing. On a system that's been used and modified i can understand
having a problem but not on a clean box like this!

Actually, it sounds like the installers/uninstallers aren't the real
problem.

If you're getting a dialog asking for an eligible previous version,
you've got an upgrade package, not a standalone. That discounted package
is only valid to upgrade a previous version of Office (98, 2001 or v.X).
If your user has never bought Office before, then there's nothing to
upgrade - he needs to buy the standalone package.

If your user hasn't got a previous version, he may find an old copy of
Office 98 (try eBay, a users group, etc) cheaper than the difference in
price between upgrade and full versions.

 

[jonzy]

God I hope not! I'll double check that. I'm relatively sure I would
have have noticed that it was an Upgrade pkg but then again...I've
learned never to under estimate my own stupidity

 

[jonzy]

Well I was right! at least about my being stupid, it was an upgrade
kit. WHAT A MAROON!
In my defense it doesnt say upgrade on the cd box anywhere (I'll just
gloss over the fact that it is on the cd in 1/4" letters and all over
the outer packaging doh! )
Anyway Thanks for your time and at least the world is making sense
again.