<HTML><BODY style="word-wrap: break-word; -khtml-nbsp-mode: space; -khtml-line-break: after-white-space; "><DIV><DIV>On Sep 8, 2005, at 2:14 PM, keith_w wrote:</DIV><BR class="Apple-interchange-newline"><BLOCKQUOTE type="cite"><P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">I run Mac OS 10.3.9, and will be installing a brand new copy of MS Office 2004 in about a week.</FONT></P> <P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">Valid reason? My wife uses PC programs at work, and has decided she wants the ability to do some work-work on the home Mac.</FONT></P> <P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">So, back to having MS products on my Mac!<SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN>Sighhhh.</FONT></P> <P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><BR></P> <P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">Anyhow, first question is, must you be actually using a Word or Excel macro in order for the "macro virus/worm" to activate?</FONT></P> <P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">If I use the various parts of MS Office bareback, no macros, etc., do I have to concern myself about viruses or worms?</FONT></P> <P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><BR></P> <P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">If so, what's the least obtrusive solution that still works?</FONT></P> <P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">In your most humble opinion, of course!<SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN><wink></FONT></P> <P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><BR></P> <P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">Should I install Office 2004 on a separate HD inside the CPU? Will that isolate the probability of infection?</FONT></P> <P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">Awww, that raises a ton of other questions, and may not be practical in the long run.</FONT></P> <P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><BR></P> <P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">keith whaley</FONT></P> </BLOCKQUOTE></DIV><BR><DIV>Depending on the types of documents she'll be working on (complicated formatting, etc??) you may not have to install MS Office - you could try NeoOffice or AbiWord or one of the other Office compatible apps (I'm pretty sure there are a couple more - and I'm sure others will chime in).</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>I'm not sure that using one of these Office compatible apps solves the issue of malicious macros, etc. - but it keeps MS off your Mac, if that's one of your preferences.</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Scott</DIV></BODY></HTML>