All kinds of problems since Spotlight update . . .

[FarmerBob]

Version: 2004
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard)
Processor: Power PC
Email Client: pop

I think it was 11.3.8 or there abouts, the Spotlight update, when Entourage became completely unstable and started doing things completely different than it did before the update. And if it hadn't altered my Database as it does, I'd have been able to go back. That I find completely unprofessional and a gimmick at best. I now backup my Database prior to any update. But was too late, the damage was done. And it has been consistantly off since. I have updated as much as I could, currently at 11.4.0, each time an update came out in the hope that it would fix things. No joy! Matter of fact things are getting worse.

The problems are:
1. All mail goes to Junk Mail folder whereas before the update it went to the Inbox, unless a specific rule has been created.
2. When clicking on the "Not Junk" button the window where you select how the mail is handled pops up and after selecting how the mail is to be dealt with, a selection gets made and it's as if nothing was ever done. The action is completely ignored. I have repeatedly clicked the same action for the same type of mail over and over again and still nothing.
3. This is the big problem getting bigger . . . In the beginning it was every so often, now it's several times a day. When I click on a newly arrived HTML mail in the Junk Mail folder, unless they have a rule that sends them to the Inbox, and even then I get the "sorry but we crashed" window, I choose to send a report to MS with restart Entourage checked (do they ever read these? if so, they've had volumes of reports from me.), Click OK and then I have to Force Quit to get the app to completely quit and go away. I then get the Apple Crash Reporter and send that. I have been told by Apple that they don't read them, but I send it anyway. And Entourage does not restart on its own. After manually restarting it will open any of the eMails that made it crash and any others like them for a little while and then it does it again with no warning and nothing specific, other than it is an HTML eMail. Rinse, repeat.

This 11.4.0 version is a shadow of the pre-11.3.x versions and is becoming a real nuisance. If I weren't so entrenched in Entourage, I'd switch to Thunderbird in a heartbeat. I have looked into going to Office 2008, but I have no idea how stable that is and what I will have to do to deal with its idiosyncrasies. For all new installs I do for clients, I will not use Entourage, I insist on Thunderbird. After they use it for a bit, I have yet to have one complaint. Matter of fact I got three calls last week from XP uses wanting to migrate to Firefox and Thunderbird because they had it with IE and Outlook (both versions).

I have done everything conceivable that one could and nothing has fixed the crashing problem. I realize that the new software changes I have no control over and have to irritatingly endure them. So what is this all about? Are there any fixes that I missed in all my reading through this forum? How stable is the 2008 version? Should I bite the bullet and take the extraordinary amount of time that it will take to migrate to Thunderbird?

Any assistance will be greatly appreciated.

Thanx . . .
.. . . fb

 

[FarmerBob]

UPDATE:
Not two seconds after I first posted, I got another "Microsoft Entourage has encountered a problems and needs to close. We are sorry for the inconvenience." message when I normally quit E 11.4.0. And this is the Error Report for this instance:

Microsoft Error Reporting log version: 1.0

Error Signature:
Exception: EXC_BAD_ACCESS
Date/Time: 2009-06-21 04:33:30 -0600
Application Name: Microsoft Entourage
Application Version: 11.4.0.080122
Module Name: unknown
Module Version: unknown
Module Offset: unknown
Extra app info: Reg=English Loc=0x0409

Operating System Information
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.5.7 (Build 9J61)
CPU: G4 (7450), Number: 2, Speed: 1416 MHz
gestaltPhysicalRAMSize err = 0, result = 2047 MB
gestaltSystemVersion err = 0, result = 0x1057
Screen: 1600 x 1200, depth = 32, ltbr = 0, 0, 1200, 1600
Screen: 1920 x 1080, depth = 32, ltbr = -2944, -483, 597, -1024
Screen: 1024 x 768, depth = 32, ltbr = -1024, -171, 597, 0
Screen: 1600 x 1200, depth = 32, ltbr = 1600, 266, 1466, 3200

