Archive for Office

KB3114409 May Affect Outlook 2010 Settings

There are some reports that an Outlook 2010 update that was released today (KB3114409 Dec 8, 2015) may impact operations of Outlook 2010. You may find that it will only run in safe modem, or your Outlook settings may get reset to default, or configuration changes you make will not stick.

If so, uninstall KB3114409 for now. Read more here

Outlook Crashing after Latest Updates–KB3097877

I am seeing many reports today of Outlook crashing after the recent set of Office 2010 updates, as well as getting a blank screen after pressing CTRL-ALT-DEL for the login screen.

It appears that KB 3097877 may be the cause. If so you can try uninstalling that KB patch.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3097877

There is also a suggestion to clear the Java cache. Instructions can be found here:

http://www.java.com/en/download/help/plugin_cache.xml

Bootstrapper error during Office 2013 installation

I was attempting to install Office 2013 Professional Plus on a new workstation that had already been joined to the SBS 2011 domain. It kept crashing just a few minutes into the intallation with the error message: “Microsoft Setup Bootstrapper has stopped working”.

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If you search the Microsoft forums, you will see several recommendations, including:

  • Remove all prior installations of Microsoft Office
  • Make sure that the Task Scheduler is running
  • Try burning the Office .iso to a DVD to do the install

In my case, we were good in all those departments.

Then I came across a forum post that raised the question:

Have you implemented a Cryptolocker group policy at your site?

Oh, my, yes! I quickly logged onto the server, moved the new workstation out of its normal OU. Voila! Office 2013 installed immediately.

Fix Word Starter 2010 File Association Issue

You installed a trial version of Microsoft Office 2010, and the trial version has now expired. Now, when you try to double click on a Word (.doc, .docx) or Excel (.xls, .xlsx) file, you get a big screen saying you don’t have Office 2010’s Word/Excel installed.

What happened is that when the trial version expired, it flipped you to running the Starter version of Microsoft Word and Excel. All that needs to be done is to update the file association for those specific file types.

Here’s what you need to do:

  1. Click on the Start button on the lower left
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  2. In the right hand column, click on the option labeled Default Programs
  3. Then click on Associate a file type or protocol with a program, and a list of file types will display
  4. Locate .doc and double click on it.
  5. Now select Microsoft Office Client Virtualization Handler* as the program to associate with .doc files.
  6. Repeat this process for .docx, .xls, .xlsx, or any other related file types.

* If you see Microsoft Application Virtualization DDE Launcher listed instead, use that instead.

Upgrading to Office 2013

I’d like to think I’m the type of person who likes to be using the latest technology (hardware or software). The truth of the matter is that I don’t seem to have the time or desire to always jump on the newest thing.

Case in point is Office 2013. It was released for general availability at the end of January 2013. However, here it is in August and I’m just now getting around to installing it on my Windows 7 desktop computer, where I have been using Office 2010.

This upgrade was very simple and painless. So let’s get to it.

Step 1 – Uninstall Office 2010

  1. As always, if you have not already done so, stop and make a full image backup of your workstation before proceeding.
  2. Now the reality is that, except for Outlook, you can indeed run Office 2010 and 2013 side by side on the same computer. But not Outlook. Only one version of Outlook will function on a workstation.
  3. As I was not interested in running both versions, I proceeded to uninstall Office 2010 completely..
  4. Here’s the good news: when you uninstall Office 2010, it leaves intact all your settings, including Outlook.
  5. After uninstalling Microsoft Office, you will be required to reboot your computer.
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  6. Please note: there may be several Office-related programs that you may want to uninstall, such as Microsoft Outlook Connector or Microsoft Publisher.

Step 2 – Install Office 2013

  1. After your system has rebooted, insert your Office 2013 DVD and start up your installation.
  2. After accepting the License Terms, take a close look at the next screen where you will select the installation you want.
    – If the top button says ‘Install Now’, go ahead and click it.
    – However, if the top button says ‘Upgrade Now’, you still have some matching Office 2010 programs that need to be uninstalled. If so, cancel out of this installation, and uninstall any remaining Office 2010 related programs. Then repeat this section.
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  3. Installation will take about 15 minutes, and you will be required to reboot your computer.

Step 3 – Activate your Product

  1. This section will vary depending on how you purchased or obtained your copy of Microsoft Office 2013.
  2. By default, they will expect you to enter an email address associated with a Microsoft Live account that was used to order Office 2013.
  3. However, in my case, I was installing a copy from my Microsoft Action Pack, so I clicked on the “enter a product key instead’ option, and typed in my 25 character product key.
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That’s it!

Open up Outlook, and there’s nothing you need to do (generally speaking). All of your email accounts – whether Exchange, POP3 or IMAP – will show up automatically. All of your settings, such as your signature file, will load immediately.

By default, any add-ins that are not compatible with Office 2013 will be automatically disabled. You will be informaed as to which add-in modules are causing issues. Here’s an example:

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