24 replies to this topic

[Peter1]

Hello I recently had a problem with Word 2003 where a large box appeared with a lot of information regarding macros and other terms unfamiliar to me. No matter what I clicked this isue would not go away. I have read that in security I should have the setting on high which I do and did at he the time. There is another tab that has to do with trusted publishers and it is checked where it says, " trust all...." Is it correct to tic this trust all tab? Is there any suggestion that might explain why, just typing in a word file would cause this warning box to appea?. if I could supply more information I would but there were so many words in the box I cannot recall them.

[Doug]

Hey GrampyPete,
You may or may not have downloaded a file that contains Macros.
Macros are not bad in-and-of-themselves and provide a method for handling text in special ways.
However, macros "can" be infected and communicate the infection further into your system.

If you used a Macro, for instance as add-on to Save File as PDF, then your MS Word 2003 will always alert you to the existence of the Macro.
But then, you would know it was safe and intentional on your part.

If you downloaded a document that utilizes Macros for special treatment of text, MS Word will alert you to its existence.
It may or may not be a bad-guy.

Word 2003

When activated, the macro protection tool in Word 2003 will allow you to configure Word macro behavior. To activate the tool:

1. From the Tools menu, select Macro, and then Security... .

2. In the resulting window, click the Security Level tab.

3. Choose one of the following security levels:

* Select Very High to allow only macros installed in trusted locations to run. Any other macros, signed or unsigned, are disabled. (This setting is available only in Word 2003.)
* Select High to allow only signed macros to run.
* Select Medium to be prompted to run macros.
* Select Low to run all macros.

Now, with the tool activated, if you load a suspect file, Word will warn you that the document contains macros and will ask you what to do about them. You can select Disable Macros to avoid infection from a file containing a macro virus.

Note: If you close the file and reopen it, or if you open an additional file with macros, you will get the same warning, and you must select Disable Macros again.

Have you installed Adobe Acrobat?
Have you installed Nitro PDF converter?
Have you used any method for converting .doc to .pdf?

Most likely, you have downloaded a document that contains Macros.
As I stated earlier, that is not necessarily a bad thing and can help display text as intended by the author.
You get the Alert, just as a "heads-up" that a macro is present.

Most email clients will not allow Macros to be embedded in attached files, so you "probably" did not get it from an email.
Unless of course, you did allow it, because you trusted the sources.

Please remember that even close relatives and friends may have inadvertently become infected with an infected Macro and then pass it along to you.
Just because you may trust your friends and relatives does not mean that documents you share with them may not be infected.

The alert is "most likely" associated with one specific document, that uses a template PDMmaker.dot <-- you would find this in C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\OFFICE11\STARTUP

Use your onboard virus and spyware scans in safe mode, to scan the file or the folder in which the file resides.
If you continue to have difficulty, post to Malware Removal. We can follow-up after you get the "all clear", if necessary.

[Peter1]

Hello Doug I used Macrium and imaged/recovered my system and all is o.k. now. I tried everything first First of all, should I tic "trust all" next to trusted publishers which is the tab next to the security level? It appears to be the default. I can't recall what caused this but I do copy and paste articles from online sites like this one to my folders which contain Word files. That is my way of referring to my learning folders. I also copy and paste content from online articles I read to Word documents. I had a horrendous incident just before this whereby my right palm slipped across the systray and although I only have one icon,the recycle bin on the desktop, I have about 4 items in the systray. Everything went all over the place and it took me forever to get it straight. In doing so I did a lot of 'fiddling' which may have contributed to the problem. I learned that unless you create a restore point, one is not created, because when I went to restore to a previous date I could not. I also ran the Word installation disc which said a file was missing but seemed to replace it. I run Secunia and it flags Adobe all the time. I do not know if I should use this program aat my level. I use the simple mode. So, should I tic that "trust all"? Thank you once again. Peter

[Doug]

Hello again Peter, Here are the settings that I've been using in Word 2003, for many years. Note: I do not use/allow addins or templates unless I construct them myself or have confirmed the trusted source.

[Peter1]

Yes, Doug, those are my defaults also and, if asked,I will respond as you have indicated you do. Thank you for the help.

[Peter1]

Hello again All was well until I did my weekly maintenance. This entails backing up to an external hard drive and using flash drives to back up sensitive data. I cleared the browsers etc. and %temp%. Norton detected nothing. The same problem has returned saying that "a change was made since installation and to see the macro high setting and the tab next to it." I have done what the dialogue box says but nothing works. I am using the same flash drives on the desktop and it is OK. I am 'hung' up in Word 2003 and can't resolve it. I ran repair but it did no good. I do not understand why my recovering an image made it work fine then,coincdentally, after maintenance the trouble began again.. Ideas would really help Thank you

[Doug]

Hello Peter, Let's have a look to see if there are any special "templates" currently loaded. In Windows Explorer (My Computer) please navigate to: C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\OFFICE11\STARTUP\ Please report any item in that STARTUP location (for instance: Normal.dot, PDFmaker.dot, Custom.dot, etc.) _____________________________- Next: Open MS Word 2003 From the Command Bar at the top, select - Tools - Templates and Add-ins The panel you now see should look similar to the graphic below: Unless you have constructed a custom Template and/or have downloaded a document requiring a custom template, your panel should be "empty". Please also check the tabs for: SML Schema - XML Expansion Packs - Linked CSS Each of the above "should" be empty. If not, please list what you find.