Microsoft Application Information:
Error Reporting UUID: 9962383C-F46B-11DD-8862-000393D454F6
Time from launch: 1 hours, 0 minutes, 43 seconds
Total errors on this client: 100

.. . . and this is the Apple Error Report:

Date/Time: 2009-06-21 04:41:00 -0600
OS Version: 10.5.7 (Build 9J61)
Architecture: ppc
Report Version: 4

Command: Microsoft Entourage
Path: /Volumes/Storage2/Apps/Microsoft Office 2004/Microsoft Entourage
Version: ??? (???)
Parent: launchd [134]

PID: 772
Event: hang
Time: 6.10s
Steps: 30

Process: Microsoft Entourage [772]
Path: /Volumes/Storage2/Apps/Microsoft Office 2004/Microsoft Entourage

ADDRESS BINARY
00001000 /System/Library/Frameworks/Carbon.framework/Versions/A/Support/LaunchCFMApp
000cf000 /System/Library/Frameworks/DVComponentGlue.framework/Versions/A/DVComponentGlue
11f04000 /Volumes/Storage2/Apps/Microsoft Office 2004/Office/ShMem.bundle/Contents/MacOS/ShMem
11f7f000 /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/OpenTransport.framework/OpenTransport
15f77000 /System/Library/CoreServices/Encodings/libTraditionalChineseConverter.dylib
15f8d000 /System/Library/CoreServices/Encodings/libSimplifiedChineseConverter.dylib
15fc4000 /System/Library/Extensions/IOAudioFamily.kext/Contents/PlugIns/AOAHALPlugin.bundle/Contents/MacOS/AOAHALPlugin
1634d000 /System/Library/CoreServices/RawCamera.bundle/Contents/MacOS/RawCamera
17bbd000 /System/Library/TextEncodings/Unicode Encodings.bundle/Contents/MacOS/Unicode Encodings
17c90000 /Library/QuickTime/Perian.component/Contents/MacOS/Perian
1818d000 /Library/QuickTime/Flip4Mac WMV Import.component/Contents/MacOS/Flip4Mac WMV Import
183e1000 /Library/Frameworks/TSLicense.framework/Versions/A/TSLicense
183f6000 /usr/lib/libmx.A.dylib
1841f000 /Library/QuickTime/Flip4Mac WMV Advanced.component/Contents/MacOS/Flip4Mac WMV Advanced
185ca000 /System/Library/QuickTime/AppleProResDecoder.component/Contents/MacOS/AppleProResDecoder
18635000 /System/Library/QuickTime/QuickTimeFireWireDV.component/Contents/MacOS/QuickTimeFireWireDV
1867f000 /Library/QuickTime/AppleIntermediateCodec.component/Contents/MacOS/AppleIntermediateCodec
186a1000 /System/Library/QuickTime/ApplePixletVideo.component/Contents/MacOS/ApplePixletVideo
195ee000 /System/Library/Frameworks/ApplicationServices.framework/Versions/A/Frameworks/CoreGraphics.framework/Versions/A/Resources/libCGXCoreImage.A.dylib
19723000 /System/Library/Extensions/AudioIPCDriver.kext/Contents/Resources/AudioIPCPlugIn.bundle/Contents/MacOS/AudioIPCPlugIn
19749000 /System/Library/Components/SoundManagerComponents.component/Contents/MacOS/SoundManagerComponents
ba900000 /Sy

 

[FarmerBob]

Oh, the mile long Apple Error Report got cut off. Hope there is enough there for someone to use? I have saved the entire report in a draft eMail and will be more than glad to sent it to anyone.

.. . . fb

 

[Diane Ross]

I have updated as much as I could, currently at 11.4.0, each time an update
came out in the hope that it would fix things. No joy! Matter of fact things
are getting worse.

There is one single combo updater for Office 2004 now. 12.5.5. Download and
run this updater.

The problems are:
1. All mail goes to Junk Mail folder whereas before the update it went to the
Inbox, unless a specific rule has been created.

Mail moving to the wrong folder indicates you accidentally added a Mailing
List Manager rule that is moving the mail, or your rules files are
corrupted. Have you check to be sure the folder destinations are correct?

