RHD Remove Hidden Data

R

REDataAdmin

Subject: Why did the Remove Hidden Data start showing launch error
8/11/2006 6:23 PM PST

By: REDataAdmin In: microsoft.public.word.application.errors


,Installed rhdtool.exe several months ago - worked great till yesterday - "An
error occurred while trying to launch the hidden data removal tool. Try
reinstalling" appears when MS Word is started. Took it out and put it back,
deleted it and downloaded a new copy. Any ideas? It is great for the resumes
I have needed to send over the last year.
 
B

Beth Melton

Unfortunately it appears in the Hidden Data Removal utility they
treated all errors equally and the exact same error message is being
used for every error that is encountered. We've found uninstalling and
reinstalling seldom works and without a specific error message that
provides more insight as to what is actually happening, there's little
we can suggest if uninstalling and reinstalling doesn't rectify the
problem. :-(

If you're worried about the content of your resume then here's
basically what the RHD utility does:
- Turns on "Remove personal information from file properties on save"
under Tools/Options/Security
- Accepts all Track Changes: On the Reviewing toolbar and use Accept
All Changes in document)
- Check for Comments: On the Reviewing toolbar use Delete All Comments
in Document
- Checks for text formatted as Hidden: Turn on your nonprinting
characters (¶ in the standard toolbar) and see if there is any text
with a gray dotted underline
- Use File Save As and save the document using the same name or
another name. (This is in the event Fast Saves are used which doesn't
completely rewrite the document when you Save)

If you perform the above then essentially you're doing what the RHD
does. I think it also creates a new document which would be the same
as copy/paste everything into a new document but if you're using Word
2003 there isn't a much need for that as there was in previous
versions. (There used to be some additional metadata stored in the
binary such as author, file locations, previous file names, etc) Using
File/Save As should be enough.

As an additional note, the Office 2007 applications have this
functionality built-in and can be found under the Office Start
Button/Finish/Inspect Document.

Please post all follow-up questions to the newsgroup. Requests for
assistance by email can not be acknowledged.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Beth Melton
Microsoft Office MVP

Office 2007 Preview Site:
http://www.microsoft.com/office/preview/default.mspx
Office 2007 Community Articles/Tutorials:
http://www.microsoft.com/office/preview/community/article_archive.mspx

TechTrax eZine: http://mousetrax.com/techtrax/
MVP FAQ site: http://mvps.org/
 
R

REDataAdmin

Thanks, knowing what I need to clear before distributing a document is
helpful. I'd missed those privacy options under Tools - Options Security -
Privacy Options. Thanks again.
 
B

Beth Melton

You're welcome. Sorry I couldn't help you get the RHD utility to work.

FWIW it, and another add-in from MS, won't work on my computer either
and I've given up trying to resolve the issues for either add-in.
Normally I'm not one to give up but hey, if you can't get your
questions answered then it becomes pointless.

Please post all follow-up questions to the newsgroup. Requests for
assistance by email can not be acknowledged.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Beth Melton
Microsoft Office MVP

Office 2007 Preview Site:
http://www.microsoft.com/office/preview/default.mspx
Office 2007 Community Articles/Tutorials:
http://www.microsoft.com/office/preview/community/article_archive.mspx

TechTrax eZine: http://mousetrax.com/techtrax/
MVP FAQ site: http://mvps.org/
 
E

elongp

My thanks for the details, too. I created a procedures doc and sent to the
users who received this error. I tried several different "solutions" with no
luck. At least these steps let them still clean up the docs!

Thanks,
Desktop Support in Austin, TX
 
G

Gary

Have the Remove Hidden Data error box that says, "An error occurred while
trying to launch the Remove Hidden Data Tool. Try reinstalling." but to the
best of my knowledge I haven't changed anything in my Word tools, options,
etc. I haven't downloaded anything, either. Does the "try reinstalling"
message mean I should try reinstalling Word? I don't know why this message
appears when I open Word. When my wife opens Word, she doesn't get the error
message.

Thanks.
 

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