[Peter1]

Hello Peter,

Let's have a look to see if there are any special "templates" currently loaded.

In Windows Explorer (My Computer) please navigate to: C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\OFFICE11\STARTUP\
Please report any item in that STARTUP location (for instance: Normal.dot, PDFmaker.dot, Custom.dot, etc.)
_____________________________-

Next:
Open MS Word 2003
From the Command Bar at the top, select - Tools - Templates and Add-ins
The panel you now see should look similar to the graphic below:


Unless you have constructed a custom Template and/or have downloaded a document requiring a custom template, your panel should be "empty".

Please also check the tabs for: SML Schema - XML Expansion Packs - Linked CSS

Each of the above "should" be empty.
If not, please list what you find.

>>Thank you for jumping in,Doug, really.
All you said to do was clean - there was nothing there.

[Peter1]

I did a recovery of an image of 6/20 and Word words like it did with the last recovery, with no problem. I quickly went ofline so no programs or updates could be installed. Last time, after the recovery, something happened to taint Word.

[Peter1]

I did a recovery of an image of 6/20 and Word words like it did with the last recovery, with no problem.
I quickly went offline so no programs or updates could be installed.
Last time, after the recovery, something happened to taint Word.

>>I just noticed something that may be significant.
On the desktop, in My Docs, al the Word files have no vivble extensions.
In te laptop, My Docs, all the Word files have either .rtf or .doc
I hope this gives a clue as to the root of the problem.

[Doug]

Peter,

Showing file extensions "should" be a universal setting for all file extensions.... either "show" or "don't show"
I prefer "show"

Open your Windows Explorer (My Computer)
Click - Tools - Folder Options - View(tab)

Then remove the checkmark/tick from in front of: "Hide extensions for known file types"

[Peter1]

Peter,

Showing file extensions "should" be a universal setting for all file extensions.... either "show" or "don't show"
I prefer "show"

Open your Windows Explorer (My Computer)
Click - Tools - Folder Options - View(tab)

Then remove the checkmark/tick from in front of: "Hide extensions for known file types"

>>I kept testing word 2003 with each step I took and as soon as I installed Windows LiveMail, Word 32003 began the same trouble.
I will do as you suggest above but what do you think i should do - is this just a coincidence?
I am uninstalling WLM to see what happens but I think the harm has been done.

[Doug]

The absence or presence of visibility of file extensions is probably coincidental and not contributory to your problem.

Since MS Word is what seems to be giving you problems, you can use the embedded "Detect and Repair" function from MS Word....
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/821593

How to Repair or Reinstall Office Programs
This procedure detects and repairs problems that are associated with installed Microsoft Office programs, such as registry settings and missing installation files. This procedure does not repair personal files, such as worksheets or templates.

The following two methods describe two ways that you can use the Detect and Repair tool to detect and repair problems with installed programs.
Method 1: Run Detect and Repair on the Help Menu

1. On the Help menu in any Office program, click Detect and Repair.
2. Click Start.

Note To restore program shortcuts to the Start menu, verify that the Restore my shortcuts while repairing check box is selected.
Method 2: Run the Detect and Repair Tool from Add or Remove Programs

1. Click Start, and then click Control Panel.
2. Double-click Add or Remove Programs, click Microsoft Office 2003, and then click Change.
3. In the Microsoft Office 2003 Setup dialog box, click Reinstall or Repair, and then click Next.
4. Click either Reinstall Office or Detect and Repair errors in my Office installation, and then click Install.

Note If you choose to detect and repair problems in your Microsoft Office installation, click to select the Restore my Start Menu Shortcuts check box to rebuild your Microsoft Office shortcuts

[Peter1]

Thank ypou for the suggestion. I hve performed it but the problem persists. I am in the process of removing and installing Word 2003. If this fails what do you think of; Reformatting and reinstalling the operating system? Start from scratch. I have my sensitive data on flash drives and do not know if these drives would contaminate a full recovery wen I use them to back up my data..

[Doug]

Well it's a lot of work, but sometimes starting fresh makes sense. Will the saved data cause the problem again?..... maybe. The "up-side" will be that you will then know the source and possibly narrow it down to a specific file.