update finds no software needing update

[graham]

I have trouble with Office updates on a particular computer that I
administer over a VPN with either Timbuktu or Apple Remote Desktop.
AutoUpdater reports update is needed; but, when download is complete
and installer runs, no software needing update is found.
The software definitely needed updating. Again, even AutoUpdater
reported that to be the case.
Still the updates don't take. I have reinstalled Office (from CD
mounted over VPN) to no avail.

 

[Diane Ross]

I have trouble with Office updates on a particular computer that I
administer over a VPN with either Timbuktu or Apple Remote Desktop.
AutoUpdater reports update is needed; but, when download is complete
and installer runs, no software needing update is found.
The software definitely needed updating. Again, even AutoUpdater
reported that to be the case.
Still the updates don't take. I have reinstalled Office (from CD
mounted over VPN) to no avail.

This has been reported before and I¹m not sure what is the cause. It could
be some preference. Try booting into a new User and see if the updater will
run from there. If not, install office in the User¹s folder rather than the
root application folder and try updating.

--
Diane Ross, Microsoft Mac MVP
Entourage Help Page
<http://www.entourage.mvps.org/>
One of the top five MS Entourage resources listed on the Entourage Blog.
<http://blogs.msdn.com/entourage/>

 

[graham]

This has been reported before and I¹m not sure what is the cause. It could
be some preference. Try booting into a new User and see if the updater will
run from there. If not, install office in the User¹s folder rather thanthe
root application folder and try updating.

--
Diane Ross, Microsoft Mac MVP
Entourage Help Page
<http://www.entourage.mvps.org/>
One of the top five MS Entourage resources listed on the Entourage Blog.
<http://blogs.msdn.com/entourage/>

Thank you. I will install Office as you say.

However, I should mention that this means I will be installing Office
into an Application folder in a Portable Home Folder. The remote
machine is used by a user who works from a Portable Home Folder.

Moreover, although this user works remotely for most part, she
sometimes synchronizes her remote Home with the corresponding network
Home so she can come into the office and work with the same Home-
folder data.

This raises a question: If Office is installed in user's Application
folder remotely but in root's Application folder on some machine she
may use at the office, will there be a problem? Do I have to designate
the Application folder that I am now creating in her Portable Home
Folder as an additional one to be synchronized when she is coming into
office so she has Office in same place no matter where she works?

Thanks in advance for any further assistance.

 

[Diane Ross]

However, I should mention that this means I will be installing Office
into an Application folder in a Portable Home Folder. The remote
machine is used by a user who works from a Portable Home Folder.

Moreover, although this user works remotely for most part, she
sometimes synchronizes her remote Home with the corresponding network
Home so she can come into the office and work with the same Home-
folder data.

This raises a question: If Office is installed in user's Application
folder remotely but in root's Application folder on some machine she
may use at the office, will there be a problem? Do I have to designate
the Application folder that I am now creating in her Portable Home
Folder as an additional one to be synchronized when she is coming into
office so she has Office in same place no matter where she works?

You got ahead of me with these questions.

First , you need to determine if installing in a User¹s folder will work.
Remember we¹re troubleshooting here and it¹s a trial and error approach
since we don¹t know the cause.

Rather than install in a PHF, I would create a new User that resides in the
main directory. Install Office and update in this user. If that works, then
copy this updated version back to the Applications folder. I¹m just not sure
how installing in PHF would work.

Basically, I¹m looking to bypass any problem that¹s in the root folder
that¹s not allowing the application to be updated.

--
Diane Ross, Microsoft Mac MVP
Entourage Help Page
<http://www.entourage.mvps.org/>
Entourage Help Blog
<http://blog.entourage.mvps.org/>

 

[William Smith]

This raises a question: If Office is installed in user's Application
folder remotely but in root's Application folder on some machine she
may use at the office, will there be a problem? Do I have to designate
the Application folder that I am now creating in her Portable Home
Folder as an additional one to be synchronized when she is coming into
office so she has Office in same place no matter where she works?

You're talking about Office being installed on two different machines,
correct? This shouldn't cause any problems. And I don't believe having
the folder in a location other than the /Applications folder should be a
problem.

When your user tries to use the Microsoft AutoUpdate application is she
behind a proxy server at the time? I've found that while Microsoft
claims the updater should work through proxy servers it doesn't (at
least it doesn't in our environment where we have a Microsoft ISA proxy
server -- oh, the irony). I've found that businesses are better off
downloading and running the installer manually or updating a single
Microsoft Office 2004 installation and pushing that to all users if the
company has a volume license serial number. The recent 11.3.5 updater is
a combo updater so it should take an 11.0.0 or higher installation to
11.3.5.

Hope this helps! bill