Rebuild database??

S

Steve B.

I'm trying to rebuild Entourage X's database under OS 10.4.2. 'Help' tells
me to quit all Office apps., hold down option and start Entourage. All this
accomplishes is to close the Finder window holding the app. when it starts
up, but other than that, but it starts up normally. I _know_ I've done this
before. What am I missing?

Thanks in advance,
Steve = : ^ )
 
M

matt neuburg

Steve B. said:
I'm trying to rebuild Entourage X's database under OS 10.4.2. 'Help' tells
me to quit all Office apps., hold down option and start Entourage. All this
accomplishes is to close the Finder window holding the app. when it starts
up, but other than that, but it starts up normally. I _know_ I've done this
before. What am I missing?

You might not be holding down the Option key long enough. Mash that
puppy. m.
 
S

Steve B.

matt neuburg said:
You might not be holding down the Option key long enough. Mash that
puppy. m.

I'm holding down the option key all the way until the 'Mail' window opens
and have done many times. I'm sure this used to work but it's not just my
system.

I'm having a problem with E at work, couldn't rebuild the database, so tried
to figure out what was wrong when I got home. I'm having the same behaviour
- holding down option while starting E doesn't 'rebuild database' dialogue -
on two different systems! How can this be???

Steve = : ^ )
 
S

Steve B.

Daiya Mitchell said:

I'm holding down the option key all the way until the 'Mail' window opens
and have done many times. I'm sure this used to work but it's not just my
system.

I'm having a problem with E at work, couldn't rebuild the database, so tried
to figure out what was wrong when I got home. I'm having the same behaviour
- holding down option while starting E doesn't 'rebuild database' dialogue -
on two different systems! How can this be???
Alternate route: You can also go into apps/ms office 2004/office, and launch
the Database Utility directly.

I followed the path you gave and I don't have something called 'Database
Utility' in that folder. This might explain why I can't rebuild the database
but where has the app. gone? On two different systems???

Both of these computers are used for making music, and so might have
software installed that most folks don't - but something that trashes MS's
Database Manager???? My brain hurts.

I guess I can reinstall Office.

Steve = : ^ )
 
B

Barry Wainwright [MVP]

I followed the path you gave and I don't have something called 'Database
Utility' in that folder. This might explain why I can't rebuild the database
but where has the app. gone? On two different systems???

No, the utility comes with office 2004, I think. Since you are using vX, you
won't have it.

How are you launching entourage? By double-clicking the icon in the main
office window, or are you using DragThing or some other similar launcher
utility?

If you double-click the application icon directly, while holding down Option
this should work.
 
S

Steve B.

Barry Wainwright [MVP] said:
No, the utility comes with office 2004, I think. Since you are using vX, you
won't have it.

How are you launching entourage? By double-clicking the icon in the main
office window, or are you using DragThing or some other similar launcher
utility?

I use iKey usually.
If you double-click the application icon directly, while holding down Option
this should work.

But I've been doing that, too. Also I just made an alias of E, put it on the
desktop and double-clicked _that_. In every case, I have the option key down
(I've even tried both option key, separately) before I double click the icon
and, in each case, E. starts up normally. I _know_ I've done this before,
and I'm thoroughly confused.

Thanks,
Steve = : ^ \
 
B

Barry Wainwright [MVP]

Barry Wainwright [MVP] said:


I use iKey usually.


But I've been doing that, too. Also I just made an alias of E, put it on the
desktop and double-clicked _that_. In every case, I have the option key down
(I've even tried both option key, separately) before I double click the icon
and, in each case, E. starts up normally. I _know_ I've done this before,
and I'm thoroughly confused.

Thanks,
Steve = : ^ \

If that is not working, I don't know what else to do.

In office 2004 the rebuild engine is available as a separate application and
can be invoked manually, but that doesn't apply to your set up.

Try this:

1. Quit _all_ office apps - this includes the invisible Database Daemon that
can be quitted by starting up 'activity monitor.app', selecting the daemon
from the list of processes and hitting the quit button. Do this _after_ you
quit all the other visible apps.

2. Move the 'Microsoft User Data' folder out of 'Documents' to the desktop

3. Restart Entourage (This will create a new MUD folder and empty database)

4. Quit entourage again

5. Now, try restarting entourage with the option key held down. Does this
trigger the rebuild?

6. If it does, look in the MUD folder on the desktop and find you old
identity folder - in 'Office X identities' there is a folder with the name
of your main identity ('Main Identity' by default). give this folder a new
name if it is still called 'Main Identity' and move it to the 'office X
Identities' folder in the new MUD folder that was created in step 3

7. in Entourage, choose 'change identity' from the entourage menu and
switch to the original database.

8. quit entourage again and try restarting with the option key down.

Hope this helps!
 
S

Steve B.

Barry Wainwright [MVP] said:
If that is not working, I don't know what else to do.

In office 2004 the rebuild engine is available as a separate application and
can be invoked manually, but that doesn't apply to your set up.

Try this:

1. Quit _all_ office apps - this includes the invisible Database Daemon that
can be quitted by starting up 'activity monitor.app', selecting the daemon
from the list of processes and hitting the quit button. Do this _after_ you
quit all the other visible apps.

2. Move the 'Microsoft User Data' folder out of 'Documents' to the desktop

3. Restart Entourage (This will create a new MUD folder and empty database)

4. Quit entourage again

5. Now, try restarting entourage with the option key held down. Does this
trigger the rebuild?

6. If it does, look in the MUD folder on the desktop and find you old
identity folder - in 'Office X identities' there is a folder with the name
of your main identity ('Main Identity' by default). give this folder a new
name if it is still called 'Main Identity' and move it to the 'office X
Identities' folder in the new MUD folder that was created in step 3

7. in Entourage, choose 'change identity' from the entourage menu and
switch to the original database.

8. quit entourage again and try restarting with the option key down.

Hope this helps!
Thanks Barry. It'll have to wait till tomorrow but I'll let you know.

Steve = : ^ )
 
S

Steve B.

Barry Wainwright [MVP] said:
If that is not working, I don't know what else to do.

In office 2004 the rebuild engine is available as a separate application and
can be invoked manually, but that doesn't apply to your set up.

Try this:

(snip of possible way to force rebuild)

I was having another problem (Spotlight wouldn't open) and ran Disk Warrior,
as well as installing 10.4.3, and somewhere in there, the problem fixed
itself on the home computer.

Oddly, I didn't run DW on the work computer (which is the one with the real
problem), though did install 10.4.3, and it too allowed to me rebuild the
database, but just _once_. Now it's back to ignoring the option key during
boot. Weird.

I did the 'ordinary' rebuild and it didn't fix the problem, which is that E
quits every time I check the mail. It does this even if there is _no_ mail
in the mailbox, so isn't due to a corrupt email message.

Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance,
Steve = : ^ )
 

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