Can't use word with latest Beta version

[Guest]

I downloaded the latest Beta2 refresh and now I cant access any of my word
and publisher docs. It says "can't find file" or some such thing. I thought I
read somewhere that the view and print functions in the latest refresh have
been disabled. This is MOST inconvenient as now every piece of business on my
hard drive is now useless ....is there any way of fixing this?

 

[Granny Spitz via AccessMonster.com]

I downloaded the latest Beta2 refresh and now I cant access any of my word
and publisher docs.

This is the Microsoft Access database newsgroup, so if you post here we're
only guessing about how to solve the problems you have with other software
applications.

This is MOST inconvenient as now every piece of business on my
hard drive is now useless ....is there any way of fixing this?

Can you still access these files with the versions of the applications that
were used to create them? If yes, use those versions.

If not, when you open Access and try to open a database, does it stay on the
getting started page instead of opening the file? If yes, your antivirus
software is interfering.

If not, you'll probably have to go back to your last system restore point
before you installed the Beta 2 TR, or else retore your system from backup.

As a word of advice, I hope you backed up *every piece of business* on your
hard drive *before* you installed beta software. Betas can trash your system
or your files, so if it's something you rely on or can't easily replace,
don't install any betas on your computer.

 

[Guest]

Yes it stays on the opening page but several dialogue boxes appear over one
another. The first says cannot be performed because a dialoge box is open,
under that is cannot open document template. I tried turning off my norton
but thats not working or i'm not doing it correctly...I cannot open in any
other versions as i can't acess anything but the new beta....i will NEVER do
a beta test again...I am clearly over my head here. If I could, I'd go back
to my 2003 setup but my restore says can't do it for some reason....thanks
for any help.

 

[Granny Spitz via AccessMonster.com]

I tried turning off my norton
but thats not working or i'm not doing it correctly.

Norton's Office plug-in is giving people fits with this beta. Here's the
instructions on how to fix it or disable it:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/329820/en-us

Good luck to you, hon.

 

[Guest]

Says page unavailible....

Norton's Office plug-in is giving people fits with this beta. Here's the
instructions on how to fix it or disable it:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/329820/en-us

Good luck to you, hon.

 

[Granny Spitz via AccessMonster.com]

Says page unavailible....

SUMMARY
The Norton AntiVirus plug-in for Microsoft Office scans documents for macro
virus infections in Office products. This plug-in may cause performance
issues, the inability to open files within Office, or the inability to
install some Office programs.

Method 1: Run Live Update
Obtain the latest version of the Norton AntiVirus Office plug-in that is
available through the Live Update option site in your Norton AntiVirus
software.

Method 2: Disable Norton AntiVirus Office plug-in
Perform this method only if you cannot update your Norton AntiVirus software
through the Live Update Web site.
Important These steps may increase your security risk. These steps may also
make your computer or your network more vulnerable to attack by malicious
users or by malicious software such as viruses.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And it lists the steps for each version. If your Norton AntiVirus
subscription has expired or you can't run live update, please let me know
which version you have and I'll paste the instructions for disabling it for
that version in my next message.

 

[Larry Linson]

. . . If I could, I'd go back to my 2003 setup but my
restore says can't do it for some reason....thanks
for any help.

So, not only did you install a Beta Test Version on your production machine
(apparently without making a full backup), but you installed it over your
current version?

At least, you should have learned some object lessons, here. One of those
should be that you should carefully, very carefully read the admonitions
about installing any beta before doing so -- because if you now, too late,
go back and read them, I think you'll find you were warned about all the
things that are causing you so much trouble.

Betas should really be installed on a separate, test machine. Failing that,
if you are really "feeling lucky," you could install them on a separate
virtual machine.

Larry Linson
Microsoft Access MVP

 

[Guest]

I was told by the tech who taught me how to build my first computer to
"Always trust anything that comes from Microsoft. Install any updates and
parches etc. that they offer" Aparently, that was that information is
dated.....yes, i have learned....next computer will be a mac.

 

[Guest]

live update says up to date-still no go. I have norton 2006 and iit is
current....

