Topics in this chapter   Repairing Office Installations     Changing Feature Installation States     Changing User Settings After Installation     Removing Applications or Features After Installation     Reporting Office Application Crashes     Using the Office Profile Wizard

Reporting Office Application Crashes

The Microsoft Office XP Resource Kit includes a new utility, Corporate Error Reporting, that enables administrators to manage a new feature of Office, the DW.exe crash-reporting tool. DW.exe is a feedback tool used by Microsoft to analyze and develop fixes for instances of crashes on users' computers. DW.exe ships with all editions of Office and is installed by default with Office XP.

The advantage of DW.exe is how it can help increase the reliability of Office applications, tools, and features. When a crash is reported, the crash data Microsoft receives helps Microsoft analyze the problem and create a repair — without forcing the user to supply hard-to-obtain information.

DW.exe starts automatically whenever a crash is detected. The application that crashes is automatically shut down, and before relevant crash data can be lost, DW.exe captures user settings related to the crash from the registry and the current memory block where the application is running. DW.exe then packages the data and any supporting files — such as the file being worked on at the time of the crash, templates if needed, and any associated files in use by the application during the crash — and submits the information to Microsoft for analysis.

Corporate Error Reporting utility

Corporate Error Reporting is a tool for use by administrators to manage the cabinet files created by DW.exe. Corporate Error Reporting allows businesses to redirect crash reports to a file server within an organization instead of submitting the information directly to Microsoft crash-reporting servers over the Internet. When enough crash entries are collected, administrators can review the information and submit only the crash data they think is useful to Microsoft.

With Corporate Error Reporting administrators can review what types of crashes users are experiencing the most. The information can then be used in educating users on how to avoid problems or produce work-arounds to potential crash situations.

Note   See the CER.HLP file available with the Corporate Error Reporting tool for a complete listing of all the files, folder hierarchy, and notes associated with usage of the tool.

How Corporate Error Reporting works

Corporate Error Reporting consists of executable files (cer.exe and cerintll.dll), a File Folder Tree, registry settings, and reporting options. An administrator creates and configures the File Folder Tree to enable Corporate Error Reporting.

Crash data collected by DW.exe is stored in "buckets" within the File Folder Tree. These buckets are groupings of errors submitted by users with a roll up of their system's memory, metrics of the crash, and any supporting files necessary to determine the circumstances and causes of a crash. Corporate Error Reporting allows administrators the ability to change what Microsoft has set as being necessary information for reporting a crash.

If an administrator does not want to submit documents involved in a crash (such as documents with proprietary or limited corporate information), an administrator can block the submission of this crash data to Microsoft by setting a policy or changing a registry setting on the user's computer.

Redirecting a user's computer

You can use Corporate Error Reporting to redirect and configure a user's computer for reporting crash data. Redirecting a user's computer to an alternate location is simple. Change the URL in the registry entry DWFileTreeRoot to a different URL, drive alias, or UNC. Note that there must be a File Folder Tree at the location specified; if the File Folder Tree does not exist with the proper permissions and security, then DW.exe will not write crash-reporting data to the specified location or to Microsoft.

Configuring a crash-reporting server

The administrator creates a File Folder Tree for use with Corporate Error Reporting. To create a File Folder Tree, an administrator must have administrative privileges on the server where the File Folder Tree will be created. A crash-reporting server must have the following:

• Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 with Service Pack 6a or Windows 2000
  
  
• Internet Explorer 4.01 or higher
  
  
• 64 MB of RAM
  
  
• An NTFS-formatted disk drive with at least 2 to 8 GB of hard-disk space for the File Folder Tree

The amount of disk space used by DW.exe is dependent on the number of crashes and the number of cabinet files collected, not on the number of users. If you increase the number of cabinet files collected per bucket beyond the defaults in either the Default or Selected Buckets' policy dialogs, DW.exe will use more disk space.

• At least a 200-megahertz (MHz) computer (recommended) that has access to the Internet

To establish a local crash-reporting server (recommended method)

1. Install the Office XP Resource Kit on the server where the File Folder Tree will be stored.
   
   
2. Create a File Folder Tree on a share accessible to users who will report crashes (see "Create a File Folder Tree" later in this chapter).
   
   
3. Configure Default and Selected Buckets' policy settings by using the Corporate Error Reporting menu options, Default Policy and Selected Buckets' Policy (Edit menu).
   
   
4. Set the DWFileTreeRoot registry setting on all users' computers with the UNC or drive alias where the root folder of the File Folder Tree is located.

