still can't use Entourage, PowerPoint, Excel

[Jeff]

I posted here several weeks ago and this problem couldn't be resolved
then -- not entirely, anyway. I'm trying again because I haven't been
able to find anything more anywhere else, and there WAS one thing I did
right that I would like to duplicate -- plus, I'm pretty sure I can
pinpoint when this problem started.

When it started, I'm fairly certain, was when I downloaded the last
Software Update of Office for Mac. This had to have been right around
April 18, because I remember having downloaded the update late at night
while I was working on something else, then rather than Restarting the
computer like I normally do when an update calls for it, simply
shutting the computer down and then starting it up the next day. That
was when the problems started, and I can pinpoint the date because the
new mail in my Mail inbox starts up again on April 19, after having
stopped last October, which is when I originally purchased and
installed Office for Mac and started using Entourage for my mail.

The problem that began on the 19th originally affected ALL the Office
for Mac applications -- basically, that spinning balloon goes around
and refuses to stop, the app stops responding to any and all attempts
to do anything, and the only thing I can do is Force Quit the
application. However, there were and are subtle differences in the way
the four Office apps responded; basically, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
would allow you to open a document, but then stop responding.
Entourage, on the other hand, opens only so far as to present a blank
frame and give the "sounder" indicating it's open -- only there's
nothing to be seen, and the balloon starts spinning. In Excel, I was
actually able to work and make changes in a document, and save the
changes -- but any attempt to close the document or close Excel results
in the spinning balloon and the need to Force Quit. In PowerPoint, I
was able to open a document, but never got past the first page -- it
stopped responding immediately and I couldn't browse any other pages.

Somehow, the advice I got back in April about trashing the Word
Preferences file actually worked for Word, and it has worked ever
since. But no matter how many times I attempt to find any comparable
preferences files for any of the other Office apps or for Office as a
whole, I have had no luck; I've trashed a variety of files hoping they
were the right ones, but accomplished nothing.

Does anyone have any idea WHAT could have been in that last Office
update that could have corrupted these files? Does anyone have any idea
how I might be able to repeat the success I had with fixing Word in the
other three Office apps? I am truly frustrated.

 

[Daiya Mitchell]

You can drag the entire Microsoft Preferences folder (parent folder of the
Word file you trashed) to the desktop. Quit all first, of course.

 

[Daiya Mitchell]

You can drag the entire Microsoft Preferences folder (parent folder of the
Word file you trashed) to the desktop. Quit all first, of course.

If that doesn't work, check other Office troubleshooting tips from this
page:
http://www.mcgimpsey.com/macoffice/

And/or go straight to Remove and Reinstall, best practice and backup
suggestions made here:
http://word.mvps.org/MacWordNew/RemoveReinstall.htm
(hit refresh a few times in Safari, or use a different browser)

 

[Jeff]

I haven't gone to those two yet. However, I did try all the steps at
support.microsoft.com for Office 2004 for Mac, including moving all the
prefs files to a desktop folder, moving all the com.microsoft prefs
files to the desktop folder, trying this for every single Office pref
file I could find for each and every Office app...nothing had any
effect. So I went to the step for creating a new user with admin
rights, and I am able to open the Office apps there without any
problem. Now I am in a quandary over what to do next, since I now have
two identities for myself with admin rights, and I here's what the
support.microsoft instructions say:

------

Create a new user

You may notice that every time that you start an Office for Mac
program, the computer will stop responding or the program will quit. If
you have tried removing the preference files and are still receiving
the errors, creating a new user will help determine whether the error
is limited to just the user or is system wide. To do this, follow these
steps.
1. On the Apple menu, click System Preferences.
2. If some settings are unavailable, click the lock icon, and then type
an administrator name and password.
3. Click Add (+), and then type the user's name.
4. Type a short name if you do not want to use the short name that is
automatically generated.
5. Type the user's password in the Password and Verify boxes.
6. Click Limitations, and then give that user permission to administer
the computer.
7. Log off from the current account.
8. Log on to the new user account.
9. Start the Office for Mac program, and then try to reproduce the
issue again to see if the issue has been resolved.

