Microsoft Office 2008 12.0.1 (#2): General purpose fixes; problems updating; sync issues continue; more

[Wednesday, March 12th]

General purpose fix -- reinstall If you're experiencing inexplicable prolems with Office 2008 12.0.1 for which a specific fix can't be identified, try removing the Office 2008 package entirely using the "Remove Office" option on the Office 2008 installer disc then resinstallign the suite and re-attempting the 12.0.1 update.

This has worked to solve a number of general issues, including loss of sound, failure to launch applications and more.

Not seen in Auto Updater, problems installing If the Microsoft Auto Updater is not seeing the 12.0.1 update, make sure you are running the latest version (2.1.1) of Auto Updater. If you still can't see the update, use the 114MB standalone installer.

Some users are reporting problems applying the update, even from the standalone installer. One reader writes:

"So far after downloading the 114MB updater, I can't get it to install the update. The first attempt, resulted in the spinning beach ball just after selecting the volume. It went on and on until I force quit the installer. The second attempt, I got the spinning beach ball just after selecting the volume and going to the next step but before I could actually select an Installation Type. Had to force quit again. Tried a few more times and the same thing would happen as the first time. I booted from another drive (went from Leopard to Tiger) and here I am waiting for the destination volume to highlight and it looks like I am going to have to force quit again."

If you are experiencing a similar issue, make sure that all of the Office 2008 applications are located in the proper directory (/Applications/Microsoft Office 2008).

Next, try killing any Microsoft-related process using Activity Monitor (located in Applications/Utilities). Failing that, you may want to try simply restarting. The two workarounds are related: restarting merely forces all processes -- including those that are potentially errant -- to quit.

Problems opening Excel files Some users have reported problems opening Excel documents after the Office 2008 12.0.1 update. One reader writs:

"After upgrading Office 2008, Excel failed to open existing files. I got his message: File error: data may have been lost. When the file finally opened, the header was on the workbook page, but all the data were missing."

If you are experiencing a similar issue, please let us know.

No launch speed improvement Despite Microsoft's claims of faster application launching brought about by the 12.0.1 update, some users are reporting the same, sluggish launch times. MacFixIt reader Roger writes:

"I installed the update but I don't see a significant improvement in launch times.  I am using a MacBook pro and running 10.5.2."

Sync issues persist in Entourage 12.0.1; fixed for some While Office 2008 12.0.1 apparently resolves an issue in which syncs with external applications would unexpectedly quit after a variable time perid, other sync issues have not been resolved.

One reader writes:

"Syncing in 2004 with a Palm was seamless and reliable. The use of sync services is broken. Sync's from Entourage to say a Palm go fine but a sync from the Palm to the Entourage calendar will inevitably mess up (there seems to be no problem with Contacts). An item, synced from iCal to Entourage will appear in Entourage. However, a change to an item synced in iCal will cause a duplicate in Entourage. The duplicate will contain the new information while the existing entry will show no changes. At this point, a deletion of the existing record in Entourage will be required and won't affect iCal but it will now need to be re-categorized. If you then delete the new duped entry, it will not delete in iCal (the sync breaks). Finally, if you check your calendar immediately after the dupe is created, every all day event will be duplicated. With time (only 3 or 4 days) sync services will completely break down, probably as a result of all these errors. Missing sync will suddenly start reporting that iCal sync services is reporting errors. [...] Many on the forums have been crossing their fingers for the March 11 2008 update to solve probably the most serious problem in Entourage. Unfortunately, we're going to have to wait longer. I've had an open, unresolved case with Microsoft since January 24 08 and although tech support is fully aware of this issue, they don't have any answers in terms of a fix."

Fuzzy math problem still exists Users report persistence of an issue in which equations created in Word with Equation Editor appear fuzzy after the document is saved and reopened. Bob O'Driscoll writes:

"It is not particularly obvious when viewed at 100%, but stands out at 200% or 500%. Double-clicking on the equation to go back to Equation Editor and then returning to Word restores sharpness. However, this is not an attractive option for a document with lots of equations."

Increased fan activity/processor usage Some users are noticing spikes in processor activity, and associated ramping of system fans, after the 12.0.1 update. MacFixIt reader Rob White writes:

"Specifically, on a January 2007 MacBook running 2GB of factory RAM, as soon as I launch any Office 2008 app and any other program the fans kick on and will not stop running until I do a restart. Quitting the secondary application does NOT stop the fans from running-even as long as 45  minutes later. I have done this 10 times in a row to verify it isn't a fluke."

Feedback? Late-breakers@macfixit.com.

Previous coverage:

• Microsoft Office 2008 12.0.1: fixes launch, user permission issues

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