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New to Mac: Question about Microsoft office

M

mdwriggs

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Feb 5, 2010
12
0
My PC crashed and I decided to jump into the unknown and get a Mac.
YAY
Ok, when we bought it, I had them set it up and install Microsoft Office on it. I would like to use Entourage as my main email application.

On Tuesday I set it up and had it working with my email. Was sending and receiving with no issues.

I started to create contacts and had my mailbox starting to look how I wanted it.

I closed down the application a few times and started it up again with no trouble. Then last night I went to bed, shut down my computer and this morning when I booted up, I tried to access my email in Entourage.

It appeared like a new email and had to be reconfigured all over again. I lost all the emails I had replaced, the contact list was gone and it was like starting it for the first time. Why would this happen? I went into Accounts and mine wasn't listed. So I start again :(

I just want to avoid this in the future OR find the one I had on Tuesday so i don't have to put all my contacts back. I hadn't put them in the Mac address book yet, just in my entourage email application.

Now, the ONLY thing I can think of is that at one point *I can't remember if it was before or after I configured my entourage*, I moved my microsoft office folder from downloads to documents. Then I got nervous and moved it back. Could this have caused my trouble? I'd used the entourage since doing that but I hadn't powered down the system since doing it and I'm not sure if thats why that happened.

Anyone? I know this is probably a silly question but its like learning to ride a bike all over again. I'm just lucky Adobe sent my my Photoshop quickly. Thats another ball of wax I'm dealing with...... although it is working so I should just stop complaining.

Anyways, any help with why or how to avoid this problem with my mail?
I've powered down twice today to "see" if it was going to happen again and it didn't.

Michelle
 
mdwriggs said:
Ok, when we bought it, I had them set it up and install Microsoft Office on it. I would like to use Entourage as my main email application.


Now, the ONLY thing I can think of is that at one point *I can't remember if it was before or after I configured my entourage*, I moved my microsoft office folder from downloads to documents. Then I got nervous and moved it back. Could this have caused my trouble? I'd used the entourage since doing that but I hadn't powered down the system since doing it and I'm not sure if thats why that happened.
Click to expand...

Howdy, Michelle. Welcome to the Mac universe.

Whoever installed MS Office must not have done so properly. Was it an Apple store? They should know better. If any other store/shop installed it, then there may be a problem, and not just with Entourage. Can you verify who installed the programs?

The normal installation of any Mac program puts that program into the Applications folder, by default, never in the Download folder nor Documents folder. Anywhere else, and you will have trouble updating it, difficulty troubleshooting, and even some of the problems you experienced.

 
Thank you for the quick replies.

I see it in my applications too. I don't really know what I'm doing here.

I wasn't with my husband. He bought it from a Future Shop and paid to have them install it.

If I go into my applications: There is a microsoft office folder so I think they did put it there.
But if I look in my documents, there is a folder there called "microsoft user data". This is the folder I moved FROM documents TO downloads. Then moved it back because I thought I shouldn't be so compulsive about keeping things organized where I want them. After I moved it back *thinking I shouldn't move things*, I used entourage again and it created another folder in the same place, called the same thing. Now i have two. My head is spinning.

Does this make any sense?
 
Yes, it does make sense. That Microsoft User Data folder is generated by the first Office program you run, then files are added to that folder when you run the others. I suspect the second folder was actually created when the other folder was AWOL. Office apps are probably using the most recently created one. Do "Get Info" on both, and move the older one out onto your Desktop. When you're sure the Office apps are behaving, you can delete the extra folder. Also, change the folder you leave behind to another color using Label from the File menu. This will tell you right away, if another new one is made, which one is the older one.
 
Thank you. I will do that. Makes sense. Will have to make stickee note to remind myself NOT to move things.
 
ACKK!!
Ok, I seperated them the other day. I put the one i thought I would end up deleting on my desktop and the other one in my documents where it was recreated....

How do I know which one it needs and which one it doesn't?I went into the get info and it says it was last modified today...both of them.
 
Do both contain the same items? That might be a clue. If one has an item for something you haven't used in three days, that's the older one.
 
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