Word 2004 template/ macro issue

[matt.flynn]

Last week I created a template (.doc) in Word 2004 (on an Intel iMac
running OS X 10.4.11). Ever since, any time I open a Word document,
Word seems to apply a macro. So if I open a document, close it, then
re-open it I get the "this document contains macros..." message.
Consequently my email attachments are being quarantined by recipients
and it's all a bit of headache. I have re-installed Word. I have
deleted normal.dot and replaced it with a copy from a colleague's
machine. Neither step has worked. When I open a document it tells me
there are no macros present. When I open normal.dot it tells me there
are no macros present. I'm at a loss. Please help!

 

[matt.flynn]

Last week I created a template (.doc) in Word 2004 (on an Intel iMac
running OS X 10.4.11). Ever since, any time I open a Word document,
Word seems to apply a macro. So if I open a document, close it, then
re-open it I get the "this document contains macros..." message.
Consequently my email attachments are being quarantined by recipients
and it's all a bit of headache. I have re-installed Word. I have
deleted normal.dot and replaced it with a copy from a colleague's
machine. Neither step has worked. When I open a document it tells me
there are no macros present. When I open normal.dot it tells me there
are no macros present. I'm at a loss. Please help!

Should of course read "Last week I created a template (.dot) in Word
2004..." not (.doc)

 

[JE McGimpsey]

Last week I created a template (.doc) in Word 2004 (on an Intel iMac
running OS X 10.4.11). Ever since, any time I open a Word document,
Word seems to apply a macro. So if I open a document, close it, then
re-open it I get the "this document contains macros..." message.
Consequently my email attachments are being quarantined by recipients
and it's all a bit of headache. I have re-installed Word. I have
deleted normal.dot and replaced it with a copy from a colleague's
machine. Neither step has worked. When I open a document it tells me
there are no macros present. When I open normal.dot it tells me there
are no macros present. I'm at a loss. Please help!

First, Mac Word uses the Normal template (NOT "normal.dot" - i.e., no
extension). Second, you should never copy Normal from another machine.
Just close Word and delete it (it resides in the

~ocuments:Microsoft User Data:

folder (where ~ is your home folder), and Word will create a new copy
from its internal settings when you start Word again. If you want to
copy anything from the old Normal, use the Organizer.

Third, reinstalling a Mac application is (almost) always a waste of
time. They just don't corrupt that frequently. Instead, you can delete
or rename the

~:Libraryreferences:Microsoft

folder - preferences corrupt far more frequently.

 

[John McGhie]

Hi Matt:

That certainly sounds like a virus. Viruses can be in any file, not
necessarily Normal template.

I assume you have scanned your system with a comercial-grade antivirus
program?

Secondly: The "Macro" warning is a very old and crude mechanism. It gives
a lot of "false positives".

Any template or document can contain macros. These are stored in an OLE
container within the file. The same container that stores toolbar and
keystroke customisations.

The Macro Virus "protection" in Mac Word does NOT look to see if there are
any macros. It simply checks to see if the container that could hold them
is present in the file. If the container is there, you get the warning
whether the macros are there or not.

So it could simply be customised keystrokes that are doing it.

Cheers

Should of course read "Last week I created a template (.dot) in Word
2004..." not (.doc)

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John McGhie, Consultant Technical Writer
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