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Troubleshoot security and password protection
PasswordsReceiving macro warnings Built-in wizards, templates, or custom commands no longer work, or I get a message that macros are disabled.
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You may have cleared the Trust all installed add-ins and templates check box on the Trusted Sources tab in the Security dialog box. If you clear this check box, and if the security level setting is set to Very High or High in the Security dialog box (Tools menu, Macro command, Security submenu), you may be unable to run the built-in wizards (wizard: A feature that asks questions and then creates an item, such as a form or Web page, according to your answers.), templates (template: A file or files that contain the structure and tools for shaping such elements as the style and page layout of finished files. For example, Word templates can shape a single document, and FrontPage templates can shape an entire Web site.), or custom commands.
- You may be running a VBA-less installation of the product. Some organizations prefer to run installations of Microsoft Office that do not include the Visual Basic for Applications (Visual Basic for Applications (VBA): A macro-language version of Microsoft Visual Basic that is used to program Microsoft Windows-based applications and is included with several Microsoft programs.) functionality. Removing this functionality may affect your ability to use some of the built-in features, such as wizards, templates or add-ins (add-in: A supplemental program that adds custom commands or custom features to Microsoft Office.), or other items that use macros (macro: An action or a set of actions that you can use to automate tasks. Macros are recorded in the Visual Basic for Applications programming language.). Please contact your system administrator or IT professional for more information or see the
Microsoft Office 2003 Resource Kit.
I am concerned that a presentation I want to open contains infected macros, but I don't see a warning when I open the presentation.
If you set the security level to Low, you are not protected from unsafe macros, so this setting is not recommended. By setting the security level to Medium, with the Trust all installed add-ins and templates check box cleared, users can choose to enable or disable unsigned COM add-ins and VBA macros when they are prompted. If your security level is set to Very High or High, with the Trust all installed add-ins and templates check box cleared, all unsigned COM add-ins and VBA macros are disabled automatically. Therefore, it is recommended that users keep security levels set to High with the Trust all installed add-ins and templates check box cleared.
The following table lists the available Microsoft Office 2003 security settings, along with their corresponding behaviors, in the Security dialog box (Macros submenu, Tools menu). | Security level | | Digitally signed? | | From trusted sources? | | Office 2003 will | Very High | | Yes Yes No | | Yes No N/A | | Load the add-in or macro silently Not load the add-in or macro Not load the add-in or macro | High | | Yes Yes No | | Yes No N/A | | Load the add-in or macro silently Prompt to trust the source and enable the add-in or macro to run Not load the add-in or macro | Medium | | Yes Yes No | | Yes No N/A | | Load the add-in or macro silently Prompt to trust the source and enable the add-in or macro to run Prompt to enable or disable the add-in or macro | Low | | Yes or No | | Yes or No | | Load the add-in or macro silently |
I keep getting a warning about macros.
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The macro (macro: An action or a set of actions that you can use to automate tasks. Macros are recorded in the Visual Basic for Applications programming language.) you want to run might not be from a trusted source. If the security level is set to Medium or High, and you open a presentation or load an add-in that contains digitally signed (digital signature: An electronic, encryption-based, secure stamp of authentication on a macro or document. This signature confirms that the macro or document originated from the signer and has not been altered.) macros that are not from a trusted source, you receive a macro warning. If you are sure you trust the macro developer, add the name to the list of trusted sources on the Trusted Sources tab in the Security dialog box (Tools menu, Macro command, Security submenu).
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The presentation might contain a macro virus (virus: A computer program or macro that "infects" computer files by inserting copies of itself into those files. When the infected file is loaded into memory, the virus can infect other files. Viruses often have harmful side effects.). If you don't expect the presentation to contain a macro, you might have a virus that is adding a macro virus to the presentation. Check your computer for viruses, and try to get an uninfected copy of the presentation from the source.
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The macro might be in a presentation you downloaded as an HTML page from a Web site and opened as a temporary file. If your virus scanner tells you it cleaned out a virus in this presentation every time you open it, you are removing the virus from the temporary file only, not from the original presentation on the Web server. Check your computer for viruses, and notify the source about problems with the original presentation.
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The presentation contains legitimate macros. If you know these are legitimate and safe macros, you might want to digitally sign those macros and then add your name to the list of trusted sources on the Trusted Sources tab in the Security dialog box (Tools menu, Macro command, Security submenu).
The Security Warning dialog box tells me the source has not been authenticated.
This warning appears in the Security Warning dialog box if the security level is set to High or Medium on the Security Level tab (Tools menu, Macro command, Security submenu), and you open a presentation or load an add-in (add-in: A supplemental program that adds custom commands or custom features to Microsoft Office.) that contains digitally signed (digital signature: An electronic, encryption-based, secure stamp of authentication on a macro or document. This signature confirms that the macro or document originated from the signer and has not been altered.)
macros (macro: An action or a set of actions that you can use to automate tasks. Macros are recorded in the Visual Basic for Applications programming language.) but the digital certificate (digital certificate: Attachment for a file, macro project, or e-mail message that vouches for authenticity, provides secure encryption, or supplies a verifiable signature. To digitally sign macro projects, you must install a digital certificate.) has not been authenticated. For example, if the macro developer has created his or her own digital certificate, you receive this warning.
