Updating Office?

[andy-hughes]

I left my desktop switched on for a few hours, when I returned, everything had frozen, so I held down the on/off switch to switch off.

It appears to re-boot OK, but when I try to open Excel or Word, I get an orange box saying 'Updating Office please wait a moment' - it then advises that the application was unable to start, with a code. It asks me to click to close, which I have done.

Repeated attempts to open are met with the same response.

Any help appreciated, as always.

[Buenchico]

Try repairing the Microsoft Office applications:
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/repair-an-office-application-7821d4b6-7c1d-4205-aa0e-a6b40c5bb88b

Note: If you see a message telling you that you need to close the application first (even though it's not apparently running), go into Task Manager (via right-clicking on the taskbar at the foot of your screen). If Microsoft Office, or an app within it, is shown as running, right-click on it and select 'End Task'. Then try the repair process again.

If that doesn't help, consider uninstalling, and then reinstalling Microsoft Office. (See link above).

If you're still getting nowhere, consider resetting your computer. (Type 'reset' into the search box at the bottom left of your screen. Select 'Reset this PC'. Follow the instructions, taking care to select the option that retains all your files and data).

If all else fails, ditch Microsoft Office. (Only a minority of home users bother with it these days). OpenOffice, which I use, is just as good
https://www.openoffice.org
but LibreOffice has a growing fanbase (especially here on AB, it seems)
https://www.libreoffice.org
WPS Office is also well-reviewed in the technical press
https://www.wps.com

[andy-hughes]

Thanks Chris - as usual you have saved the day!!!