Entourage Database Recovery to Fix Rules File Corruption Microsoft Entourage is an efficient and widely accepted personal information manager and E-mail client for Mac OS X operating system. It is considered as very reliable as compared to other popular mail applications as it saves your significant data in a database.
- Sep 05, 2009 The only entourage you should have on your mac are episodes of the show from itunes Afraid I have no idea on your problem otherwise, I will not let microsoft play with my mac - not after I realised office for mac was SH.T.
- May 18, 2015 Mac computer. 'The Rules file appears corrupt. Rules cannot be used.' This prevents me from entering Microsoft Entourage. Please send cure. I have already paid in $48.00 about 8 hours ago and haven't read more.
- MS Entourage is the most popular and widely used email client manger developed by Microsoft for Mac users. It allows you to store your contacts, email, task, calendars entries, notes, journals etc. In a separate and unique form.
- Unknown Corrupt/Damaged Entourage database file, how to recover inaccessible data from Entourage database file, Recover inaccessible data from Corrupt/Damaged No comments Microsoft Entourage was developed by Microsoft; it is mainly used as an e-mail client and personal information manager for Mac OS 8.5 and higher versions.
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Office365 Home Premium 1YR SubscriptionCorrupt Database Fixes
Rebuild Entourage Database
If you have tested and repaired your hard disk, but problems persist, you might need to rebuild the database using Database Utility (located in the Office folder). Many database problems can be repaired by doing so. To open Database Utility, hold down the OPTION key while starting Entourage or Outlook. Full instructions on rebuilding can be found here.
Personal experience has shown that if you have enough free disk space, most Entourage Identies can be rebuilt. It's a bit early to say definitively but Outlook database rebuilds also seem tied to amout of free space.
I offer help for users on a private per fee basis if you are unable to rebuild. More info
Corrupt Entourage X database and Entourage 2004/2008 Database Utility.
Are you having trouble importing your database into Entourage 2004/2008?
- If Entourage 2004/2008 will import a corrupted Entourage X identity, you can try the Database Utility to rebuild, but it's not guaranteed that it will succeed. There are no absolutes with corrupted databases.
- If you cannot import the Entourage X identity, there is nothing you can do but revert to a backup copy of your database.
- As long as you can open Entourage, you can manually export your data.
- Outlook does not offer import from Entourage X.
Database Warnings
Did you import, but keep getting warnings from the database utility that the database needs rebuilding.
Note, in Entourage 2008, some imported database cannot be repaired. You will need to manually move your data into a new 2008 Identity. After that rebuilding will work as expected.
The 'Verify database' has been known to give false reports. One thing that can cause these false reports is a corrupted preference. Try deleting these preference files in your User's --> Library Preferences:
com.microsoft.OfficeNotifications.plist
com.microsoft.DatabaseDaemon.plist
If deleting the preference did not work, try rebuilding your database.
If you tried rebuilding the database, but it does not work and ....
If you can open Entourage...
You cannot open your database, you can try EntourAid. EntourAid _attempts_ to recover emails in any corrupted Microsoft Outlook Express/Entourage email database that is reported to be corrupted and irrecoverable.
Not for the faint of heart....
If your database is totally unusable...You can open the messages file in BBEdit (see tips below)or other text editor. It's possible to save almost all of it. You'll have the text and the headers to show you who it was from, when, etc.
One user passed along these tips on using BBEdit to recover his mail.
I spent several hours over the weekend constructing a really big MBOX file from an orphaned Messages file. To do this, you need a copy of BBEdit Lite and you need to know how to use GREP. Don't forget to operate on a copy of the file, and do some cursory finds before Replace All.
First, look for patterns like:
- [^received: from .*r
- [^t].*rReceived: from .*r
And replace with:
- From ^^^@^^^r
You’ll need to account for messages that don’t start with Received, so
repeat with '[^r]From: .*r', '[^r]Return Path: .*r', ...
Also, you want to get rid of the garbage (which is the database info) between messages, so search for things like:
- rrrrr
- ^**r
- ^[0-9][0-9][0-9][0-9][0-9]?
Now, skim the file looking for other garbage to clean up.
Then, save out as a text file and do a File: Import:text file:MBOX.
Now, set up a custom view and look for the text 'Received: from' in the message body. You probably missed some messages. Drag this view to the desktop to create an MBOX file, open it in BBEdit Lite, clean it up, delete all the messages in the custom view, and import the newly cleaned MBOX file back into Entourage. Rinse and repeat
It’s a long, tedious process, but it worked for me. YMMV.
David Cortright, Mon, 23 Oct 2000
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Download updates from Office Mac or use AutoUpdate under Help in the menu bar. More Info on updates
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Office365 Home Premium 1YR SubscriptionInstall/Update
- Pre-Install Tips
- Install Office 2008
- Install Office 2011
- Update Entourage
- Update errors
- Import/Export Help
- Remove/Reset
Download updates
Download updates from Mactopia or use AutoUpdate under Help in the menu bar. Even if you prefer to download from Mactopia, use AutoUpdate to keep you notified of updates. It will NOT automatically install the update.
