Office XP failure

  • Thread starter Thread starter Gerry
  • Start date Start date
G

Gerry

Suffered a close lightening strike. Fried cable modem (hi speed) router,
10/100 Ethernet LAN card.

replaced modem--LAN card--back on line. Office XP in not functional, say's
to install Office XP CD but get an error message "windows installer not
etc". Office XP cannot be uninstalled. Installed trial version of Goggle
spreadsheet but get exact same message as Office XP.
Something about Office XP pro activation wizard. signiacant change to system
blah blah please insert Office xp disk in drive but then get the windows
installer message and get not further. I downloaded a fresh copy of the
windows installer but it will not install. I have three important
spreadsheets in Office XP.

Can anyone suggest a solution?

regards

gerry
 
Gerry said:
Suffered a close lightening strike. Fried cable modem (hi speed)
router, 10/100 Ethernet LAN card.
Click to expand...

Ouch. Get a good UPS so this can't happen again...
replaced modem--LAN card--back on line. Office XP in not functional,
say's to install Office XP CD but get an error message "windows
installer not etc". Office XP cannot be uninstalled. Installed trial
version of Goggle spreadsheet but get exact same message as Office XP.
Something about Office XP pro activation wizard. signiacant change to
system blah blah please insert Office xp disk in drive but then get
the windows installer message and get not further. I downloaded a
fresh copy of the windows installer but it will not install. I have
three important spreadsheets in Office XP.

Can anyone suggest a solution?

regards

gerry
Click to expand...

Try downloading the Windows Installer Cleanup Utility - and remove the
Office XP stuff. You'll need to have your installation media handy in order
to reinstall XP, but it should work. And Office XP doesn't require
activation, AFAIK. That didn't start til Office 2003.

If this doesn't help, try posting in a group for MS Office issues.....
 
"Lanwench [MVP - Exchange]"
Ouch. Get a good UPS so this can't happen again...
Click to expand...

UPS won't necessarily stop components like the router being fried - most
UPS's are for power CUTS not power SURGES....
 
Gordon said:
"Lanwench [MVP - Exchange]"
Ouch. Get a good UPS so this can't happen again...
Click to expand...

UPS won't necessarily stop components like the router being fried -
most UPS's are for power CUTS not power SURGES....
Click to expand...

Not so; a good UPS will do power conditioning, which will indeed protect you
against a surge/spike.
 
Your damage (path of that surge) means it was a direct strike.
Electronics contain internal protection. Surge path was through
interfaces that have particularly high protection voltages - thousands
of volts.

Surges typically don't damage software. Installer is a program in
Windows. Is the installer defective or do you still have other
failures? Don't try to fix anything yet. Get useful facts such as
error reports found in system (event) logs. Windows will work around
problems and store errors in a log - so that you can solve hardware
problems later. However if you reload windows, then useful facts are
destroyed.

What does Device Manager report?

You failure is also why responsible computer manufacturers provide
hardware diagnostics, for free, both on disk and on their web site.
Did you run those comprehensive hardware diagnostics to learn what
else may be damaged; what else windows is working around to keep
functioning?

From a limited description, it is not apparent where software would
go to get activated. For example, if you replaced modem with one
completely different, or if you installed the new modem without first
uninstalling the original, or if activiation software is looking for a
modem on a completely different COMx port, or .... well speculation
can procede forever. And still we don't even know is existing
hardware is functional. We must speculate because even the above
basic information is not supplied.

Establish baseline facts. Some sources of those facts are listed
above. You suffered a direct strike to have that damage. Software is
not changed by surges. Something probably has changed or is still
defective in hardware. Other possiblities should not even be
considered until hardware integrity is first established.
 
On Jun 27, 2:17 pm, "Lanwench [MVP - Exchange]"
Not so; a good UPS will do power conditioning, which will indeed protect you
against a surge/spike.
Click to expand...

Well let's look at the conditioned power from this UPS. When in
battery backup mode, 120 VAC electricity is two 200 volt square waves
with a spike of up to 270 volts between those square waves. This is a
120 volt sine wave? This is conditioned power? Well it is called a
'modified sine wave'. Therefore the naive 'assume' it is conditioned
power.

Why is that power so 'dirty'? So dirty as to even damage some small
electric motors. Because computers are so robust - contain internal
protection - as to make 'dirty' electricity from "computer grade UPS"
irrelevant.

Meanwhile, when not in battery backup mode, the UPS outputs
substantially 'cleaner' electricity. Why? When not in battery backup
mode, a typical plug-in UPS connects computer directly to AC mains.
It's called a relay. It connects computer either to AC mains
('cleaner' electricity) or it connects computer to battery (modified
sine wave). One could say it does condition electricity; conditions
it to be 'dirtier'.

Don't take my word for it. Post numerical specifications for that
UPS. Don't waste time with half truths from color glossies. Only
facts with merit are numbers in the long list of specs. Where are
numerical specs for rumored 'power conditioning'?
 
w_tom said:
On Jun 27, 2:17 pm, "Lanwench [MVP - Exchange]"
Not so; a good UPS will do power conditioning, which will indeed
protect you against a surge/spike.
Click to expand...

Well let's look at the conditioned power from this UPS. When in
battery backup mode, 120 VAC electricity is two 200 volt square waves
with a spike of up to 270 volts between those square waves. This is a
120 volt sine wave? This is conditioned power? Well it is called a
'modified sine wave'. Therefore the naive 'assume' it is conditioned
power.

Why is that power so 'dirty'? So dirty as to even damage some small
electric motors. Because computers are so robust - contain internal
protection - as to make 'dirty' electricity from "computer grade UPS"
irrelevant.

Meanwhile, when not in battery backup mode, the UPS outputs
substantially 'cleaner' electricity. Why? When not in battery backup
mode, a typical plug-in UPS connects computer directly to AC mains.
It's called a relay. It connects computer either to AC mains
('cleaner' electricity) or it connects computer to battery (modified
sine wave). One could say it does condition electricity; conditions
it to be 'dirtier'.

Don't take my word for it. Post numerical specifications for that
UPS. Don't waste time with half truths from color glossies. Only
facts with merit are numbers in the long list of specs. Where are
numerical specs for rumored 'power conditioning'?
Click to expand...

Wow - you're right. I just checked, and yours is indeed much bigger than
mine.

I won't pretend that electrical engineering is my area of expertise, but I
use APC SmartUPS units and have never had a problem.
 
Back
Top