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If you have Microsoft Office 2007, you may not have stumbled across the Trust Center just yet. The Trust Center is a security system that replaces the old low, medium, high, and very high security levels in previous editions of Microsoft Office.

Getting to the Trust Center involves a bit of concentrated mouse clicking which is why you probably haven’t discovered it on your own. First, go into Microsoft Word or Excel and click the Office button. Next, go to the button that says either “Word Options” or “Excel Options” depending on which program you are using. Click Trust Center. You’re almost there, but not quite. You’ll see a screen with various links where you can learn about privacy and security. For now, look for the button that says Trust Center Settings and click it.

In the left pane, you’ll see the following categories:

• Trusted Publishers
• Trusted Locations
• Add-ins
• ActiveX Settings
• Macro Settings
• Message Bar
• Privacy Options

Take a few minutes to explore each category. You can trust certain publishers (such as Microsoft) as well as specific areas of your computer. For example, if you designate a specific location on your computer as trusted, then your Office products will automatically trust the file’s integrity. Likewise, you can set up your add-ins restrictions to only allow add-ins from trusted publishers.

Macros and ActiveX controls are infamous for executing malicious codes in Office files. The Macro settings and ActiveX settings sections of the Trust Center provide you with different options about blocking, disabling, and notification.

One of the biggest threats that these settings protect against is external content. External content can include documents or presentations that have “Web beacons” embedded in them. These beacons are often images or sound files hosted on external servers. Once you open the document or presentation, the beacon is downloaded and a communication link is established between your computer and the external server or malicious code is executed.

The Message Bar should be set so that it blocks external content. That way, should you open a PowerPoint presentation, Word document, or Excel spreadsheet that contains external content, it will be blocked and you will be notified.

Finally, you can change your Privacy Options in the Trust Center. Various options include allowing Microsoft to update links or gather information about your computer’s problems as well as creating document-specific privacy settings. Oddly enough, the Privacy Options area provides you with an option for choosing which online dictionaries, thesauruses, and encyclopedias to use as reference materials. Within this Research sub-category is a Parental Control option where you can restrict reference service providers to those that screen content for offensive material.

For the most part, you won’t need to adjust the Trust Center settings as the default settings should provide an adequate amount of prompting or blocking.

Microsoft Word 2007 comes with a built-in “document inspector.” No, this isn’t a spell or grammar checker. Instead, the Document Inspectors inspects your Word documents for personal and hidden data. Many Word users aren’t aware that their documents contain a great deal of information that they may not necessarily want revealed.

For example, when you first installed Word, you were prompted to enter your name and initials as part of the setup. Word attaches this information to all documents that you create or edit automatically. While this is certainly useful, especially when collaborating with others, you may not want your name revealed in some cases.

The Document Inspector inspects your document for: comments, revisions, versions, and ink annotations; custom XML data; document properties, personal information, and hidden metadata; hidden text; and information stored in headers, footers, and watermarks.

To run the Document Inspector, go to the Office button and choose Prepare followed by Inspect Document. You’ll be prompted to save your file next, so go ahead and do so. Next, either accept all categories for inspection or remove the checkmark beside any category that you want to skip. The Document Inspector will then quickly inspect your document before displaying its findings. If information is found, you’ll be prompted to remove the information.

Unfortunately, the Document Inspector doesn’t actually show you what it is removing. For example, if it finds information in the Document Properties category, it will prompt you to Remove All but it doesn’t give you the option to see what is contained in those properties. In this case, you can go to the Office button, choose Prepare, and then choose Properties. Typically, properties include author’s name, title, subject, keywords, categories, status, and comments. The author’s name is automatic while the other fields usually require data entry.

If you plan on sharing your Word documents electronically, you have no control over where they ultimately end up. For example, if you post a Word document on a public Internet site, computer users can download and alter the document - yet your name and organization may be attached as the author. Likewise, if you collaborated with others, their names may appear alongside any comments or revisions. If this makes you uncomfortable, then take a few minutes to use the Document inspector to find and remove this revealing data.

