Troubles with file version in mixed environments: how to disable this function?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Ciegalo
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Ciegalo

Dear all,
I've recently switched to Vista in my company, yet all of my
colleagues remain on XP. I'm having quite a lot of troubles with
automatic file versions. For instance, we are sharing an excel file
that is used as database for a fusion in Word. It used to work
perfectly until I realise that Word "sees" an old version of the Excel
file, without my latest additions.

I've had similar troubles with ini files that I edit (enven as admin)
and that my software "does not see".

Any idea how to disable this function ? I'm on Win Vista Pro (French)
+ Office 07. Probably not "full admin"...

Thanks in advance for your help...

BR,
Damien
 
Hi, Damien.

In a mixed environment - mixed between x64 and x86, either Vista or WinXP or
both - the new "Program Files (x86)" might be causing some confusion.
Possible serious confusion! Caused by Microsoft. :>(

Why couldn't they have simply used a new folder called "Program Files (x64)"
for new 64-bit applications? Then we could have continued to use the old PF
for 32-bit programs, in both x64 and x86 versions of Windows. But, no, they
decided that new 64-bit apps would use the familiar Program Files in x64
systems, and that 32-bit programs would be relegated to the new "Program
Files (x86)".

That created some confusion in pure-x64 systems. I saw no explanation of
this change when I first installed WinXP x64 about 3 years ago, and I
assumed that, since the new folder first appeared in WinXP x64 that it
should be used for 64-bit apps. It was several months before I learned what
"x86" meant, and by that time, I had installed several 32-bit programs into
that new folder. :>(

I've been dual-booting since Win95/NT4. To make it easy (or at least
possible) to share apps between the two operating systems, I installed all
apps into a "neutral" drive that did not have any OS installed on it: my
Drive E:. So MS Office was installed by Win95 into E:\Program Files; WinNT4
also installed MS Office into the same E:\Program Files. I could boot into
either OS and run the same apps, with the same user preferences, on the same
documents.

Now, though, dual-booting between 32-bit and 64-bit WinXP/Vista is a pain!
Vista x86 expects Office to be in E:\PF. Vista x64 expects it to be in
E:\PFx86, since Office is still 32-bit only. I can, of course, have Vista
x64 install Office into PF, but I'm not sure what DLLs and related support
files it installs along with the main executable. I've been told that there
IS a difference, and that's why it's important to use the PFx86 folder for
32-bit Office.

So far as I can tell, this is not a problem with mixed WinXP Pro/Vista x86
(32-bit only) environments (and probably not with WinXP x64/Vista x64
environments). But it can be a serious problem in mixed x86/x64
environments with either WinXP or Vista or both.

RC
--
R. C. White, CPA
San Marcos, TX
(e-mail address removed)
Microsoft Windows MVP
(Running Windows Live Mail beta 2 in Vista Ultimate x64 SP1 beta v.275)
 
Hi, Damien.

In a mixed environment - mixed between x64 and x86, either Vista or WinXP or
both - the new "Program Files (x86)" might be causing some confusion.
Possible serious confusion! Caused by Microsoft. :>(
Click to expand...

Hi,
Thanks for your reply. however, I should have been clearer on what I
meant by "mixed" ;) I'm on a 32bits Vista, as our head of IT does not
want to risk any troubles with drivers. By "mixed" I meant I'm working
on Vista/Office 07 and the rest of the company is mostly on XP/Office
2k or 03.

And I get those file version troubles even on my own machine :)

Some people on other boards told me about the "roaming" directory for
files in Program Files, yet this does not solve the problem for share
network drives...

Any hint ?

BR,
Damien
 
Hi, Damien.
Any hint ?
Click to expand...

Nope. Sorry, but I'm just one guy with one computer. I don't nuthin 'bout
no networks. Didn't even know anything about permissions until Vista's UAC
forced me to learn a little about them. But my learning has not yet
included "roaming".

But a lot of folks here know a lot about those things, so someone will
probably be along soon to give you some ideas. Or you might want to try
some of the many Office newsgroups.

RC
--
R. C. White, CPA
San Marcos, TX
(e-mail address removed)
Microsoft Windows MVP
(Running Windows Live Mail beta 2 in Vista Ultimate x64 SP1 beta v.275)
 
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