Office 2004 11.3.5 (#3): Undoing the update; Applications crash on launch (cont.) -- fixes; more

Undoing the update (reverting to an earlier version of Office 2004) If you are experiencing dire issues after applying the Office 2004 11.3.5 update, you may want to consider reverting to an earlier version of the suite.

1. Unfortunately, the only method for getting the Office 2004 11.3.5 update off your Mac is as follows:
2. Delete the entire Microsoft Office 2004 folder from the /Applications folder. [Note: If you have any custom templates in the /Applications/Microsoft Office 2004/Templates/My Templates folder, you should move them to a safe location before deleting the Office 2004 folder].
3. Re-install Office 2004 from the original installation disc.
4. Download the Microsoft Office 11.3.4 updater and apply it.

Any security refinements brought about by Office 11.3.5 will obviously be undone if you choose to revert.

Entourage version number remains 11.3.3 Note that after applying the 11.3.5 update, Entourage 2004 will (confusingly) remain at version 11.3.3, though it is affected by the update. Entourage-related files will have the following version numbers after the update:

• Microsoft Entourage 11.3.3
• Microsoft Entourage Conduit 11.2.0
• Microsoft Entourage.mdimporter 11.2.3
• Entourage Help 11.2.3
• Entourage Help Index 11.2.3
• Entourage Read Me.html 11.2.3

Note regarding Exchange server synchronization bug The ReadMe file for Office 20044 11.3.5 contains the following important note regarding a bug in Exchange synchronization:

"This update fixes a synchronization issue in versions of Entourage that were updated with Office 2004 SP2 (11.2.0). The issue might cause data loss when Entourage attempts to synchronize with an Exchange mailbox that was moved to a different Exchange server ? by your system administrator, for example. Without this update, folders might appear to be duplicated, and messages, events, and contacts might be deleted the first time Entourage attempts to synchronize with the moved mailbox.

"If you notice that your mailbox contains duplicate folders or is missing messages, events, or contacts, your mailbox might be affected by a synchronization issue. Quit Entourage immediately and do not install this update or open Entourage again until after you read Knowledge Base (KB) #909574 on the Microsoft Web site at support.microsoft.com, which contains specific instructions for this situation. In addition, contact your system administrator for assistance. If you do not have these issues in your Exchange mailbox, you can install the update now."

Applications crashing on launch (cont.) Users continue to note problems with various Office 2004 applications crashing on launch after applying the 11.3.5 update:

MacFixIt reader Kate writes:

"Word is crashing (won't open) since the update. I tried using the terminal fix that was suggested. The process ran and completed, but it had no effect on Word opening up or not. I'm gonna go back to the original install. Rats."

Another reader adds:

"Since I applied the latest update I have the issue with Word crashing on opening documents. I also have a problem with Excel where when it opens it attempts to open several spreadsheets, one of which cause it to crash. I tried deleting some preference files but it still happens. I can't find the place where it keeps this list to get rid of it. "

Fixes

Delete .plist files As is the case with many problematic application updates, deleting pertinent .plist files can resolve issues with Office 2004 11.3.3. Navigate to ~/Library/Preferences/Microsoft and look for files ending in the following (there may only be one):

• office.prefs.plist

Delete it(them), the log out and back in and check for persistence of the issue(s).

Re-install from original media, then re-update Unfortunately, one of the more successful fixes for this issue appears to be the tedious process of re-installing Microsoft Office 2004 from the original CD then re-attempting the 11.3.5 update. Failing this, you can try avoiding the update altogether by using the instructions in the "Undoing the update" section above.

Previous coverage:

• Office 2004 11.3.5 (#2): Word crashes; Entourage missing; Documents will not open
• Microsoft Office 2004 11.3.5 released: security, stability, performance enhancements

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