Document Recovery
Microsoft Word, Excel, Access and PowerPoint give users the option of saving their current files at the time an error occurs in an application. As a result, users spend less time recreating their documents, spreadsheets, databases, and presentations.
- This feature appears automatically if an error occurs.
- Choose to recover the document and click close.
- Open the recovered document from the document Recovery Pane.
Application Error Reporting
In Office XP, the applications can automatically report any errors that occur directly to Microsoft or the user’s corporate IT department. This gives Microsoft (or organizations) the data needed to further diagnose and correct these errors as well as to provide users with direct access to work around or other information on the error. This feature appears automatically if an error occurs.
- Choose to report the error back to Microsoft from the error dialog box.
Repair and Extract
Microsoft Word and Excel can automatically invoke this corrupt-document repair and recovery functionality in the event of an error or a failure to load a file. Users can also invoke this functionality by choosing Open and Repair from the File Open dialog box (the drop-down menu to the right of Open).
- In Excel and Word, select Open from the File Menu.
- Highlight a file you want to open.
- Select the drop-down arrow from the Open button and choose Open and Repair.
Auto Recover
Automatic recovery has been added to Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Publisher. Users can choose how often files are automatically saved. If an error occurs, the recovered file is opened, and users have the option of discarding the file, saving it over the original, or saving it as a separate file.
- In Excel, select Options from the Tools menu.
- Select the Save tab.
- Select Save AutoRecover Information and highlight how often it should take place.
Safe Mode
Office XP can recognize common problems associated with booting up an application and can automatically run the appropriate work-around. This enables the user to launch the application in the event of a boot-related error, thus preventing unnecessary downtime.
- You can only access this if an error occurs.
- Open the application that contained the error when booting up.
- You are given the option to enter Safe Mode.
Document Password Encryption
Word and Excel offer improved password encryption options, and PowerPoint has it for the first time. These applications offer the choice of using the standard CryptoAPI, a stronger encryption algorithm than previous versions. Default encryption remains the same (for backward compatibility) while the stronger encryption is offered as a choice. Your passwords may be in an Indian language.
- Select Options from the Tools menu in Word or Excel.
- Select the Security Tab.
- Access the Password encryption options by clicking the Advanced tab.
Digital Signatures
Office XP gives users the ability to digitally sign entire documents. This enables users to know if a document has come from a trusted source as well as if the document has been altered from its original state.
- Select Options from the Tools menu in any of the Office applications.
- Select the Security Tab.
- Select Digital Signatures and choose Add.
- Select a digital signature (which you can access from a digital signature provider via the Web).
Single Security Tab
The security options for each application are now available under a single tab under Tools --> Options. This makes it easy for users to access their security options without having to go to multiple locations.
- In any of the Office applications, select Options from the Tools menu.
- Select the Security Tab.