Several users are experiencing problems installing the new Office 2007 Service Pack 2 (SP2) update, which was released earlier this week. Users are sometimes presented simply with the message “updates failed” or “The installation of this package has failed.”
Fixes
- Install the Microsoft Office System Update Download and install this file from Microsoft. It contains fixes for issues that can prevent the installation of Office 2007 updates. Next, re-attempt installation or move on the the following fixes.
- Try Windows Update If you manually downloaded the Office 2007 SP2 installation package initially, try downloading and installing the update through Windows Update instead.
- Re-download the installation file Microsoft’s servers have had issues delivering the Office 2007 SP2 installation package. When downloading Office 2007 SP2, ensure that the file size is 290MB. If it is smaller, you may have a corrupt, unusable file. Try re-downloading the file.
- Use the Windows XP or 2003 hotfix If you are running Windows XP or 2003, try using this hotfix from Microsoft that solves an issue with large installation files
Filed under Office 2007, Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP by on Apr 30th, 2009. 15 Comments. 
Microsoft has announced that it will post a downloadable beta of the Windows XP Mode tool for Windows 7 alongside the public release candidate on May 5th. The releases will be available from the Microsoft download center.
Filed under News, Windows 7, Windows XP by on Apr 30th, 2009. Comment.
If your system suddenly slows dramatically or stalls altogether, with a spike in processor usage from the task “searchprotocolhost.exe,” you may want to try disabling the Windows Search service. Follow these steps:
Note that this will disable some search services, but for most users, the sometimes dramatic speed increase is worth it.
Filed under Windows Vista, Windows XP by on Apr 29th, 2009. Comment.
Microsoft today released a slew of details regarding Windows 7′s XP Mode, which allows applications to run under a virtual Windows XP machine. According to the new details, XP Mode will require:
- 2GB of memory
- 15 GB of additional disk space
- a PC with Intel-VT or AMD-V enabled in the CPU
The first two requirements are easy enough to figure out, but many users aren’t sure whether or not their processors have the necessary virtualization capabilities (Intel-VT or AMD-V). Fortunately, there’s an easy way to find out.
Download and install, and run the tool SecurAble. If the program displays a “Yes” for hardware virtualization, as depicted in the image below, your system can probably run Windows 7′s XP Mode.
Filed under Windows 7, Windows XP by on Apr 29th, 2009. 1 Comment.
Earlier today, Microsoft released Service Pack 2 for Office 2007 (see our previous coverage for a list of what’s new). Users are experiencing a range of issues with the update, ranging from minor to major.
Problems and fixes
Corrupt downloads/will not install Some users appear to be getting corrupt or otherwise problematic download files. When downloading Office 2007 SP2, ensure that the file size is 290MB. If it is smaller, you may have a corrupt, unusable file. Here, again, are the officialdownload links. You might also try this link.
Outlook won’t launch Office 2007 SP2 has broken Outlook for a number of users, who are unable to launch the program after the update. This may be due to Outlook add-ons or newly incompatible Outlook connectors. Try removing any Outlook add-ons then re-launching.
A temporary fix for this issue, if the aforementioned doesn’t work, is to open the Office folder and find the Outlook .exe file. Right-click it and select “Run as Administrator.”
Exchange connectivity Some users have lost Exchange server connectivity after this update. We are continuing to investigate this issue.
Uninstalling the update If you are having serious problems after installing Office 2007 SP2 and wish to remove the update, note that this is the first service pack to support uninstall of client patches through both the command line and the use of the Microsoft Service Pack Uninstall Tool, which you can download here.
Filed under Office 2007, Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP by on Apr 28th, 2009. Comment.
Microsoft today released Office 2007 SP2, the latest edition of the company’s productivitiy suite. The new release is cumulative, meaning that it includes fixes included in Office 2007 SP1 and other public updates, security updates and hotfixes that were issued through February 2009.
The new release can be downloaded here.
What’s New Among the major enhancements in this release:
- Word improved .pdf and .xps output; better integration/performance with Outlook
- Excel: improves the charting mechanism (better parity with Office 2003, improved robustness, and targeted performance improvements); adds a chart object model to Word and to PowerPoint
- Outlook Speed boosts, including faster startup, shutdown, and switching between folders; better search reliability; fewer duplicate RSS items
- PowerPoint faster file resaves; better .jpeg, .png and .gif image quality; fixes several printer-specific problems.
