Major problem - no launch and no rebuild possible

Hi there, helpers.

My Entourage 2004 failed me completely. First I got error 16008
repeatedly, then I found out, that I cannot rebuild or compact the
database. The process quit saying an i/o error had occurred. Then I
tried to reinstall Office 2004, but then Entourage would not start at
all any more, not even with a different (root) user. I am at a loss. It
could be a hard disk problem, but I don't want to reformat my drive
because I cannot copy the database (1.3 GB, years of mail) to a backup
drive. The copying process aborts with the message: some sections could
not be read. But my first problem is that I need to get Entourage
launched.

Can anyone help?

Thanks in advance

Nitram

matt
Tue Apr 19 18:47:22 CDT 2005

Nitram <martin.suter@gmail.com> wrote:

> Hi there, helpers.
>
> My Entourage 2004 failed me completely. First I got error 16008
> repeatedly, then I found out, that I cannot rebuild or compact the
> database. The process quit saying an i/o error had occurred. Then I
> tried to reinstall Office 2004, but then Entourage would not start at
> all any more, not even with a different (root) user. I am at a loss. It
> could be a hard disk problem, but I don't want to reformat my drive
> because I cannot copy the database (1.3 GB, years of mail) to a backup
> drive. The copying process aborts with the message: some sections could
> not be read. But my first problem is that I need to get Entourage
> launched.

The last time someone couldn't launch Entourage even from a different
User, we ended up reinstalling the System and that fixed it. On the
other hand the i/o error problem does not sound encouraging. I think
this might be, as you suspect, a problem at the level of the hard disk.
Maybe try running DiskWarrior on that disk? m.


--
matt neuburg, phd = matt@tidbits.com, http://www.tidbits.com/matt/
AppleScript: The Definitive Guide
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0596005571/somethingsbymatt
Read TidBITS! It's free and smart. http://www.tidbits.com

Nitram
Tue Apr 19 19:50:50 CDT 2005

I might try DiskWarrior. Just one thing: Earlier today I ran Disk
Utility. It fixed a few problems, and now it says that the volumes are
OK. Could there still be a problem with my harddisk worth attacking
with DiskWarrior?

Nitram

matt
Tue Apr 19 20:39:41 CDT 2005

Nitram <martin.suter@gmail.com> wrote:

> I might try DiskWarrior. Just one thing: Earlier today I ran Disk
> Utility. It fixed a few problems, and now it says that the volumes are
> OK. Could there still be a problem with my harddisk worth attacking
> with DiskWarrior?

Yes, it's possible. But remember why you're here - you want to get
Entourage running. Can you? m.


--
matt neuburg, phd = matt@tidbits.com, http://www.tidbits.com/matt/
AppleScript: The Definitive Guide
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0596005571/somethingsbymatt
Read TidBITS! It's free and smart. http://www.tidbits.com

Nitram
Tue Apr 19 21:01:34 CDT 2005

Matt

No I can't. The Disk Utility repair took place before. I actually
suspect that Disk Utility "fixed" something so that Entourage is
disabled. Maybe DiskWarrior can undo the damage. I'll try as soon as I
get hold of a copy of the software.
In the meantime thanks for your help - I'll keep you posted.

Nitram

Nitram
Fri Apr 22 20:30:02 CDT 2005

Hi Matt

At least I got Entourage running! The bug was in Stuffit. By looking at
the OS console I found that some Stuffit component was missing.
Reinstalling Stuffit Standard enabled Entourage again (I have no clue
why). I still have the problem of the corrupted database. Hopefully
DiskWarrior will restore the integrity of the database.

Nitram

matt
Sat Apr 23 11:09:12 CDT 2005

Nitram <martin.suter@gmail.com> wrote:

> Hi Matt
>
> At least I got Entourage running! The bug was in Stuffit. By looking at
> the OS console I found that some Stuffit component was missing.
> Reinstalling Stuffit Standard enabled Entourage again (I have no clue
> why).

Nor have I. Wow! Well done.

> I still have the problem of the corrupted database. Hopefully
> DiskWarrior will restore the integrity of the database.

Well, no, now that you have Entourage running, it is Entourage that
should restore the corrupted database, using the Database Utility. m.


--
matt neuburg, phd = matt@tidbits.com, http://www.tidbits.com/matt/
AppleScript: The Definitive Guide
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0596005571/somethingsbymatt
Read TidBITS! It's free and smart. http://www.tidbits.com

Paul
Sat Apr 23 21:11:18 CDT 2005

On 4/23/05 9:09 AM, in article 1gvgrw8.16p1gl81ua6g3xN%matt@tidbits.com,
"matt neuburg" <matt@tidbits.com> wrote:

> Nitram <martin.suter@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Hi Matt
>>
>> At least I got Entourage running! The bug was in Stuffit. By looking at
>> the OS console I found that some Stuffit component was missing.
>> Reinstalling Stuffit Standard enabled Entourage again (I have no clue
>> why).
>
> Nor have I. Wow! Well done.

I might be the Stuffit Engine, in /Library/CFMSupport. Recent versions are
called StuffitEngineShell.cfm . (v6.x and earlier were just Stuffit Engine
and may even have been in a different folder.) Entourage 2004 installs its
own version of that - 7.0.4 - unless you already have a later version
located there. (I seem to recall Panther installs 7.0.3, Jaguar maybe 7.0 -
I forget. There were some issues with Entourage X, I think, so 2004 supplies
its own version MacBU wheedled out of Aladdin, as it then was.) If you
uninstalled Stuffit Standard once, or maybe installed a later version (8 or
9) and something went wrong in the installation such that no version of the
Engine was present, Entourage would be upset. Entourage needs it to do its
"Compression (Macintosh)" of attachments. I'm surprised Entourage can't
repair the lack with its First Run file, though. Good catch to find this.
>
>> I still have the problem of the corrupted database. Hopefully
>> DiskWarrior will restore the integrity of the database.
>
> Well, no, now that you have Entourage running, it is Entourage that
> should restore the corrupted database, using the Database Utility. m.

...which is in /Applications/Microsoft Office 2004/Office/ folder. Or you
can just bring it up by holding down Option key when launching Entourage.
Choose "Rebuild".


--
Paul Berkowitz
MVP MacOffice
Entourage FAQ Page: <http://www.entourage.mvps.org/faq/index.html>
AppleScripts for Entourage: <http://macscripter.net/scriptbuilders/>

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