All about Microsoft Office Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook, Microsoft 365, Office 2021 and earlier versions.
Office & Windows support scams still going
It’s an old scam but apparently still profitable for criminals. Fake phone support pretending to be from Microsoft to ‘help’ fix virus or other non-existent problems with Office or Windows. They’ve been happening for years but seem to be getting a revival lately. What you need to know Microsoft will NEVER show a message (screen, […]
Excel 365 Stock data type – how to report problems
Excel 365’s new Stock data type has the potential to be really great. Here’s how to report problems to Microsoft so they can fix them. Real people read the bug reports, especially for a new and developing feature like Linked Data Types. The bug reports help Microsoft staff identify problems and also give them a […]
Online Video hack now ‘in the wild’ and Microsoft won’t do anything
A previously theoretical way to misuse Office documents to infect your computer is now ‘in the wild’ and Microsoft isn’t interested in stopping it. Last week we told you about a new way for Office documents to get malware onto your computer. Cymulate discovered that the Online Video feature could be manipulated to download malware […]
Microsoft Office spoils UK train info
A badly managed switch to Office 365 made it hard for staff and passengers at London’s Victoria Station. An uninstall message for Office 2010 appeared over the important platform display. The Register reports that the platform status displays, not the main board were hard to read because an Office 365 update notice kept appearing. Source: […]
Office 365 breakdown enrages customers
Yet another breakdown of Office 365 servers makes like difficult for customers. Users were unable to login with their Office apps or to Microsoft hosted Exchange Servers. It’s not clear how widespread the problems were. It happened on 31 October 2018 but took twelve hours to repair. That’s a disappointingly long time. It seems Microsoft […]
Online Video now a risk for Office users
Cymulate is reporting how embedded video in Word or other Office documents are another way for criminals and hackers to infect your computer. It’s yet another example of how Word, Excel or PowerPoint documents can be used to get malware onto computers to steal data, becomes bots or other nasties. This trick uses the relatively […]
Office 365 ‘tips’ emails from Microsoft – like it or not
Office 365 enterprise customers will soon receive tips emails from Microsoft directly and without ‘opting in’. Microsoft calls them “helpful product training and tips” but aren’t being greeted with the enthusiasm that the company might be expecting. They’re reported to be starting on 29 November 2018 to all Office 365 enterprise users who haven’t specifically […]
New iPad Pro’s, Apple Pencil and Microsoft Office
The new iPad Pro’s announced today by Apple come with an extra cost to use Microsoft Office. Office Mobile apps for iPad are usually free for everyone. There are some extras for Office 365 customers but most of the app features are available for all comers. But the new iPad Pro’s, like their predecessor Pro […]
Have you noticed the name change for Microsoft Office software?
Microsoft Office for Windows is gradually changing the software name to Office 365 . It’s being done slowly, almost by stealth but it’s happening. Keen eyed readers have noticed a gradual change on the Microsoft web site and software. We first mentioned it back in August 2018 but the software name change to Office 365 […]
More Real Time Excel, out now
We’ve added more to Real Time Excel, our comprehensive guide to adding the latest information into Excel easily and automatically. Real Time Excel already has in-depth coverage of Linked Data Types, a new and truly interesting addition to Excel for Windows. On 15 October 2018 we added a bit more to the already expansive coverage: […]
Windows 10 October 2018 is back for a second try
Microsoft has re-released the October 2018 update to Windows 10 after (hopefully) fixing the bug which deleted some customers vital files. The October 2018 update problem was caused by changes to Known Folder Redirection or KFR which we’ll explain below. Windows 10 October 2018 update – take two The Windows 10 October 2018 update is […]
The Microsoft Office font that helps you remember
An Australian university has developed a font that will help you remember what you read. It sounds like an April Fool’s joke, but the font is real and works in Office for Mac or Windows. Sans Forgetica was made at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia. Unlike most fonts, Sans Forgetica is designed to be a […]
Windows 10 update woes – don’t panic!
As Douglas Adams said, Don’t Panic. There are problems with the Windows 10 October 2018 major update but they won’t strike you if you’re careful. The October 2018 update has been suspended by Microsoft after reports that documents/files were being deleted during the update process. Not good at all. The affected files seem to be […]
Move your Microsoft Office desktop to the cloud
Microsoft has announced their own virtual machine version of Windows and Office desktop that you can run from anywhere called Windows Virtual Desktop. WVD is a virtual Windows machine which runs on Microsoft’s Azure cloud servers. Users access that machine from their own computer using Remote Desktop software. Many organizations already do this, either hosting […]
New Zealand might ask for your passwords
New Zealand is getting some unfair bad publicity after a change in their laws which allows Customs officials to ask for the passwords to access computers or devices brought into the country. Customs officials all over the world can usually search anything you bring in and that includes password protected Office documents, hard drives, USB […]
Office apps for Windows 10 get sidelined
Word, Excel, PowerPoint and other Office apps for Windows 10 have been sidelined by Microsoft with no new features planned. Bad news for anyone still using a Windows Phone. The Windows 10/Mobile apps will continue to work but no more features are planned. This ‘no more features’ decision appears to apply to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, […]
