First Document Window Inactive

[pcharles]

Version: 2008
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard)
Processor: Intel

I have developed a strange "problem" where the first document I open after starting word is initially unuseable. This may be related to my not being able to apply the latest patch or not.

When I start word by opening an existing document, or via the application icon, the program appears to load normally. It then opens a the document or creates a new one. Moments later all icons on the windows toolbars become inactive.

I can still type and apply keyboard shortcuts, access the menus, and the theme buttons (Quick Tables etc), but none of the buttons like style, font, zoom, and so on on the toolbar.

The problem is not permanent. If I close the window and open a new window, the new one is fine. If I switch to a different application and back to Word, the inactive window becomes fine. If I minimize the window to my dock and then maximize the window it is fine.

Any ideas?

 

[John McGhie]

Sounds like you might have Spaces running?

Word 2008 is incompatible with Spaces. If you run Spaces, Word 2008 will
play up. There's nothing you can do to prevent it, other than don't run
Spaces.

Sorry: The basic design of Office 2008 makes it incompatible with Spaces,
so they can't fix it. Next version, we hope.

Cheers

Version: 2008
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard)
Processor: Intel

I have developed a strange "problem" where the first document I open after
starting word is initially unuseable. This may be related to my not being able
to apply the latest patch or not.

When I start word by opening an existing document, or via the application
icon, the program appears to load normally. It then opens a the document or
creates a new one. Moments later all icons on the windows toolbars become
inactive.

I can still type and apply keyboard shortcuts, access the menus, and the theme
buttons (Quick Tables etc), but none of the buttons like style, font, zoom,
and so on on the toolbar.

The problem is not permanent. If I close the window and open a new window, the
new one is fine. If I switch to a different application and back to Word, the
inactive window becomes fine. If I minimize the window to my dock and then
maximize the window it is fine.

Any ideas?

--

Don't wait for your answer, click here: http://www.word.mvps.org/

Please reply in the group. Please do NOT email me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie, Microsoft MVP, Word and Word:Mac
Nhulunbuy, NT, Australia. mailto:[email protected]

 

[pcharles]

No, on this machine (MacBook) I am not running space, so that cannot be the problem.

However, I am running spaces on my desktop and Office 2008 works fine on there, but that one is a PPC G5.

The problem I am referring to on the MacBook just started a day or two ago.

 

[pcharles]

Well, I deleted the Office 2008 folder, reinstalled and updated, and it seems fine now.

 

[John McGhie]

Ouch! You were very lucky

ALWAYS run the "remove office" utility if you need to reinstall. Otherwise
your preferences and your programs will not match, which can lead to some
seriously high entertainment value.

Glad you got it sorted...

Well, I deleted the Office 2008 folder, reinstalled and updated, and it seems
fine now.

--

Don't wait for your answer, click here: http://www.word.mvps.org/

Please reply in the group. Please do NOT email me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie, Microsoft MVP, Word and Word:Mac
Nhulunbuy, NT, Australia. mailto:[email protected]

 

[pcharles]

I ran the remove office utility and it said there were no versions to be removed.

Does the ROU remove your settings as well? It would be useful to know that for future reference because I have a lot of auto corrects and other settings set up that I would rather not lose.

 

[John McGhie]

I am a little unclear as to exactly what the Remove Office Utility takes
out.

The most valuable part of its activity is that it sets things so that you
get a clean installation when you re-install. The installer will otherwise
leave unchanged any files it finds that already exist, which leads to a
mayhem of mismatched software module versions and preferences that can take
weeks to sort out.

I believe that the Remove Office Utility looks in the Office folder of your
Applications folder to discover which version(s) of Office it needs to
remove. It then prepares a script based on the files that should exist for
each version. So if the Office folder is not there, it "finds" that there
are no versions to remove

Autocorrects are not considered "preferences", they are considered "user
data". They will be left alone.

"Settings" are considered preferences. You should take a backup of the ones
you want to keep before re-installing Office, because the installer should
reset them.

On the other hand, if you then "restore" the preferences, chances are you
will get your problem back. Because the problems with Office are almost
always problems with either the preferences or the user data.

This is why "re-installing" on the Mac usually has no good effect, and often
makes problems worse. You end up with software that does not match its
preference files -- nasty! If you are clever and pains-taking, you can work
out which settings are stored in which preference files and replace only the
ones you need to keep.

This is such a chore I never bother, because there are a very large number
of preference files, and no documentation on what is in them. I just delete
all of the preferences, which causes Microsoft Office to create a complete
new set when it next runs. Then I reset the settings I am interested in.

The actual software executable modules are only ever "read", never
"written", during use. So there is no wear and tear on them. If they ever
worked, they always will work (assuming your hard disk doesn't go bad). If
your hard disk starts losing files that are always accessed read-only, you
will rapidly notice much larger problems than failing Office software.

Hope this helps

I ran the remove office utility and it said there were no versions to be
removed.

Does the ROU remove your settings as well? It would be useful to know that for
future reference because I have a lot of auto corrects and other settings set
up that I would rather not lose.

--

Don't wait for your answer, click here: http://www.word.mvps.org/

Please reply in the group. Please do NOT email me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie, Microsoft MVP, Word and Word:Mac
Nhulunbuy, NT, Australia. mailto:[email protected]