How many rules and Mailing List Manager rules do you have? If you remove
those files in the Identity folder and let Entourage create new ones, are
you able to make a new rule that does work?

Run these stress tests on your Identity and let me know if you find any
corruption:

How stable is the 2008 version? Should I bite the bullet and take the
extraordinary amount of time that it will take to migrate to Thunderbird?

Most people find Entourage 2008 to be very stable, but you will most likely
only hear from those that do have problems. Like all software some people
have problems and other do not. If you use VBA you would want to keep both
Office 2004 and Office 2008 installed so you can continue to use VBA.

From the description of your problems, I think you have some underlying
problems with your OS. It's possible running the combo Apple updater will
fix your problems. Once those are fixed, addressing the Entourage problems
should be easier.

Using the info on your crash report.

Module Name: unknown
Module Version: unknown

This does not indicate any Microsoft application.

. . . and this is the Apple Error Report:

Since you are getting an Apple report this indicates problems with your OS.

You might need to download the combo updater from Apple and run it again
rather than using Software Update. Doing so overwrites potentially
problem-causing files. Combo updaters will install on the same version as
they¹re applying‹no need to roll back or do a clean install.

Command: Microsoft Entourage
Path: /Volumes/Storage2/Apps/Microsoft Office 2004/Microsoft Entourage

Moving Office from the default application folder is not advised. This can
cause problem with update. Move it back, run the updater and then you can
move it and use an alias.

 

[FarmerBob]

There is one single combo updater for Office 2004 now. 12.5.5. Download and
run this updater.

You mean 11.5.5.

Mail moving to the wrong folder indicates you accidentally added a Mailing
List Manager rule that is moving the mail, or your rules files are
corrupted. Have you check to be sure the folder destinations are correct?

How many rules and Mailing List Manager rules do you have? If you remove
those files in the Identity folder and let Entourage create new ones, are
you able to make a new rule that does work?

Run these stress tests on your Identity and let me know if you find any
corruption:

No corruption. No List Managers. And only rules to counter what started happening after that update and to move only specific mail to specific places (mostly back to the "Inbox"). I regard the Junk E-mail folder as my "inbox". I have not "accidentally" added anything. And to presume so is insulting and not looking at the application as the source of the malady. Is this going to be one of those protect MS and blame the user? If so, thank you for your time and I will move on.

Most people find Entourage 2008 to be very stable, but you will most likely
only hear from those that do have problems. Like all software some people
have problems and other do not. If you use VBA you would want to keep both
Office 2004 and Office 2008 installed so you can continue to use VBA.

From the description of your problems, I think you have some underlying
problems with your OS. It's possible running the combo Apple updater will
fix your problems. Once those are fixed, addressing the Entourage problems
should be easier.

Have done this plan of action long before and since the first day after the Spotlight update that started all of this. I am well versed in the ways of Mac and its idiosyncrasies. Matter of fact I am the one that confirmed that you could rerun the installers over an install to "refresh" it while on hold with Apple TS on day and after telling my Apple support people, that had no clue that you could and never thought of doing it, they started telling the world. When updating ALWAYS use the Combo's and do it in Safe Mode after "repairing permissions" in this "maintenance free" OS.

Using the info on your crash report.


This does not indicate any Microsoft application.

Then why is it only Entourage that is crashing with such fanfare while I am interacting or in direct contact with it?

Since you are getting an Apple report this indicates problems with your OS.

You might need to download the combo updater from Apple and run it again
rather than using Software Update. Doing so overwrites potentially
problem-causing files. Combo updaters will install on the same version as
they�re applying�no need to roll back or do a clean install.

Had every Combo updater on file since 10.4.1, until recently and I dumped most of them because I'd not being going back. Been and have done the (my) "refresh" update many times. Entourage remains the same even across clean installs. I have set side machines with pre 11.3.x installs of Entourage and it was just fine. No misdire

 

[FarmerBob]

REPLY INCOMPLETE!!!!
The rest of my reply has been cut off. If I had only copied it before posting I could have added it here. But no. Can't resolve things in this manner. There was more to say and places context on a lot of this.