This type of unauthenticated certificate can be forged by malicious users to claim that it is anyone's certificate. For example, a malicious user can create a certificate named "Microsoft Corporation." The only warning you have that the certificate is false is this warning. You should not expect professional software developers to sign with an unauthenticated certificate. You should expect this type of certificate only from individual co-workers or friends. If the security level is set to High and you trust the macro source, you can select the Always trust macros from this source check box when prompted and enable the macros. If the security level is set to Medium, you can enable the macros without adding the developer to the list of trusted sources. If you don't trust the developer, do not enable the macros.
Working with macros I can't use a macro in a presentation or add-in I opened.
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Macros (macro: An action or a set of actions that you can use to automate tasks. Macros are recorded in the Visual Basic for Applications programming language.) might have been disabled automatically. If the security level is set to High on the Security Level tab (Tools menu, Macro command, Security submenu), and you open a presentation or load an add-in (add-in: A supplemental program that adds custom commands or custom features to Microsoft Office.) that contains unsigned macros, the macros are disabled and you cannot run them. You can enable macros that are not digitally signed (digital signature: An electronic, encryption-based, secure stamp of authentication on a macro or document. This signature confirms that the macro or document originated from the signer and has not been altered.) by changing the security level to Medium on the Security Level tab (Tools menu, Macro command, Security submenu), and then either closing the presentation and opening it again or unloading and then reloading the add-in. Remember to change the security level back to High if you want Microsoft PowerPoint to automatically disable unsigned macros in the future.
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You might have chosen to disable macros when you opened the presentation. If the security level is set to Medium or High on the Security Level tab (Tools menu, Macro command, Security submenu), and you chose to disable macros because you do not trust the source of the macros, you cannot run the macros. To run the macros, either close the presentation and then open it again or unload and then reload the add-in, and then click Enable Macros when prompted.
Changing the security levelAdding a macro developer to the list of trusted sources I can't add a macro developer to the list of trusted sources.
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The digital certificate (digital certificate: Attachment for a file, macro project, or e-mail message that vouches for authenticity, provides secure encryption, or supplies a verifiable signature. To digitally sign macro projects, you must install a digital certificate.) for the source may not be authenticated (authenticate: The process of verifying that people and products are who and what they claim to be. For example, confirming the source and integrity of a software publisher's code by verifying the digital signature used to sign the code.). You can only add certificates to your list of trusted sources if they have been authenticated.
Note Certificates created with the Selfcert.exe tool are considered to be unauthenticated and can only be added to the list of trusted sources on the computer on which they were created.
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The list of trusted sources might be locked. Your system administrator might have locked your list of trusted sources so that you cannot add new macro developers to it.
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The macro (macro: An action or a set of actions that you can use to automate tasks. Macros are recorded in the Visual Basic for Applications programming language.) might not be digitally signed. In order to add a macro developer to the list of trusted sources, the macro must be digitally signed (digital signature: An electronic, encryption-based, secure stamp of authentication on a macro or document. This signature confirms that the macro or document originated from the signer and has not been altered.) by the developer.
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You might not have Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0 or later installed on your computer. Internet Explorer 4.0 or later is required in order to digitally sign a macro or verify that a developer is trusted.
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The security level might be set to Low. In order to add a macro developer to the list of trusted sources, you must change the security level to Medium or High on the Security Level tab (Tools menu, Macro command, Security submenu).
I signed my macros with a digital certificate that I created myself, but other people are unable to use them, and they can't add me to their list of trusted sources.
Digital certificates (digital certificate: Attachment for a file, macro project, or e-mail message that vouches for authenticity, provides secure encryption, or supplies a verifiable signature. To digitally sign macro projects, you must install a digital certificate.) created with the Selfcert.exe tool are considered unauthenticated (authenticate: The process of verifying that people and products are who and what they claim to be. For example, confirming the source and integrity of a software publisher's code by verifying the digital signature used to sign the code.). Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2003 will allow you to add the owner of an unauthenticated certificate to the list of trusted sources only when the certificate is used on the same computer on which it was initially created. This means you can run Selfcert.exe and create a certificate on your computer, sign your own personal macros (macro: An action or a set of actions that you can use to automate tasks. Macros are recorded in the Visual Basic for Applications programming language.), and you can trust that certificate on that same computer. However, if you attempt to share the presentation with another user, the other user will be unable to run the macros if the user's security setting is set to High on the Security Level tab (Tools menu, Macro command, Security submenu).
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