There are a couple different things that can go awry when you are working on a Microsoft Word document that cause a barrage of bizarre signs and symbols to take over your work. A little troubleshooting should determine the type, the cause and the purpose of the symbols.

If the notes on your document look like paragraph signs, similar to a double lined, backwards capital P, little dots instead of spaces and little arrows in random places, it is possible that you have enabled the ‘show formatting’ function. There is a button on your keyboard that looks like the backwards capital P, press it to turn the function off.

Another cause of unreadable text and weird symbols is when the document is written in another system, or in another version of Word, and if there are compatibility issues. For example, it is possible that earlier versions of Word don’t have the same font that was used to write a document in a later version. In this case, the older version of Word will try to open the file, but won’t be able to read or display it in a readable font.

Another possible problem with Word compatibility arises from the introduction of a .docx file extension in Word 2007 that isn’t compatible with earlier versions of Word. This means that a file created as .docx on Word 2007 will appear as gibberish on any earlier issues of the program. If you are having this problem you can download the Microsoft Compatibility Pack, Microsoft’s solution to compatibility issues between old and new versions of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. The patch is available from Microsoft here.

In other cases Word documents can be damaged and display only gibberish when opened. Before treating the problem as a Word issue, run a complete virus scan to make sure the file hasn’t been corrupted by an infection. Check with the security software manufacturer for the latest updates and virus definitions. If you find anything, run anti-virus software until the scan comes up clean. If the files have been damaged by a virus, you can try to find earlier versions of the file, return the computer to earlier settings, or use data recovery software to try to repair the files. If you don’t find any suspicious or destructive programs, the problem might be with Word.

Files that open as gibberish or with strange font and symbols in Microsoft Word can sometimes be repaired by saving them to another file format such as Rich Text or Word Pad, then close the document, then open the file again in Word and resave it as a Word document. Sometimes the file conversion is sufficient to fix the file damage.

Another possibility is that the so-called ‘non-printing characters’ are showing in text while you’re working on your document. You can disable this function by selecting Tools in Microsoft Word, then Options, then View and then unchecking any boxes that display non-printing characters.

Microsoft Word processing program has a couple different features to help you record and store multiple versions of your documents. The first is the Save As feature that enables the user to save multiple drafts under different document names. When you first save a document, Word will allow you to enter a file name as well as a location to save the file in. It can become difficult to manage a large number of files of similar drafts, I find that saving the document as the file name plus date is an efficient way to keep track of my work. But keeping multiple drafts of large files does occupy quite a lot of storage space; luckily there is another option for saving multiple versions of Word documents.

Word also has a Versions utility that saves multiple versions of your document in the same file as the original, thus allowing you to revisit previous versions without using as much space on your system. Rather than save complete multiple version of the same work, Version only records the differences in the files, thus saving space and resisting repetition. There are two ways to save files with Versions, manually and automatically.

To use Versions manually, open the document that you would like to save a version of and click on the File tab in the task bar at the top of the screen. Scroll down the drop down menu to Versions and click to open the dialog box and select Save Now. This will open a second dialog box, in which you can record any notes that you would like to attach to this version, such as the date, the nature of the changes, and so on. These notes are intended to help you remember and organize the important edits of the draft. When you click OK the draft version will be saved.

To enable Word Versions to save drafts automatically every time that you close documents, follow the same steps as above to open the Versions dialog box from the File menu. Then, on the right hand side, check the box to Automatically Save A Version On Close.

To view a previously saved version of a document, open the document in Word and select Versions from the File menu. When the dialog box opens in Versions, select the version you want to see and hit Open. A new window of Word will open your requested version underneath the document you have open already. If you make changes to the version at this time it must be saved anew under a new name, the version opened can’t be changed and will remain as it was previously saved and stored.

If you have a version that you want to be able to edit and change individually, you can recover the version and save it as a new file. Press CTRL + S to save the version, or select Save from the menu, the Save As pop up dialog box will appear and prompt you to enter a new name for the document. Now you can either complete this version in the new location or begin a separate series of changes in different versions from this file.

I am trying to install Microsoft Office XP 2003 using the Add/Remove Programs. When I get to the prompt in the installation process: “Waiting for cabinets to be cached to local installation source”, I get an error message stating: “A Required Installation File YS561401.CAB could not be found”.