 

[Diane Ross]

You mean 11.5.5.

Sorry, it's 11.5.5.

I have not "accidentally" added anything. And to presume so is insulting and
not looking at the application as the source of the malady. Is this going to
be one of those protect MS and blame the user? If so, thank you for your time
and I will move on.

One of the top FAQs of all time is accidentally adding a MLM rule when
marking a message as junk. I guess you aren't a normal user so I'll leave
someone else to help you.

 

[FarmerBob]

And by the way Noticifcations is crashing every 10 minutes.

I think I found the HTML rendering and probably most of the problem. From an article at Switched.com, excerpt below:

Twitter Users Want Microsoft to Fix 'Outlook'
by Terrence O'Brien — Jun 27th 2009 at 9:00AM

We're not gonna lie. We can't stand 'Outlook.' Or its Mac-based sister app, 'Entourage,' either. There just isn't aren't enough words that can convey how we feel about this stalwart of the corporate world. It's a shame, too, because we really are actually quite fond of the rest of the 'Microsoft Office' Suite.

One big complaint about Outlook is how it handles HTML-formatted e-mails. The problem is that, when updating Outlook to the 2007 version, Microsoft decided to stop using the same (and already quite flawed) rendering engine that powered 'Internet Explorer,' and opted instead to use the HTML-formatting capabilities of 'Word 2007.' It's a bit like getting coal for Christmas, and, when you complain, having it replaced with a flaming bag of dog crap.

Full article at:
<http://www.switched.com/2009/06/27/twitter-users-want-microsoft-to-fix-outlook/#continued>

 

[jackie8ch]

Can anyone tell me how to fix this? I have been using Word (office) for Mac for 6 months, now just last week I can't open any documents with my Word for Mac and I get this error message:

Microsoft Error Reporting log version: 2.0

Error Signature:
Exception: EXC_BAD_ACCESS
Date/Time: 2009-06-28 23:18:55 -0400
Application Name: Microsoft Word
Application Bundle ID: com.microsoft.Word
Application Signature: MSWD
Application Version: 12.1.5.081119
Crashed Module Name: unknown
Crashed Module Version: unknown
Crashed Module Offset: unknown
Blame Module Name: unknown
Blame Module Version: unknown
Blame Module Offset: unknown
Application LCID: 1033
Extra app info: Reg=en Loc=0x0409

Thread 0 crashed:

# 1 0x20656e69 in ( + 0x00000000)
# 2 0x020eb2c6 in _MsoGetValidTBPos + 0x00000562 (MicrosoftOffice + 0x003382c6)
# 3 0x0080ea82 in _wdGetApplicationObject + 0x000D989C (Microsoft Word + 0x0080da82)
# 4 0x003571dc in _wdCommandDispatch + 0x0003A460 (Microsoft Word + 0x003561dc)
# 5 0x0067945d in _wdCommandDispatch + 0x0035C6E1 (Microsoft Word + 0x0067845d)
# 6 0x00ae7522 in _wdGetApplicationObject + 0x003B233C (Microsoft Word + 0x00ae6522)
# 7 0x00aefe83 in _wdGetApplicationObject + 0x003BAC9D (Microsoft Word + 0x00aeee83)
# 8 0x0225649c in __WlmMain + 0x00000047 (MicrosoftOffice + 0x004a349c)
# 9 0x00ad5548 in _wdGetApplicationObject + 0x003A0362 (Microsoft Word + 0x00ad4548)
# 10 0x00002d62 in __mh_execute_header + 0x00001D62 (Microsoft Word + 0x00001d62)
# 11 0x00002c89 in __mh_execute_header + 0x00001C89 (Microsoft Word + 0x00001c89)

X86 Thread State:
eax: 0x1a7c0830 ebx: 0x1a766ce8 ecx: 0x00000002 edx:0x1a7bb6d0
edi: 0x1a767074 esi: 0x1a767068 ebp: 0xbffff0c8 esp:0xbffff08c
ss: 0x0000001f eip: 0x20656e69 cs: 0x00000017 ds:0x0000001f
es: 0x0000001f fs: 0x00000000 gs: 0x00000037 eflags:0x00010202

