Multiple users on one Mac & Identity access

[Doug Starkey]

I have a Mac (G4/867) running OS X 10.3.9. I'm running Office 2004 with
all the updates installed. Entourage says it's version is 11.1.0
(040913). Now, I'm REEEAALLLLYYY new to Entourage. But I'm setting up
this Mac with an "administrative" user (me) and a "normal" user. Normal
users have limited rights to applications & folders. I grant the rights
needed in order to prevent unauthorized programs from being loaded onto
this machine. I installed Office as the administrator. I have granted
the user rights to Entourage. But when I launch Entourage under the user
account, I get an error:

"An unknown error (-5000) occurred."

When I "quit" (my only real option), I get a message that says,

"You do not have write access to the
Entourage application folder. To run
Entourage you must have the administrative
user remove the Identities folder from the
application folder. For more information, see
the Entourage Read Me file."

I looked at the Entourage Read Me file. I don't really see anything
specifically related to this issue. There is some discussion of how to
move the Identities folder but I guess I am unsure about where to move
it and what effect that will have on the user.

I tried the Mactopia website and that was worthless. I couldn't find
more that 4 articles on Entourage in the Support section and nothing in
the Resources section that related to this issue.

So, I'm hoping someone here is using a similar set-up and can help me
out.

Doug Starkey
Network Administrator
Pecan Deluxe Candy Company

 

[Daiya Mitchell]

Where *is* the Identities folder? The Identities folder for each login
should be in ~/Documents/MS User Data/Office 2004 Identities. There seem to
be a couple possibilities--either the Identities folder is not where it
should be, or the permissions are messed up.

Try repairing permissions in Disk Utility.

I run as a Standard user all the time without Entourage problems, by the
way, and with no need to "grant the user rights to Entourage". Is your
Normal user even more limited than a Standard user?

 

[Doug Starkey]

Actually, yes, this user IS more limited than a Standard user. I am
specifically restricting certain applications from the users via the
"Some Limits" tab in the Accounts set-up.

I'll run the permissions repair and see what happins.

Doug Starkey
Network Administrator
Pecan Deluxe Candy Company

 

[Doug Starkey]

Okay, I ran permissions repair and things still would not work. But
things WERE better. I know had access to the identity "repair"
functions. I ran those but I still could not launch Entourage under the
"limited" user account.

So, I went back to the original error diaolg:

"You do not have write access to the

"You do not have write access to the
Entourage application folder. To run
Entourage you must have the administrative
user remove the Identities folder from the
application folder. For more information, see
the Entourage Read Me file."

I decided to look at the permissions on the actual application
(Entourage.app). Sure enough, it showed that while "Administrator" had
"Read & Write" permissions, "Others" could "Read Only". I set the
permissions for "Others" to "Read & Write" and, lo & behold, my user
could now open Entourage.

Hope this helps someone else along the way. And thanks to Daiya for the
input.

Doug Starkey
Network Administrator
Pecan Deluxe Candy Company

 

[Paul Berkowitz]

I don't think that Others should need to Read & Write: they're not modifying
the application itself, just the documents and data and preferences, all of
which are stored in their own user folder, to which they _can_ read & write.
I have two other users on my computer, Entourage has "Read Only" permissions
for "Others", but Entourage still works just fine for those users. Of course
they are standard users, not limited users.

The permission that other users need to _use_ Entourage is actually
"Execute", neither Read nor Write. (In the Terminal, this one is "x", nit
"r" nor "w".) This one isn't available from the Finder's Get Info, but
setting permissions to "Read & Write" actually sets to all (rwx), including
that one, I think. So that would be why what you did worked. By rights, all
Standard users will have Execute permission (as on my computer), but not
Write permission, for all applications. Limited users ought to have Execute
permission, but not Write permission, for every application to which you
have granted them access in System Prefs/Accounts/that user/Parental
Controls/System & Finder/Applications. So if you include Entourage as
enabled there, they should be able to use it.

BUT - there's an extra kink in the case of Entourage. I've just done some
testing. When I turn one of the user accounts into Limited, and include
Entourage as one of the application it can use, then log in there, it won't
open. It tells me that there's a problem with the database, and to rebuild
it. But that (Microsoft) error message is not correct (it must just come up
when it hits a type of problem that it _expects_ is to do with the
database.) Back in my admin account, in Accounts/Parental Controls/System &
Finer/Applications, I need also to check "Allow supporting programs" for
that user. (Not needed for Word, for example, but checking this will enable
it for _all_ permitted applications.) Did you have that box enabled? If not,
that would have fixed it. Entourage obviously calls on some "supporting
programs", some other application (maybe in the Microsoft Office/Office
folder) or utility which you did not enable for the Limited User.

(If you _did_ have that box checked, then probably it was the Execute
permission that was wrong. I don't suppose you've done too much harm in
letting them "Read & Write" - since there are no non-user preferences
available (and they shouldn't be able to remove it as long as Applications
folder itself is Read Only for them - there's a lock on that permission that
only the system (root) - not you - can change), as far as I know. But if you
wanted to fix the permissions there to Read and Execute for your other
users, you could get the free utility BatChmod and do it there.)

--
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.

 

[Doug Starkey]

You must be running Tiger (10.4). I don't have "Accounts/Parental
Controls/System & Finder/Applications" in my system preferences. I'm
running Panther (10.3). Sounds like a good fix on Tiger's part but not
much help for those of us still on Panther.

But, I do at least have it working now. I'll look into editing the
privileges with batCHmod.

Doug Starkey
Network Administrator
Pecan Deluxe Candy Company

 

[Paul Berkowitz]

It was still possible in Panther, I think, but instead of "Parental
Controls" you might be setting up a "Limited User". But maybe there's no
checkbox for "Allow supporting programs" there.

It turns out that the supporting program that must be allowed is the
[Microsoft] Database Daemon, which is in the Office subfolder of Microsoft
Office 2004 folder. If you just add that as an allowed application, you
won't get that (incorrect) error and Entourage will open. You should
probably also allow the Alerts Daemon and Database Utility, also in that
same folder. If you do all that, things should work. (Even in Panther, some
admins might prefer these specifics rather than allowing all supporting
programs for all allowed apps.
--
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.