Create a chart in Word results in error messages

[DrRingDing]

Version: 2008 Operating System: Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard) Processor: Intel I'm trying to create a chart in Word. When I attempt to insert the chart, the chart icon is active and expands after I click on it. Excel is launched, and then I receive two error messages.

"To insert a chart, you must first close any open dialog boxes or cancel editing mode in Microsoft Office Excel."

If I click OK, I get this error message — "Some chart types cannot be combined with other chart types. Select a different chart type."

There are no open Excel dialog boxes or files in use, I'm working with a new blank document that I've saved in .docx format, my OS X and Office are fully updated, I repaired disk permissions and restarted my
Mac.

Is the solution in the 3-25-2010 PowerPoint Forum discussion thread on this problem to delete the com.microsoft plists in the hidden folder? If so, how do I locate them?

Thanks in advance...

 

[CyberTaz]

This sounds identical to a problem that was addressed by updates to Office.
Make sure you run AutoUpdate (Help> Check for Updates in any Office app) &
accept everything offered... That should put you at 12.2.4 which should
resolve the issue.

 

[DrRingDing]

Thanks for your quick reply. As I mentioned in my OP, my OS X and Office are fully updated.

 

[John McGhie]

Yeah, we saw that. However, the issue you are describing was resolved in
one of those updates, so it may pay to check.

"Fully updated" is not sufficiently exact for trouble-shooting. What is the
"Version number" reported in the menu item Word>About Word? That's the
quickest way to ensure that the update actually applied.

It should read 12.2.4 build 100205.

Check Excel too. Working the way you are, this command starts Excel and
brings it to the front. If Excel won't start, or starts up with an error
dialog, or something in your Excel Startup folder is putting up a dialog,
that will cause this.

Cheers

Thanks for your quick reply. As I mentioned in my OP, my OS X and Office are
fully updated.

--

The email below is my business email -- Please do not email me about forum
matters unless I ask you to; or unless you intend to pay!

John McGhie, Microsoft MVP (Word, Mac Word), Consultant Technical Writer,
McGhie Information Engineering Pty Ltd
Sydney, Australia. | Ph: +61 (0)4 1209 1410 | mailto:[email protected]

 

[DrRingDing]

Thanks for the additional info. Both Word and Excel are 12.2.4, build 100205. Do you think the solution is to delete the com.microsoft plists in the hidden folder?

I recall reading in one of your responses to someone else with this problem that reinstalling Office and the updates is not likely to solve this problem. Do you still think it's not a probable solution?

Thanks in advance...

 

[John McGhie]

Deleting the com.microsoft plists won't do any harm. I have no idea if it
will impact this issue: it might.

Reinstallation will have no effect (probably make the situation worse...)

I think the issue is that "Excel is not starting cleanly".

We MAY have to do a remove and replace, but try this first:

1) Track down all instances of pre-2008 Normal template on your computer,
and drag them to your desktop. The file is called simply "Normal" and has
no extension.

2) Find and delete the file Normal.dotm. Unless you have moved it, it
should be in
~/Library/Application Support/Microsoft/Office/User Templates/

3) Get into /Applications/Microsoft Office 2008/Office/Startup and make
sure there's nothing in there. If there is, remove it.

4) If the following files exist, Remove or rename them:

~/Library/Preferences/com.microsoft.Excel.plist

~/Library/Preferences/com.microsoft.Word.plist

~/Library/Preferences/Microsoft/Word Settings (10)

~/Library/Preferences/Microsoft/Word Settings (11)

5) ~/Library/Preferences/Microsoft/Office 2008 (the whole folder!)

6) Then Repair Permissions with Disk Utility.

7) Shut down the computer, wait until the power goes off, then restart.

Hope this helps

Thanks for the additional info. Both Word and Excel are 12.2.4, build 100205.
Do you think the solution is to delete the com.microsoft plists in the hidden
folder?

I recall reading in one of your responses to someone else with this problem
that reinstalling Office and the updates is not likely to solve this problem.
Do you still think it's not a probable solution?

Thanks in advance...

--

The email below is my business email -- Please do not email me about forum
matters unless I ask you to; or unless you intend to pay!

John McGhie, Microsoft MVP (Word, Mac Word), Consultant Technical Writer,
McGhie Information Engineering Pty Ltd
Sydney, Australia. | Ph: +61 (0)4 1209 1410 | mailto:[email protected]

 

[DrRingDing]

By God, sir, this fixed the problem!

Thank you so much for your time and effort.

 

[John McGhie]

Thanks for your report. I wasn't overly confident about that one.

Even now, we're not entirely sure which action fixed it.

Cheers

By God, sir, this fixed the problem!

Thank you so much for your time and effort.

--

The email below is my business email -- Please do not email me about forum
matters unless I ask you to; or unless you intend to pay!

John McGhie, Microsoft MVP (Word, Mac Word), Consultant Technical Writer,
McGhie Information Engineering Pty Ltd
Sydney, Australia. | Ph: +61 (0)4 1209 1410 | mailto:[email protected]

 

[graham.needham]

Version: 2008
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard)
Processor: Intel

I'm trying to create a chart in Word. When I attempt to insert the chart,the chart icon is active and expands after I click on it. Excel is launched, and then I receive two error messages.

"To insert a chart, you must first close any open dialog boxes or cancel editing mode in Microsoft Office Excel."

If I click OK, I get this error message — "Some chart types cannot be combined with other chart types. Select a different chart type."

There are no open Excel dialog boxes or files in use, I'm working with a new blank document that I've saved in .docx format, my OS X and Office are fully updated, I repaired disk permissions and restarted my

Mac.

Is the solution in the 3-25-2010 PowerPoint Forum discussion thread on this problem to delete the com.microsoft plists in the hidden folder? If so, how do I locate them?

Thanks in advance...

This problem is specific to the user's preferences (usually a corruption inone of those files). Removing and reinstalling the Office "software" will NOT fix this problem. However, Office 2008/2011 stores preferences in TWO locations in your home directory. Deleting the preferences from BOTH these locations will fix this problem.

NOTE: Backup your computer before doing these steps!

Delete files in:

Macintosh HD > Users > ~your home directory > Library > Application Support> Microsoft > Office > Preferences > Office 2008 or 2011

Macintosh HD > Users > ~your home directory > Library > Preferences > Microsoft > Office 2008 or 2011

Then Apple menu > Logout and login the current user or just Restart the whole computer.

NOTE: To get to a user's Library in OS X 10.7 or 10.8 go to the Go menu while holding down the 'alt' (option) key and select "Library".

NOTE: Deleting office preferences may mean you need to reset your personal settings/preferences in all Office applications. Entourage/Outlook email, accounts and rules should be safe as they are stored elsewhere.

Graham Needham
MacStrategy (http://www.macstrategy.com)

 

[Talis]

Seems to me that this problem comes with SP1 for Office 2008. Before installation of SP1 everything worked normally. This problem comes after the installation of SP1. Installing SP2 & SP3 will not fix the problem. I followed all the steps described here but problem still presists.