Word X Quitting During Copy or Cut

[Mel Patrick]

We have Office X running on several different types of Macs (G4 MDD and
iMacs 17") but all use OS X 10.2.8. All the Office Updates up to and
including 10.1.5 update, along with the service pack 1 are installed.

Permissions have been checked and repaired with Disk Utility. Fonts have
been checked on all systems and no errors were found. Fast Saves have
been disabled, no document tracking.

During CUT or COPY while editing, it is pretty common for Word X to
simply quit with the usual "Word has unexpectedly quit but no other
applications were harmed during this sad event".

These are NOT large files, sometimes only a page, sometimes a few words.
There are some graphics in some files but not in others. It doesn't seem
to matter.

The files have been moved from a server, to an external HD, to the local
HD of the users to see if we could stop it doing this. Nope. Still goes
out to lunch. Stays there.

We either need to get this fixed, or find an alternative to Word X.

Suggestions welcome.

 

[Lisa]

I am having the same problem in a similar domain and would be most
appreciative of any helpful advice. Thanks!

 

[Beth Rosengard]

Hi Mel,

You've done all the normal troubleshooting so I'm not sure I have much to
offer other than to comment that since this is not a universal problem,
there has to be a solution within your system(s) somewhere.

I would try this with just one of your machines and see if it makes a
difference.

--Remove Office using the tool in the Value Pack folder on the Office X CD.

--Remove all fonts except those installed by Apple.

--Turn off all extensions.

--Repair Disk Permissions.

--Reinstall Office X using the Installer on the CD.

--Install all Value Pack items you need.

--Update Office with the 10.1.2, 10.1.4 and 10.1.5 updaters.

--Repair Disk Permissions again.

Now open Word and see if the problems persist. If they do, then I'm at a
total loss. If they don't, then start adding back extensions and testing as
you go. Then do the same with fonts (in small groups, perhaps, to make it
less laborious). Hopefully this procedure will isolate the conflict.

Hope this helps.

--
Beth Rosengard
Mac MVP

Mac Word FAQ: <http://www.mvps.org/word/FAQs/WordMac/index.htm>
Entourage Help Page: <http://www.entourage.mvps.org/toc.html>

 

[Jan-Eric Litton]

I am having the same problem in a similar domain and would be most
appreciative of any helpful advice. Thanks!

We have sevreal Macs at the Karolinska Institute that behave the same,
the problem started after the 10.1.5 update and musrt be a serious
bug.

/Jan-Eric Litton

 

[Mel Patrick]

Hi,

Things are really get weird now. I can start Word on one of the Macs,
and wait about 25 seconds and it quits itself. I don't do anything
except watch the clock. Start it up, wait, it will crash on its own and
I'm not touching anything.

I'll try your other suggestions tomorrow, although on OS X, you can't
turn off any extensions that I am aware of. In OS 9 you could use the
extensions manager to handle them but not in OS X.

As for the Fonts, there are no fonts installed on any of the Macs beyond
what Apple shipped them with.

I think I am going to experiment with various updates along the way
rather than just bring it back to 10.1.5, which I see from other lists
and boards is problematic.

If I'd had a problem on one Mac I'd have been duped into thinking I
messed up something. But on 5 different Macs, all fresh out of the box
from Apple, it leads me to think Word has clipboard problems.

I'll let you know how it goes.

Mel