Remove Office Test Drive
Special Bulletin: Before you install Microsoft Office, you must first remove the Office Test Drive from your computer. Use the 'Remove Office', application to completely remove all Office files. You'll find 'Remove Office' in the Office Additional Tools folder.
Note: Remove Office does not remove your Microsoft User Data folder. (this is the folder where all your mail/data is stored). It does remove any registration keys and preferences for Office.
Pre-Installation Tips
- Read the directions! This includes the download page for the updaters.
- OS X: Quit any applications that are running, including virus-protection applications, all Office applications, Microsoft Messenger for Mac, and Office Notifications, because they might interfere with installation. How to quit Notifications
- Easy way: Disable login items. Log out/in. Hold down the Shift key until startup is complete.
- If you use 'Remove Office', backup your normal file, custom templates and custom dictionary (found in Preferences). Otherwise, “Remove Office” will delete those files.
- Normal file: Note: starting with Office 2004 the Normal template is moved to the MUD folder, but the Templates folder is not moved.
- You'll also need your CD key when you re-install.
- Using 'Remove Office' does not delete your Microsoft User Data folder that contains your email messages.
- 'Remove Office' is different from dragging the MS Office folder to the trash. It deletes invisible files and preferences used by MS Office.
Tips when upgrading Entourage mail:
- Clean up your database before importing
- Export your contacts
- Make a backup of your database
- Empty your Deleted Mail
CD Key/PID/Serial number
Carefully check whether you entered the key correctly. For more help, see here.
Microsoft Entourage Mac Rules File Corrupt 2017
If you can't update then Microsoft has probably disabled the CD key in the installer because it has been pirated and spread over the internet. If you have a legitimate copy contact MS Customer Service to get a new key.
Many copies sold on eBay do not come with legitimate CD keys.
If you ever sell your computer you need to be sure to remove your CD key. If not, the next thing you know it will be all over the internet. See below for options to delete the CD Key.
The PID (Product IDentification) code is used to register. Registeration is not required and serves no useful purpose. It will put you on a Microsoft email list.
'Registration' has nothing to do with the operation of the software - unlike the Activation required for MS Windows software. It's little more than a marketing tool.
Resetting your Mac Office Registration number
When you first install Office, you type in your product CD Key, which generates a PID (Product IDentification) code. (a product ID will look like this: 11111-130-0001111-12345. This is used to receive support from Microsoft.) The product key is on a yellow or bright orange sticker on the CD package. This is what is used to install.
- The Home & Student and Student & Teacher versions come with 3 product keys/licenses. This can be used on 3 different computers. This cannot be used in a work environment.
- The Standard version comes with 1 key that can be used on two computers (1 desktop and 1 laptop) but you may not run both at the same time. Close one before you launch the other. e.g. Excel on one, but Word on the other, will still conflict, because they are tracking Office, not any individual program.
If you need to change the CD registration key for any reason, The following options can be used:
- Easy way: launch the Remove Office application in the Additional Tools Folder in your Microsoft Office 2004 folder. After you launch the application. Press the option key at the first dialog window and the button changes its name to read 'Remove License Info Only.'
- Download Mac HelpMate (freeware). Mac HelpMate has an option to De-Serialize Microsoft office. Open the app, authenticate by clicking the lock, click on Clean, then choose De-Serialize Office.
- Quit all Office applications. Trash the files listed below and then re-launch any Microsoft application. Your copy of Office will act as if it has been reinstalled and allow you to enter new serial number and registration information.
- /Applications/Microsoft Office 2004 (or X)/Office/
- OfficePID (normally an invisible file) - Users/[Username]/Library/Preferences/Microsoft
- Carbon Registration Database
- Office Registration Cache
- Microsoft Office Settings
- /Applications/Microsoft Office 2004 (or X)/Office/
- Office for Mac 2008 users: (above methods do not work)
Tip: Download EasyFind to find and trash the invisible OfficePID file (Spotlight won't find invisible system files). Turn on the 'Invisible Files & Folders' option when you search for an item named 'OfficePID'. Select the file in the search results window and choose File > Move to Trash.
Delete these two files on one of the machines:
~:Library:Preferences:Microsoft:Office 2008:Microsoft Office 2008 Settings.plist
where ~ is your home folder, and
HD:Applications:Microsoft Office 2008:Office:OfficePID.plist
When you start an Office app, you'll be asked for a CD Key.
If the above fails, please try the following
Please delete
- ApplicationsMicrosoft Office 2008 folder
- Your User FolderLibrary PreferencesMicrosoftOffice 2008
- Reinstall Office
Is there an easy way to do trial and error and change the key if it was already used?
If you look in the Application menu for the About item and display that, it will display the Product ID to you.
If you find two machines on which all but the last five digits match, the same key was used on those two machines.
It won't tell you 'which' key was used, just that the 'same' key was used.
Disable Network check
See the tip posted on MacOSXHints. Office X used port 2222 and now Office 2008 uses 2223 for Network PID Checking. I don't condone software piracy. Use this script only as described in the tip.