I am running Windows XP Media Center Edition and have added programs previously without any problems. Can you help with this installation problem?

Installation problems can be annoying to say the least. Although prompts and error messages are supposed to be helpful, sometimes they appear vague and unhelpful. Typically, however, the solution to these types of problems is readily discovered after some trial and error sleuthing.

I always have to wonder, “Where did the file go,” when dealing with error messages stating that certain files are missing. After all, if I haven’t deleted anything recently and no one else uses my computer, how can this data simply disappear? In this case, I might wonder where file YS561401.CAB has run off to hide. Has the file been deleted? Is the file simply corrupt? These aren’t even important questions at this point, because the primary goal here is to reinstate this particular file.

Is it possible to download the missing .cab file from the Internet to fix this problem? In general, finding missing .cab files on the Internet is near impossible since Microsoft actively discourages this. The best strategy for obtaining the missing files is to get them from the original installation CD itself.

I can attempt to run the set up using the CD for Windows Office XP. Insert the disc and use Windows Explorer to find the installation file. When doing this, I should be able to double click PRO11.MSI or I can right click it and choose the option for run or install. Once this runs its course, I need to click Finish so that the changes become permanent.

Sometimes, installing a standard version after the expiration of a trial version of Microsoft Office 2003 can involve a bit of song and dance. I don’t mean this literally, it is just that trial versions that come with pre-loaded computers are not always amenable to easy conversions to full versions of software applications. If I am trying to convert a trial version of Microsoft Office XP 2003 to a full version, I need to ensure that I have the Product Key for the program. Next, I can use the Add/Remove Programs utility to remove the trial version of Microsoft Office XP 2003, following the instructions that are provided. Next, I can download Microsoft Office XP 2003, provide the product key as required, and follow the instructions as provided.

Additionally, low disk space could be at the bottom of this particular scenario. Low disk space can interfere with the ability for this specific feature to work properly. When the Office 2003 Program is installed, some of the source files are copied and stored to the local hard disk drive. Therefore, it is important to maintain sufficient space on your hard drive so that your computer’s operating system can perform to its optimal level.

 Yes. In fact, you can set up two different types of protection for your Word documents. First, you can password protect the document itself so that only those that have the password can open it. Second, you can protect your document from certain types of changes by other users.

In Microsoft Word 2007, you’ll use the Save As command to set up password protection whereas in earlier versions of Word you’ll use a different process. For password protecting Word 2007 documents, click on the Office button and choose Save As. Click on the Tools link and then select General Options.

Now, do one of the following options (or both if you prefer):

• Type a unique password in the “Password to open” box. This will prompt users to enter the matching password in order to open the document. This password is encrypted, making your document more secure.

• Type a unique password in the “Password to modify” box. This prompts users to enter the matching password in order to save their changes to your document. This password is not encrypted. It is not designed as a security feature rather it is a measure that you can use to prevent unauthorized changes to your document.

• If you don’t want any one making any changes, select the Read only option.

In earlier versions of Word, password protection is also possible. This time, go to the Tools menu and select Options. Click the Security tab and then enter the desired password in the Password to Open box.  

No matter which version of Word you are using, when you create passwords to open or modify the document, it is crucial that you don’t forget them. Otherwise, you won’t be able to open or modify your own documents. Create passwords that are at least 8 characters and include upper and lower case letters as well as symbols and numbers.

Never use easy to figure out passwords such as birthdates, pet’s names, nicknames, and other personal information. In addition, avoid words found in a dictionary as hackers use huge databases to crack passwords in mere minutes. Instead, use a combination of characters

An example of a strong password is:

$tRonGe$t!

An example of a weak password is:

fido

Word also features limited document “protection.” Go to the Review tab in Word 2007 and then click on Protect Document. In earlier versions of Microsoft Word, go to Tools > Protect Document. Once the Protection utility is launched, you can restrict formatting and editing.

Password protection and document protection are useful when you have a document containing sensitive information or that you are collaborating on with others. Use strong passwords and don’t forget them!