- Speed improves application performance when many graphic objects are present, especially for Excel 2007
- Miscellaneous OpenDocument Format (ODF) support: “SP2 lets you open, edit, and save documents in version 1.1 of the ODF for Word, for Excel, and for PowerPoint. Users of these Office programs can now open, edit, and save files in the OpenDocument Text (*.odt), OpenDocument Spreadsheet (*.ods), and OpenDocument Presentations (*.odp) formats.”; built-in “Save As PDF/XPS” support
If you are having any problems after the update, please let us know.
Filed under News, Office 2007, Windows Vista, Windows XP by on Apr 28th, 2009. 1 Comment.
If various games and other applications quit immediately after launch, a simple system setting may be to blame. Toggling the setting, which may be automatically done by some driver updates, resolves the issue in many instances.
Fix
Open the control panel. Next, go to Hardware and Sound>Sound. In the recording tab, enable Stereo Mix.
Filed under Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP by on Apr 23rd, 2009. Comment.
Several users have encountered a problem in which, after updating to Windows XP SP3, the system will not boot.
Fixes
The first step in fixing this problem is to boot in safe mode. To do this, tap the F8 key on your keyboard repeatedly as the computer is starting up). Select a method of safe booting from the menu (first try with networking; if the crash still occurs, try without networking).
Next, try removing any external devices from your computer and restarting normally (not in safe mode). If the system boots normally, either remove the offending device(s) or try installing updated drivers (usually available from manufacturers’ web sites) before re-attaching them. If the system does not boot properly, startup in safe mode again.
Next try applying any updated drivers for your system while booted in safe mode. Check the website of your computer’s manufacturer for any new releases. Try booting normally (not in safe mode). In particular, some HP systems need a specific driver — available here — to work properly with Windows XP SP3.
If that fails, startup in safe mode again.
As a last resort, remove Windows XP SP3 per the instructions in this Microsoft document.
Filed under Windows XP by on Apr 23rd, 2009. Comment.
Many freezes under various versions of Windows are the result of problematic third-party system services. Forget registry cleaners and other paid tools for “cleaning out” your system; a simple procedure can get you back to the basics and, likely, freeze-free. From that point, you can add back the services you desire and check for continued system stability.
Follow these steps:
- Click the Start button and type MSCONFIG then press enter in Windows Vista and Windows 7 (in Windows XP, click the Start button, then click “Run” and type MSCONFIG then press enter)
- Go to the startup tab
- Uncheck any third-party and nonessential startup items. Click to select the Hide All Microsoft Services check box, then click Disable All, and then click OK. Apply the changes and press OK, then restart the system if it does not happen automatically.
- If the problem not occur, go back to MSCONFIG and start re-enabling items in groups. Enable a few items, then restart and check to see if the problem. If it does disable some of those items then restart again. Keep enabling items until you find the culprit, then leave that service turned off permanently or uninstall it.
Filed under Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP by on Apr 22nd, 2009. 1 Comment.
Several users have experienced an issue in which Windows XP fails to properly boot when external disks (either USB or FireWire) are attached. Generally, when this problem occurs, the system will hang at the Windows splash screen, forcing a restart. Disconnecting the drive(s) resolves the issue.
Fixes
Disable the 1394 Network Adapter If you are experiencing this issue with a drive that is connected via FireWire, try disabling the 1394 Network Adapter. This can be accomplished by going to the control panel, then selecting network connections. Right-click on the 1394 connection and select “Disable.”
Lower offending drive’s boot priority Enter your system’s BIOS mode. This is accomplished by pressing a specific key repeatedly as soon as your computer is turned on (or right after it is restarted). For many computers, the key is F8, but it may be F1, F2, F10, the Delete (del) key or the Escape (ESC) key. Consult your computer or motherboard’s manual or try different keys until you find the right one.
Next, find the boot priority (or boot sequence) screen–generally located in “storage” or a similar section–and lower the priority of the external drive that is causing the problem.
Switch connections If your computer has both USB and FireWire ports, and your drive support both USB and FireWire, try switching from one connection method to the other.
Apply Microsoft’s hotfix Microsoft supplies a hotfix for this issue as it affects FireWire drives, though not all users have experienced success.
Filed under Windows XP by on Apr 21st, 2009. Comment.