 

[Granny Spitz via AccessMonster.com]

live update says up to date-still no go. I have norton 2006 and iit is
current....

Save your work and reboot your computer to see if Office 2007 beta works
again. If it doesn't, I think you're out of luck. The instructions for
disabling the Office plug-in are only for Norton AntiVirus 2004 and older. I
hope you have a good backup of your entire system. I'll post the
instructions for Norton AntiVirus 2004 just in case it helps:

Norton AntiVirus 2004, Norton SystemWorks 2004, Norton AntiVirus 2003, Norton
SystemWorks 2003, Norton AntiVirus 2002 or Norton SystemWorks 2002 is
installed

Disable the Norton AntiVirus Office plug-in. To do this, follow these steps.
Norton AntiVirus 2002 is used as an example. Warning This workaround may make
your computer or your network more vulnerable to attack by malicious users or
by malicious software such as viruses. We do not recommend this workaround
but are providing this information so that you can implement this workaround
at your own discretion. Use this workaround at your own risk.

1. Start Norton AntiVirus. To do this, click Start, point to All Programs,
point to Norton AntiVirus, and then click Norton AntiVirus 2002.

Note If you installed Norton AntiVirus as part of the Norton SystemWorks 2002
program, click Start, point to All Programs, point to Norton SystemWorks,
point to Norton AntiVirus, and then click Norton AntiVirus 2002.

2. Click Options.

Note In Norton SystemWorks 2002, click Options, and then click Norton
Antivirus.

3. Under Other, click Miscellaneous.
4. Under How to keep Microsoft Office documents protected, click to clear the
Enable Office Plug-in check box, and then click OK.
5. Restart the computer.

 

[Guest]

Maybe i should be asking how to get rid of the beta and go back to office
2003....aparently the beta wrote over the old program as I do not see it in
remove programs....

 

[Larry Linson]

I was told by the tech who taught me how to build my first computer to
"Always trust anything that comes from Microsoft. Install any updates and
parches etc. that they offer" Aparently, that was that information is
dated.....yes, i have learned....next computer will be a mac.

That advice was, generally, good for _release versions_ of commercial
software.

It is abominable advice for _Test versions_ of any software, Microsoft or
other.

My advice applies also to Macs -- if you are going to install beta software,
do it on a separate spare machine, or at least obtain virtual machine
software and install it on a separate virtual machine. Why would you assume
that prerelease versions of software, sent out for the purpose of testing
and identifying bugs, would be any more stable in the Mac world than in the
Windows world?

However, your tech should also have cautioned that, to be safe, you should
make a full backup before installing _any_ new software package, release or
otherwise. That advice, too, applies to both Windows and Mac machines.

Larry Linson
Microsoft Access MVP

 

[Granny Spitz via AccessMonster.com]

I was told by the tech who taught me how to build my first computer to
"Always trust anything that comes from Microsoft. Install any updates and
parches etc. that they offer"

You installed *beta* software. *Never* trust that beta software will work on
your computer without trashing it or some of your precious files. And you
can't trust beta software just because it's *made by Microsoft.* It's going
to have bugs and incompatibilities because it hasn't been thoroughly tested
yet. Even retail applications and updates can have bugs.

You can find out the potential problems with software beforehand if you take
the time to read newsletters from experts that have already tested it. There
are several free ones on the web, and one newsletter that doesn't hold back
on reporting about Microsoft's potential pitfalls is Woody's Office Watch.
Check out the current newsletter and a link to the archives here:
http://office-watch.com/office/archtemplate.asp?current The homepage is here:
http://www.wopr.com/

Aparently, that was that information is
dated.....yes, i have learned....next computer will be a mac.

Hold your horses! You can't blame a beta installation disaster on PC's or
even on Microsoft. If you switch to a Mac, you're going to be making a major
investment in software and peripheral hardware, because the Mac isn't
compatible with what you've already bought for your PC. The things you
should have learned from this episode are:

1) Always make a backup before things can go wrong. Regular backups are a
life saver.
2) Read what the experts have to say about potential hazards with your
computer, operating system, and any software you're thinking of installing.
3) Read the warnings on the software download page, especially that of beta
software.
4) Put beta software on an *extra* computer, not the one you depend on to do
your job.

