Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac 11.2.3 Update

After you install this update, you can use Mac OS X Sync Services and Spotlight searches to sync and find Entourage items, use smart cards with Entourage 2004, and enjoy improved overall security and stability when using Microsoft Word 2004, Excel 2004, PowerPoint 2004, and Entourage 2004. This update also includes all of the improvements released in all previous Office 2004 updates.

System requirements

To install this update, your computer must meet the following minimum requirements:

Processor: Mac OS X-compatible processor that is a model G3 or a later model
Operating system: Mac OS X 10.2.8 (Jaguar) or a later version of Mac OS; Mac OS X 10.4.3 (Tiger) or a later version is required to use all features
Memory: 256 MB of RAM

Note   To verify that your computer meets these minimum requirements, on the Apple menu, click About This Mac, and then click More Info.

Before you install this update
This update fixes a synchronization issue in versions of Microsoft Entourage that were updated with Office 2004 SP2 (11.2.0). The issue might cause data loss when Entourage attempts to synchronize with an Exchange mailbox that was moved to a different Exchange server (by your system administrator, for example). Without this update, folders might appear to be duplicated, and messages, events, and contacts might be deleted the first time Entourage attempts to synchronize with the moved mailbox.

Important note about Exchange mailbox synchronization   If you notice that your mailbox contains duplicate folders or is missing messages, events, or contacts, your mailbox might be affected. Quit Entourage immediately and do not install this update or open Entourage again until after you read Knowledge Base (KB) article KB 909574 on the Microsoft Web site at http://support.microsoft.com/, which contains specific instructions for this situation. In addition, contact your system administrator for assistance. If you do not have these issues in your Exchange mailbox, you can install the update now.

Improvements

The improvements described below fix numerous security and stability issues in Office 2004.

Improvements for Word 2004

• Custom line number styles work correctly with change tracking
  This update fixes an issue that caused Word to stop responding and display the error message "The formatting in this document is too complex. Please full save the document now."  This issue occurred if you used a custom line number style and change tracking at the same time.
• "Date" and "Number" Text Form fields handle valid input correctly
  This update fixes an issue that caused Word to improperly handle valid input into Text Form fields of type "Date" or "Number."
• Full-width number characters that use Hiragino fonts display and print correctly
  This update fixes an issue that caused full-width number characters that use Hiragino fonts to appear as half-width characters and align incorrectly. This issue affects only versions of Word that are registered for use with Japanese.

Improvements for Excel 2004

• Security is improved
  This update addresses a vulnerability in Excel 2004 that could enable an attacker to use a modified workbook file to overwrite the contents of your computer's memory with malicious code.

Improvements for PowerPoint 2004

• Stability is improved when saving presentations
  This update fixes several issues that caused PowerPoint to quit unexpectedly, lose data, or display error messages while attempting to save presentations. The following cases are addressed by this update:
  • The presentation contains, in some cases, unreadable or corrupt data.
  • The presentation contains slides that have been inserted from another presentation with a different master slide layout.
  • The presentation file is being scanned by another program, such as Spotlight or an antivirus program, when you try to save, causing PowerPoint to display the error message "There was an error accessing the file" instead of saving the file.

Improvements for Entourage 2004

• Entourage syncs with Mac OS X Sync Services
  Users of Mac OS X 10.4.3 or later versions of Mac OS can synchronize Entourage items with other programs, such as Address Book and iCal. You can also synchronize items with other Macintosh computers via Apple's .Mac online services, and with portable devices, such as phones and personal digital assistants (PDAs), that are compatible with iSync. Entourage can synchronize contacts, events, tasks, and notes through Sync Services. For more information about using Entourage with Sync Services, see Entourage Help. For more information about Sync Services, see Mac Help.
• You can use Spotlight to search Entourage items
  Users of Mac OS X 10.4 or later versions of Mac OS can use Spotlight to search Entourage items. You can use Spotlight to index all unencrypted Entourage items and search their contents. To use this feature, make sure that Spotlight is turned on for the volume where you store Entourage items. To install the latest version of Mac OS X 10.4, click Software Update on the Apple menu. For more information on how to configure Entourage for Spotlight searches, see Entourage Help. For more information about Spotlight, see Mac Help.
• Entourage can use smart cards to sign, encrypt, and decrypt e-mail messages
  For users of Mac OS X 10.4.2 or later versions of Mac OS, this update provides improved compatibility with Mac OS keychain support for smart cards, such as Common Access Cards. As a result, Entourage can use certificates and private keys stored on smart cards to sign, encrypt, and decrypt Entourage e-mail messages. This update also improves S/MIME certificate support.
• SSL connections to Mac OS X 10.4 servers work correctly
  Entourage and other Office programs are more compatible with self-signed certificates, which are used to establish secure (SSL) connections to servers running Mac OS X 10.4 Server.
• Calendar lists print correctly
  This update fixes an issue that caused Entourage to quit unexpectedly when printing some calendars if you used the Calendar List print option. The issue occurred if the week following the week being printed had an all-day event on its first day (for example, if Sunday was set as the first day of the week, and an all-day event was scheduled for the Sunday following the week being printed). You can select the day that you want to appear as the first day of the week in the Calendar section of Entourage preferences.
• Meeting invitations, cancellations, and reminders work correctly
  This update fixes the following issues that affect how Entourage handles meeting invitations, cancellations, and reminders.
  • Duplicate events are no longer created when you accept updated meeting invitations.
  • Meeting invitations that are automatically accepted upon receipt register correctly as "tentative" instead of "busy" on the Entourage calendar.
  • Changes made to one instance of a recurring event affect only that instance.
  • Recurring events that include exceptions, such as cancelled or rescheduled events, no longer show reminders for past event dates.
  • Recurring events that include a cancelled event are processed and synchronized correctly for users of Exchange Server accounts.
  • Entourage prompts you to send updates to attendees when you change the length of a meeting.
  • Entourage handles improperly formatted or malformed iCal/vCal meeting invitations correctly.
  • Entourage correctly displays free/busy schedule information when a delegate schedules meetings.
  • Meeting invitations sent with the Show time as option set to "Free" appear correctly on the recipient's calendar upon receipt.

Previously released improvements included in this update

This update includes all of the improvements released in all previous Office 2004 updates. For information about improvements in a previous update, see the update's Read Me file.

• KB 883951 - Office 2004 Service Pack 1 Read Me
• KB 915054 - Office 2004 11.1.1 Update Read Me
• KB 915055 - Office 2004 Service Pack 2 Read Me
• KB 915056 - Office 2004 11.2.1 Update Read Me

More information

If you have technical questions or problems downloading or using this update, visit the Microsoft Support page at www.microsoft.com/mac/support to learn about the support options that are available to you.