Issue with Act reverting to itself as the word processor when it should be MS Word

[Bfoster]

We have one user who encountered the error message below:

Our file share where we store all of our Act templates was only showing the Act template files, and not the MS Word template files.  

We then discovered that Act had switched itself back to using itself as the default Word processor instead of Microsoft Word.  

Has anyone else experienced this?  Is this a known problem with a known solution?  

Thank you.

- Version of Act! you are using:

On Windows 10 workstations:  Act Premium 21.1.187.0 , Update 4

On Windows 2016 Server:  Act Premium Web 21.1.187.0 , Update 4

- If the issue involves Microsoft Office (Outlook, Word , Excel), state the version of Office you are using

Office 2016

- Is your database on your local machine (private database) or is it being shared from a server (shared database)?

Shared from a server.

- Operating system you have Act! installed on (i.e., Windows 7, Windows 8)

Windows 10 on the workstations.  Windows Server 2016 on the Act server.

[medinast · Accepted solution]

Bfoster,

Yes, you would have to install Act! again once your MS office install has taken place.  The Act! Outlook add-in's integration gets built during the Act! install process.  I have only seen problems with integration when installing Act! before Outlook gets installed.

[Melville-Schellmann]

ACT automatically "reverts" the Word processor setting from "Word" to "ACTWP" anytime you open your ACT! database on a machine that has no Office installed, typically your ACT!-DB-Server...
This behaviour is annoying and can't be changed. Try to file this as a bug; I have given up in trying to get SPI to accept things like this as bugs.
Workaround: When leaving the server, before closing ACT!, switch the parameter back manually and click "update" and then close ACT!.

[Bfoster]

Thanks for replying, and for the info.  Unfortunately in this case this was not our Act server which does not have Office, but a standard workstation with Office 2016 installed on it which has behaved fine for a few months now.  It's a relatively new computer.  It's almost as if Act stopped 'seeing' Office?  

[Melville-Schellmann]

Experiencing any other issues with the Office integration on that workstation? Seems unlikely....

[Bfoster]

As an organization we have had a lot of struggles between Act and Office, especially when we were on Office 2013.  Luckily we are now mostly on Office 2016 and have not had to do the registry hack required for 2013.  My current annoyance is Office not wanting to load the Act add-in because of slow loading, and having to 'force-allow' for 30 days.

[Bfoster]

Thank you very much for the information.  I have heard that MS Office must be installed BEFORE Act is installed, but would re-installing Office mean that I also need to re-install Act afterward?  

[medinast · Accepted solution]

Bfoster,

Yes, you would have to install Act! again once your MS office install has taken place.  The Act! Outlook add-in's integration gets built during the Act! install process.  I have only seen problems with integration when installing Act! before Outlook gets installed.