OFF98: Description of Office 98 Slipstream Release (182031)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Office 98 Macintosh Edition
This article was previously published under Q182031

SUMMARY

After Microsoft Office 98 Macintosh Edition released to manufacturing, several problems were found that the program management group wanted to fix in the stand-alone versions of the Office 98 programs. The program management group decided to incorporate these changes into the Office 98 compact disc (CD) without recalling the original production run of Office 98 CDs. (This release is called a "slipstream" release). As a result, some customers may have an Office 98 CD that differs slightly from the majority of Office 98 CDs that are in the sales channel. This article explains the differences between the original Office 98 CD and the slipstream Office 98 CD.

MORE INFORMATION

What's New in the Slipstream Release of Office 98?

The following sections describe the updates that are included in the slipstreamed version of Office 98.

Fix for the Memo Wizard Problem

Under certain circumstances, clicking Finish in the Memo Wizard causes Microsoft Word 98 Macintosh Edition to quit unexpectedly. This problem has been reproduced only on Apple Power Macintosh G3 computers.

For additional information about this problem, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

181973 WD98: Clicking Finish in Memo Wizard Causes Unexpected Quit

British and International System Updaters Are Included

The original release of Office 98 included updates to the U.S. version of the Macintosh operating system (OS). The slipstream release of Office 98 also includes British ,International English, and International updates to the Macintosh OS.

For additional information about the Macintosh OS updates that are included in the Value Pack, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

181572 OFF98: Mac OS System Updates That Are Included in the Value Pack

Updated Set Language Add-In

A new Set Language add-in is available for use with Microsoft Excel 98 Macintosh Edition. The add-in allows Excel users to use a foreign language dictionary to check the spelling in a worksheet.

For additional information about installing and using the Set Language add- in, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

181974 XL98: "Set Language" Add-In Available to Specify Language

How to Identify the Slipstream Release of Office 98

If the customer has already installed Office 98, you can identify whether he or she is running the slipstream release by checking the version number of the Visual Basic for Applications file.

To check the version of Visual Basic for Applications, follow these steps:

  1. Open the Microsoft Office 98:Office folder.
  2. Click to select Visual Basic for Applications.
  3. On the File menu, click Get Info.
If the version of the file is 8.0, the customer has the original release of Office 98. If the version of the file is 8.1, the customer has installed Office from the updated Office 98 CD or has downloaded the patch to fix the Memo Wizard bug.

If the customer has not yet installed Office 98, you can check the contents of the Value Pack:Mac OS System Updates folder on the CD. If this folder contains a British Updates folder, the customer has the slipstream Office 98 CD.

How to Handle Customers Who Want the Updated Office 98 CD

It is possible that you will speak with customers who will have noticed that an updated Office 98 CD is available. If a customer asks for an updated Office 98 CD, consider the following information before you send a new CD to the customer:

  • A fix for the Memo Wizard problem that occurs on a Power Macintosh G3 computer is available on the Microsoft Web site.
  • The Set Language add-in for Excel is available on the Microsoft Web site.
  • The British, International English, and International Macintosh OS updaters can be obtained from Apple Computer, Inc.
If the customer needs any of the items listed above, point them to our Web site. If the customer does not have Web access, do not hesitate to send the customer a new Office 98 CD.

If the customer has heard that there is an updated version of Office 98 and wants the latest version, first explain the changes to the customer. Then, point out the fact that all relevant updates are available on the Web. If a customer insists on obtaining a new Office 98 CD, send the customer a new CD.

When to Instruct Customers to Download the Patch

Inevitably, you will speak with a customer who will have discovered the patch for Office 98 that fixes the Memo Wizard bug. The customer should obtain the patch if he or she is experiencing a crash while using Memo Wizard as described in article 181973. Do not direct customers to download this patch if they are not experiencing this problem.
Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:10/2/2002
Keywords:kbinfo kbsetup KB182031
©2002 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.