 

[Granny Spitz via AccessMonster.com]

aparently the beta wrote over the old program as I do not see it in
remove programs....

If Office 2003 isn't listed in Add and Remove programs, then uninstalling
Office 2007 beta isn't going to restore Office 2003. It's gone. You need to
restore from a recent backup. Do you have one with Office 2003 on it?

 

[Guest]

I amy have the original software that came with my computer somewhere, but
don't want to loos all my files in the process of a full restore....

 

[Guest]

Very good advise in hindsight.....when Microsoft sends me something that says
download whatever i always do it....I never suspected that it would instantly
and constantly crash my outlook as it did originally, then once thats was
finally running okay the "refresh" came out....I expected it to address
existing concerns, not instantly create new ones....as I said earlier, i am
obviously over my head with this. Generally, there is software over software
with most relating to "security" and gaurding against attacks and
viruses....many conflict with eachother and cause problems of their own...it
seems like a house of cards to a layman like myself. I understand of the
thousands of viruses....none apply to the Mac....so the need for constant
patching and security updates and soforth would be far less frequent and
disruptive...sorry so bitter, but this has been causing me extreme discomfort
and total havoc with my business and financial affairs.....should I have
downloaded the beta? Obviously not....but I can not imagine there is no
provision for removing the program built into the program itself....thats
like a ship with no life rafts.....passengers cant sail the ship or save it
when it sinks....they just pay for a ticket, go for the ride and use the
escape mechinisim when nescessary.....

 

[Granny Spitz via AccessMonster.com]

I amy have the original software that came with my computer somewhere, but
don't want to loos all my files in the process of a full restore....

Can you backup your data files to CD before restoring? Maybe a spare hard
drive? For future reference, what we do is partition hard drives so that the
operating system and software applications are installed on the C:\ drive,
the data is stored on the D:\ drive, and we do regular backups of both
separately. If the system needs to be restored, only the C:\ drive is
affected. If only data files need to be restored, we don't affect the
operating system and applications.

 

[Granny Spitz via AccessMonster.com]

Generally, there is software over software
with most relating to "security" and gaurding against attacks and
viruses....many conflict with eachother and cause problems of their own...it
seems like a house of cards to a layman like myself.

Owning a computer is a big responsibility. To avoid many of the common
hazards, you need to educate yourself. If you have computer experts you can
rely on to maintain your system for you, you don't have to learn as much, but
if you don't you'll need to invest a significant amount of time learning.

I understand of the
thousands of viruses....none apply to the Mac....so the need for constant
patching and security updates and soforth would be far less frequent and
disruptive

The Mac has viruses targetting it, too, though not as numerous as Windows
based PCs have. http://www.faqs.org/faqs/computer-virus/macintosh-faq/

I can not imagine there is no
provision for removing the program built into the program itself

You can attempt to uninstall from Add/Remove Programs in the control panel.
From the numerous posts in the forums, it sounds like this feature is broken
in many computers.
http://forums.microsoft.com/TechNet/ShowForum.aspx?ForumID=541&SiteID=17 But
you're better off restoring from a backup to avoid any collateral damage from
having had Office 2007 beta on your system in the first place.

 

[Guest]

I understand that this beta version will expire at some point....what happens
then? Will it go back to 2003 or will I loose all functionability? To
recap.....2003 no longer appears in my control pannel...

 

[John Vinson]

I understand that this beta version will expire at some point....what happens
then? Will it go back to 2003 or will I loose all functionability? To
recap.....2003 no longer appears in my control pannel...

Exactly.

As the 2007 install dialog explained, it overwrote and replaced your
2003 installation. You clicked "Yes" when asked if this was OK.

You will need to completely uninstall 2007 and reinstall 2003 from the
original CD's. It is GONE from your hard disk.

John W. Vinson[MVP]