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TICKET ARCHIVE -> Office 2008 - error with database

doronkatz - Feb 2, 2008 - 4:54 am

Hiya,

I have this naggling problem with Office 2008 for the Mac. Ever since I have installed Office 2008, I keep on getting the "There is a problem with Office database error" before opening word each time, or Excel or any Office app.

With Entourage, I cannot open it at all, because I try to launch the app, I get a "Could not change to that Identity -unknown error (-5000) occurred" error and then the program goes to the identity panel and that's it. Entourage crashes.

When I delete the Documents/Microsoft Data folders, still the same error occurs, and when I run the database utility program included, and go to repair, nothing happens, the utility is still open but I dont see any of the options visible, nor any progress with anything.

This is a very strange error, and even when I uninstall and install Office again (going through the proper uninstall app and then Appzapper to zap any plist or any files associated with it, I get the same error"

Heres bowing down to anyone that can figure this one out.
Thanks!

DeltaMac - Feb 2, 2008 - 7:18 am

The installer for Office 2008 has a known issue, and Microsoft has provided this work-around:

Launch the Terminal application from the /Applications/Utilities folder

Type the following command as one line and press return:
/usr/bin/sudo /usr/sbin/chown -h -R root:admin "/Applications/Microsoft Office 2008" "/Library/Automator" "/Library/Fonts/Microsoft" "/Library/Application Support/Microsoft"

Enter administrator password when prompted

The problem with the Office installer - it changes certain files to a different owner. Reinstalling doesn't help (as you have seen.) and repairing permissions doesn't help, either. Microsoft should be releasing a more formal fix, but in the meantime, that terminal fix should be good.
- Dale

doronkatz - Feb 2, 2008 - 7:28 am

Hi Dale, I have done what you have said and entered in terminal exactly the script you have given me, and it had prompted for the password and it seemed to have accepted it, terminal-wise.

Unfortunately, it hasnt done anything for either of the two problems, it still has the entourage problem of error unknown, and the database problem with Word etc.

Thanks mate,

DeltaMac - Feb 3, 2008 - 6:10 am

Microsoft has a support article about the workaround that I showed you. There's more to that fix. I can't find the source for the information, but it's somewhere at the MS site. Try searching for 'Office 2008 installer problem'

- Dale

doronkatz - Feb 5, 2008 - 2:31 pm

Yeah ive looked around everywhere, got your script again from other sources, and other scripts and still get the same exact error. I am not sure if some part of my file system has been contaminated with an old Office or something even though i have removed all traces of them supposedly.

Oh well