entourage on mac 0s x frozen-crashed

T

tina

i am running microsoft office 2004 on mac OS X and it is completely crashed
and will not open - i upgraded to the latest MS office for MAC OS X (11.1.1)
and still no luck-

threw out all preferences - still no luck.

restarted a bunch of times - no change

then suddenly it worked once - when i started it again in the morning- again
not opening - it just freezes up and gives the endless color wheel.

anyone else having this or similar problem running MS on a MAC - entourage
is my email program so i am really stuck.

any help/ideas appreciated

thanks
 
C

Craig Deutsch

I¹m no technician, but I¹ve gone through similar enough times that I would
try the following:

1. Quit Entourage and all MS Office apps
2. Trash the entire Microsoft Office 2004 folder in your Applications
directory
3. Throw out (or back up and remove) your Microsoft Office preferences
(located in [Hard Drive] > [Users] > [Your User] > [Library] >
[Preferences]):
1. com.microsoft.autoupdate.plist
2. com.microsoft.Entourage.plist
3. com.microsoft.error_reporting.plist
4. com.microsoft.Excel.plist
5. com.microsoft.OfficeNotifications.plist
6. com.microsoft.PowerPoint.plist
7. com.microsoft.setupassistant.plist
8. com.microsoft.Word.plist
Click to expand...
4. Ensure that the folder: [Hard Drive] > [Users] > [Your User] >
[Documents] > [Microsoft User Data] > [Office 2004 Identities] > [Main
Identity] contains four files:
A) Database (that's not zero K -- should be of some size)
B) Mailing Lists (usually very small but not zero K)
C) Rules (usually very small but not zero K)
D) Signatures (usually small depending on how many signatures you've created,
but not zero K)
Click to expand...
1. Copy the [Main Identity] folder in Step 4 to another location (as a
backup)
2. Log out
3. Log back in
4. Reinstall the entire Microsoft Office 2004 suite
5. Launch Entourage to ensure it¹s working properly. Note that nothing will
be set up; just make sure it launches OK. Then quit.
6. Copy the contents of the backed up [Main Identity] folder to the location
in Step 4 above (its original location). Say yes to replace the
newly-created files done during the new installation.
7. Log out
8. Log back in
9. Launch Entourage and see if things come up OK. If so, then you probably
had something corrupted within the application.
10. If successful, then close Entourage and then re-launch holding down the
Control key, then repair/rebuild the database.
11. Finally, empty the trash to delete all the stuff you threw away.

If after doing this you still have a problem, then I suspect a conflict with
another open application or preference file, or it¹s possible you have a
physical RAM problem. In that case I¹d boot from the CD that came with your
computer and do a complete Hardware Test; this will also tell you if any of
the hardware subsystems are experiencing a problem.

Others on this board who are even better at this might also have other
suggestions.

Craig
San Diego
 
C

Craig Deutsch

One other thing you might try BEFORE you do what I suggested earlier is to
clear your parameter RAM -- this sometimes clears problems like this.

Reboot your Mac, and as soon as you hear the gong sound, press and hold down
the following keys simultaneously: OPTION & COMMAND & "P" and "R". Hold
them down until the machine reboots and you hear the gong two more times.
(Note: Your CAPS lock CANNOT be enabled, and I suggest using the Apple
keyboard for this procedure.)

Then release the keys to let the machine boot normally. You might have to
reset your system clock.

Try this first -- then heed the advice I outlined in my last post, or see if
someone else posts anything more compelling.

Craig
 
P

Paul Berkowitz

Sorry to be a wet blanket to your energy and enthusiasm to help here, Craig,
but in all likelihood, none of this is necessary or helpful. Very little to
do with crashing in Entourage 2004 has anything to do with corrupt
preferences. When it's not a case of specific corrupt messages trying to
download (and 2004 is now mostly protected against those too), it's almost
always a question of a corrupt database. In 99% of cases, rebuilding the
database is what's required. So. just:

1. Quit Entourage.
2. Hold down Option key while launching Entourage again.
3. Choose "Rebuild" in the dialog. (If in Entourage X , not 2004, choose
"Advanced".)

--
Paul Berkowitz
MVP MacOffice
Entourage FAQ Page: <http://www.entourage.mvps.org/faq/index.html>
AppleScripts for Entourage: <http://macscripter.net/scriptbuilders/>

Please "Reply To Newsgroup" to reply to this message. Emails will be
ignored.

PLEASE always state which version of Microsoft Office you are using -
**2004**, X or 2001. It's often impossible to answer your questions
otherwise.



From: Craig Deutsch <[email protected]>
Newsgroups: microsoft.public.mac.office.entourage
Date: Tue, 29 Mar 2005 16:06:39 -0800
Subject: Re: entourage on mac 0s x frozen-crashed

I¹m no technician, but I¹ve gone through similar enough times that I would
try the following:

1. Quit Entourage and all MS Office apps
2. Trash the entire Microsoft Office 2004 folder in your Applications
directory
3. Throw out (or back up and remove) your Microsoft Office preferences
(located in [Hard Drive] > [Users] > [Your User] > [Library] >
[Preferences]):
1. com.microsoft.autoupdate.plist
2. com.microsoft.Entourage.plist
3. com.microsoft.error_reporting.plist
4. com.microsoft.Excel.plist
5. com.microsoft.OfficeNotifications.plist
6. com.microsoft.PowerPoint.plist
7. com.microsoft.setupassistant.plist
8. com.microsoft.Word.plist
Click to expand...
4. Ensure that the folder: [Hard Drive] > [Users] > [Your User] >
[Documents] > [Microsoft User Data] > [Office 2004 Identities] > [Main
Identity] contains four files:
A) Database (that's not zero K -- should be of some size)
B) Mailing Lists (usually very small but not zero K)
C) Rules (usually very small but not zero K)
D) Signatures (usually small depending on how many signatures you've created,
but not zero K)
Click to expand...
1. Copy the [Main Identity] folder in Step 4 to another location (as a
backup)
2. Log out
3. Log back in
4. Reinstall the entire Microsoft Office 2004 suite
5. Launch Entourage to ensure it¹s working properly. Note that nothing will
be set up; just make sure it launches OK. Then quit.
6. Copy the contents of the backed up [Main Identity] folder to the location
in Step 4 above (its original location). Say yes to replace the
newly-created files done during the new installation.
7. Log out
8. Log back in
9. Launch Entourage and see if things come up OK. If so, then you probably
had something corrupted within the application.
10. If successful, then close Entourage and then re-launch holding down the
Control key, then repair/rebuild the database.
11. Finally, empty the trash to delete all the stuff you threw away.

If after doing this you still have a problem, then I suspect a conflict with
another open application or preference file, or it¹s possible you have a
physical RAM problem. In that case I¹d boot from the CD that came with your
computer and do a complete Hardware Test; this will also tell you if any of
the hardware subsystems are experiencing a problem.

Others on this board who are even better at this might also have other
suggestions.

Craig
San Diego
 
C

Craig Deutsch

No offense taken; and since I¹m not MS MVP, that¹s why I usually caveat my
attempts with a note that others with more experience may have a better
solution. I only offer things I¹ve done in the past that seem to have
worked.

Craig
 
T

thistlemark

Dear Mr Berkowitz,

I have the same problem. I run MS Office X with Entourage, which has
crashed and died. No attempts to get it going are successful.
The backup copy is corrupt too as it turned out.
I tried both the rebuild actions, normal and advanced as my first
courses of action and both scripts quit before they finished and
bounced me out of the program, with a message like "end of database
unexpectedly reached".
Anything else I can do with it ?
I found a program called Entouraid, but that didn't work either.
Also some instructions about editing the wreck with BBedit and
rebuilding the messages, but that's too complicated for me, I am only a
regular joe.

The real data I need is not my messages but my calendar with its
appointments. and diary notes.

This is my second serious crash with Entourage - with the first the
backup rescued me. But this time it was already corrupt too. Is
Entourage 2004 any better ?

I don't want to spend $300 upgrading the whole of Office, when all I
need is Entourage.
It used to be 99 bucks but now Microsoft refuse to sell it separately
again. Why ?
Why can't I buy Entourage 2004 by itself any more ?

Any helpful thoughts are welcome.

Chris Beckett
 
P

Paul Berkowitz

Dear Mr Berkowitz,

I have the same problem. I run MS Office X with Entourage, which has
crashed and died. No attempts to get it going are successful.
The backup copy is corrupt too as it turned out.
I tried both the rebuild actions, normal and advanced as my first
courses of action and both scripts quit before they finished and
bounced me out of the program, with a message like "end of database
unexpectedly reached".
Anything else I can do with it ?
I found a program called Entouraid, but that didn't work either.
Also some instructions about editing the wreck with BBedit and
rebuilding the messages, but that's too complicated for me, I am only a
regular joe.

The real data I need is not my messages but my calendar with its
appointments. and diary notes.

This is my second serious crash with Entourage - with the first the
backup rescued me. But this time it was already corrupt too. Is
Entourage 2004 any better ?
Click to expand...

Yes. They are continually improving the database structure and Rebuild
engine too. The improvement in 2004 is really major. I don't believe I've
heard yet of any database that couldn't be fixed, and far fewer that even
need Rebuilding.

You should also use a program such as Retrospect (there are several others)
to do _regular_ multiple backups so you always have access to an earlier
copy that works OK. Plus the 2004 Rebuilder makes dated copies of backups
that you should probably leave in place for a while.
I don't want to spend $300 upgrading the whole of Office, when all I
need is Entourage.
It used to be 99 bucks but now Microsoft refuse to sell it separately
again. Why ?
Why can't I buy Entourage 2004 by itself any more ?
Click to expand...

There was only a one-year period (or less) when Entourage X was available on
its own. It didn't sell. (They ended up giving thousands away for free at
MacWorld SF 2004.) So they must have decided it was not worth the effort
when making 2004. (You'll notice that the separate versions of Word and
Excel cost almost as much as the full Office 2004. So MS probably doesn't
lose anything much if someone wants to buy Word or Excel separately. Not the
case for Entourage.) As it happens, the improvements in Word 2004 are as
significant as in Entourage, and the Upgrade price is available even if you
have just a single X application.
Any helpful thoughts are welcome.

Chris Beckett
Click to expand...


--
Paul Berkowitz
MVP MacOffice
Entourage FAQ Page: <http://www.entourage.mvps.org/faq/index.html>
AppleScripts for Entourage: <http://macscripter.net/scriptbuilders/>

Please "Reply To Newsgroup" to reply to this message. Emails will be
ignored.

PLEASE always state which version of Microsoft Office you are using -
**2004**, X or 2001. It's often impossible to answer your questions
otherwise.
 
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