I'd like to add another voice to the many that praise your magazine - thankyou. My problem is in Microsoft Office programs Word and Excel Version 7 for Windows 95. Whenever I am composing a document or entering data in a spreadsheet, the "Save As" dialogue box keeps appearing. It is quite frustrating having to cancel the dialogue box every 2-3 characters that I type.
I have reinstalled the entire Office suite twice with no improvement and I am at a loss as to what I should do next.
- Murray McCracken
Murray, there is a nasty virus going around called the Word macro virus or "Concept virus". It affects Microsoft Word and Excel documents by embedding a macro in the "normal.dot" template.
Briefly, Word macros have an auto run feature which allows Word basic commands to be run if certain conditions are met. These conditions vary from one variation of the virus to another. Your situation indicates that you may have the Concept virus in some form.
So how do you fix it? Most recent releases of popular anti-virus software can detect and disinfect the Concept virus. If you do not have an anti-virus program then you can try F-Prot shareware anti-virus. Download it from: ftp://ftp.europe.datafellows.com/f-prot/free/.
F-Prot has a utility called f-macrow.exe that will remove the Concept virus.
In order to remove MS Office or any other applications from Windows or Windows 95 and install a completely fresh version, you must also remove any associated .ini files or registry entries. Then make sure all the application files are removed, or at least moved from the install directory.
Most programs when reinstalled will attempt to gather information from previously installed versions. This is why when you reinstall MS Office you get your old preferences.
- Matthew Holt
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Category: Word processing, Viruses
Issue: Feb 1997
Pages: 158-159
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Intruding dialogue box