If the issue no longer occurs, the issue exists within the user's
home folder. If you think that the user account was responsible, you
can continue troubleshooting by using the new user account.

Note You should contact Apple if you need help with moving your user
files to the new account.

----
Do you see a problem here? It's clear that "the issue exists within the
user's home folder." But there's nothing here that tells you what it
means by "continue troubleshooting by using the new user account."
Continue troubleshooting WHAT? Once I'm in the new account, I'm not
having the problem -- but I also don't have any of my files from the
other account. I guess I need to contact Apple like it says, because I
have no idea how to move my files -- but I also don't want to move
files that could potentially mess up the NEW account!

 

[Daiya Mitchell]

Do you see a problem here? It's clear that "the issue exists within the

user's home folder." But there's nothing here that tells you what it
means by "continue troubleshooting by using the new user account."

It means give up and switch user accounts. Yes, contact Apple to see what
you need to move over and how.

Continue troubleshooting WHAT? Once I'm in the new account, I'm not
having the problem -- but I also don't have any of my files from the
other account. I guess I need to contact Apple like it says, because I
have no idea how to move my files -- but I also don't want to move
files that could potentially mess up the NEW account!

You just move them from one user to another--open up two finder windows and
drag and drop. Problems arise with permissions and such. Aside from data
files, I have no idea whether you need to move anything over. Bet the web
has some tips out there.

Your call which is easier. I think moving to a new user account will be
hassle that teaches you about how your computer works, with a guaranteed
solution, while continuing to attempt to troubleshoot the bad account will
not have a guaranteed solution.

DM

 

[Jeff]

Update:
I did try McGimpsey's suggestions, including verifying & fixing
permissions (again) and trashing the font folders; nothing worked.
An additional problem I've noted is that whenever I try to click on an
e-mail link when I'm in Safari, it causes Safari to become unresponsive
and need to be Force Quit as well. This is disturbing because it's a
non-Microsoft app, but I have a feeling it's because there's some
setting I had made in Safari to open Entourage as the default e-mail,
and of course it can't. Just not sure why that causes Safari itself to
get stuck, rather than just opening the Entourage window and then
getting stuck...

 

[Daiya Mitchell]

but I have a feeling it's because there's some

setting I had made in Safari to open Entourage as the default e-mail,

That setting is in Mail--Safari just uses the same system default, I
believe.

 

[Jeff]

Okay, I am feeling REALLY dumb now. You say:

You just move them from one user to another--open up two finder windows
and
drag and drop.

I cannot figure out how to do this. I have never been able to figure
out any way to have two users open simultaneously. When I go to the
quick switch list up in the corner, logging in to another identity
causes the entire desktip to "rotate." The new identity is the only one
that appears, and the only one in which I can open anything. If I open
a new Finder window and go into the Users folder on the Mac HD, I find
that all of the folders I want to get into in the other identity have a
red circle with a slash, and I'm told that I don't have sufficient
access rights -- even though I am listed as an Administrator under BOTH
identities. I can't find any way to open the files from the other
identity!

 

[Daiya Mitchell]

I have never been able to figure

out any way to have two users open simultaneously.

You don't need to have them both open to move files.

If I open
a new Finder window and go into the Users folder on the Mac HD, I find
that all of the folders I want to get into in the other identity have a
red circle with a slash, and I'm told that I don't have sufficient
access rights -- even though I am listed as an Administrator under BOTH
identities. I can't find any way to open the files from the other
identity!

Yeah, that's where the permissions problem comes in.There should be a Shared user folder (in harddrive/users) that all users
have access to. You can use that as the intermediary.

I'm sure there's a way to set the permissions, I just don't know it myself.
That's why MS said contact Apple, and why I said moving user accounts would
teach you a lot about your computer--finding out how to set the permissions
to enable this would probably be very educational.

Daiya