Microsoft Office Problem

[Guest]

This may be in the incorrect post group. My appologies!

When I open almost any function in any office program, I get a popup window
that has "Windows Installer"on the blue header. It says "preparing to
install" Inside the window. Sometimes the window stays up for minutes. It is
impossible to get any thing done.
A year ago when I got My computer new, it came with a 30 day trial of office
standard. That ran out and I got XP office and installed it over the first
one. I had a problem sometimes that the first office would start and ask for
me to go get a Licence. So I killed that start and started again.
I got tired of that so I got Windows Office Professional. I went in and
uninstalled all of the office components that I could find. I thought this
should be great right.

Well I installed Office Professional. Then a window came up and said that I
should go to the update site and get any new updates. So I did. Just at the
end of the installation, there was a big screen that said basically that
there is a problem and I needed to get some help to fix the problem and
reinstall. It mentioned something about it could not figure out what fixes
and or updates had been installed in a previous installation of office. I
really did not understand it.

Currently the Office professional is intalled on XP Professional.
I need help Please and thank you in advance. Bluebird

 

[Jim]

I would uninstall Office again, then reinstall, and not worry about the
updates. The program will do what you want it to do just fine without
them, and you will avoid the problem that way.

 

[Guest]

Thanks Jim. I will give it a try. Bluebird

 

[Kerry Brown]

I would uninstall Office again, then reinstall, and not worry about
the updates. The program will do what you want it to do just fine
without them, and you will avoid the problem that way.

That is very bad advice. Some of the Office updates may be security updates.
Your advice may cause someone's computer to be infected with malware.

Bluebird

Download this utility from Microsoft. Use it to remove Office from the list
of installed programs. Reinstall Office, then reinstall the updates. It's a
lot of work but it will fix the problem.

http://support.microsoft.com/?scid=kb;en-us;290301

Kerry

 

[Guest]

Hi Kerry,

I went to the link you suggessted and removed all of the microsoft products
that were hanging around in my system and all of my problems went away
renistalled and it works properly.

Thank you you are a geneous (SORRY ABOUT THE MISSPELLING)

YOU ARE GRRRRREAT Bluebird

 

[Kerry Brown]

Glad it worked. It is a powerful utitilty. Be careful what you remove with
it.

 

[Jim]

If the person in question is running firewall/antivirus as they should
be, then updates for office become a non-issue.

 

[Guest]

Thanks Jim - Everything is running great now.

 

[Kerry Brown]

If the person in question is running firewall/antivirus as they should
be, then updates for office become a non-issue.

That is so wrong it isn't funny. It is very bad advice. A lot of the
security updates are about opening files with malicious intent. A firewall
and antivirus will do nothing to stop a buffer overflow unless it is a known
signature to the antivirus. It is a much better solution to fix the buffer
oveflow and be protected against unkown exploits as well. There are always
new methods of using old exploits being tried. many of them will not be
caught by an antivrus but will be stopped did if Office has been patched.

 

[Guest]

Jim - Thanks for the thoughts

Kerry -- Thank You! You have really helped me out and I really appreciate
it. You also increased my knowledge on the subject. Bluebird

 

[Kerry Brown]

Your welcome

--
Kerry

Jim - Thanks for the thoughts

Kerry -- Thank You! You have really helped me out and I really
appreciate it. You also increased my knowledge on the subject.
Bluebird