Thread 1:

# 1 0x903603a6 in _signgam + 0x901B9482 (libSystem.B.dylib + 0x000013a6)
# 2 0x903e7eab in _signgam + 0x90240F87 (libSystem.B.dylib + 0x00088eab)
# 3 0x01ac2d7d in _MerpCreateSession + 0x00000B07 (merp + 0x00002d7d)
# 4 0x01ac23e5 in _MerpCreateSession + 0x0000016F (merp + 0x000023e5)
# 5 0x01ac246c in _MerpCreateSession + 0x000001F6 (merp + 0x0000246c)
# 6 0x01ac2f25 in _MerpCreateSession + 0x00000CAF (merp + 0x00002f25)
# 7 0x90391155 in _signgam + 0x901EA231 (libSystem.B.dylib + 0x00032155)
# 8 0x90391012 in _signgam + 0x901EA0EE (libSystem.B.dylib + 0x00032012)

X86 Thread State:
eax: 0xffffffa6 ebx: 0x903d7287 ecx: 0xb00a0a5c edx:0x903603a6
edi: 0x000008d2 esi: 0xbfe7444e ebp: 0xb00a0ac8 esp:0xb00a0a5c
ss: 0x0000001f eip: 0x903603a6 cs: 0x00000007 ds:0x0000001f
es: 0x0000001f fs: 0x0000001f gs: 0x00000037 eflags:0x00000206

Thread 2:

# 1 0x9036746e in _signgam + 0x901C054A (libSystem.B.dylib + 0x0000846e)
# 2 0x90391dcd in _signgam + 0x901EAEA9 (libSystem.B.dylib + 0x00032dcd)
# 3 0x91d0445c in __CMProfileID + 0x91C31338 (ColorSync + 0x0003345c)
# 4 0x91d16d8e in __CMProfileID + 0x91C43C6A (ColorSync + 0x00045d8e)
# 5 0x90391155 in _signgam + 0x901EA231 (libSystem.B.dylib + 0x00032155)
# 6 0x90391012 in _signgam + 0x901EA0EE (libSystem.B.dylib + 0x00032012)

X86 Thread State:
eax: 0x0000014e ebx: 0x90391ded ecx: 0xb0122e7c edx:0x9036746e
edi: 0x0485e5a4 esi: 0xb0123000 ebp: 0xb0122ef8 esp:0xb0122e7c
ss: 0x0000001f eip: 0x9036746e cs: 0x00000007 ds:0x0000001f
es: 0x0000001f fs: 0x0000001f gs: 0x00000037 eflags:0x00000246

Loaded modules:

0: Microsoft Word (12.1.5.081119 Reg=en Loc=0x0409): /Applications/Microsoft Office 2008/Microsoft Word.app/Contents/MacOS/Microsoft Word
1: MicrosoftComponentPlugin: /Applications/Microsoft Office 2008/Microsoft Word.app/Contents/MacOS/../Frameworks/MicrosoftComponentPlugin.framework/Versions/12/MicrosoftComponentPlugin
2: Netlib: /Applications/Microsoft Office 2008/Microsoft Word.app/Conte

 

[Diane Ross]

Application Version: 12.1.5.081119

You need to update to 12.1.9

Crashed Module Name: unknown
Crashed Module Version: unknown
Crashed Module Offset: unknown
Blame Module Name: unknown
Blame Module Version: unknown
Blame Module Offset: unknown

Since these all indicate unknown, I would download and run the Apple combo
updater. If the problem does not go away, then do a re-install of Office.

Leopard:

Mac OS X 10.5.6 Combo Update (For both PowerPC- and Intel-based Macs )
<http://support.apple.com/downloads/Mac_OS_X_10_5_7_Combo_Update>

Steps to re-install Office

<http://www.entourage.mvps.org/install/reinstall_steps.html>