To set a registry setting on a user's computer, use either the System Policy Editor (load the Office10.ADM template) or add the registry setting to a transform using the Add Registry Entries page of the Custom Installation Wizard or the Custom Maintenance Wizard. It is also possible to capture the configuration of a user's computer by using the Profile Wizard and then propagate that configuration to all users with a customized OPS file.

Create a File Folder Tree

Before DW.exe can begin reporting crash data to a local crash-reporting server, an administrator must create a File Folder Tree in which to store crash information. Use the following procedure to establish a reporting share on a local file server.

Note   A File Folder Tree must be created on an NTFS-formatted drive to properly configure permissions and security settings.

Before you create a File Folder Tree, you should decide on what server configuration to use. The following will help you decide:

• You need a share with at least 2 GB of hard-disk space available on an NTFS-formatted drive.

  Regardless of company size, Corporate Error Reporting will not require a lot of extra space. However, you might need more space if you choose to track more than the default number of crash files. For most cases, 2 GB should properly handle all crashes for an entire corporation.

• If you prefer, you can create two or more crash-reporting file servers and direct different users to the one most appropriate (for example, Engineering, Accounting, Sales, etc.).
  
  
• If you create a single crash-reporting share, all users in the company will need access to that share.

If the share is not accessible to all users, then you may need to create multiple crash-reporting servers. See the security settings in the table following the procedure for what permissions should be set for each folder to allow users access to the File Folder Tree.

To create a File Folder Tree

1. Create a folder on the drive beginning one folder below the root of the drive.

   You can give the folder any name you want, but FileFolderTree may be the easiest to remember.

2. Share this new folder on the server.
   
   
3. Under the folder you created and shared, create these folders: Cabs, Counts, Status.

   Example:

   <drive letter>\FileFolderTree\
                  Cabs
                  Counts
                  Status

4. Set the security for each folder to the following.

   Folder	For Windows 2000
   Cabs	For Windows 2000, set Allow inheritable permissions from parent to propagate to this object to unchecked For Windows NT, set Replace Permissions on Subdirectories to unchecked (default) for the root or parent directory of this folder. Allow List Folder Contents to Everyone Allow Write to Everyone
   Counts	For Windows 2000, set Allow inheritable permissions from parent to propagate to this object to unchecked For Windows NT, set Replace Permissions on Subdirectories to unchecked (default) for the root or parent directory of this folder. Allow Read to Everyone Allow Write to Everyone
   Status	For Windows 2000, set Allow inheritable permissions from parent to propagate to this object to unchecked For Windows NT, set Replace Permissions on Subdirectories to unchecked (default) for the root or parent directory of this folder. Allow Read to Everyone Allow List Folder Contents to Everyone

The crash-reporting server is now ready for use by DW.exe and Corporate Error Reporting.

Configure policy settings

Both the Default and Selected Buckets' policy settings use the same policy entries. However, the effect of each is enforced at different levels of the File Folder Tree. The Default policy settings determine the default settings for the entire File Folder Tree. Setting these policies is easy and is usually all you need to begin reporting crash data in the File Folder Tree.

At some point you might need to limit the amount of reporting and the need for secondary data (associated files in a crash), or limit whether the supporting data can be referenced for the user to work around the problem. Enabling and setting the Selected Buckets' policy settings will override the Default policy settings and allow for special handling of specific types of crashes.

Default policy settings are saved in the policy.txt file found in the root folder of the File Folder Tree.

Selected Buckets' policy settings are set in the status.txt file found in the cabs folder branch of the File Folder Tree. These settings control policy settings of the individual cab folder (or bucket) in the Bucket View of Corporate Error Reporting you had selected when you set Selected Buckets' policy settings.

Distribute policy settings

If all users of your organization are installing Office XP for the first time, it is possible to change the following registry setting on their local computers to the file server configured for crash reporting:

HKCU\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Office\10.0\Common\DWFileTreeRoot

It should be a fully qualified URL, drive alias, or UNC and path to the File Folder Tree root directory. Setting this one registry entry to a local file server is all that is needed to enable the corporate solution.

Example:

\\server\share

It is highly recommended to make the root of the File Folder Tree the share point. Or, if needed, a folder path can be added after the \\server\share.

To add a policy to enforce redirection of DW.exe

1. Start the System Policy Editor.
   
   
2. Make sure the Office10.adm template is loaded.
   
   
3. Double-click the Default User profile icon.
   
   
4. Expand the Microsoft Word 2002 node (click the plus (+) sign or double-click the Microsoft Word 2002 text).
   
   
5. Expand the Corporate Error Reporting node.
   
   
6. Set the Error reporting location policy to checked.
   
   
7. Enter the UNC or drive letter plus any required path into the Path text box.
   
   
8. Click OK.

In situations where you do not wish to use system policies, it is possible to force a redirection of DW.exe using the following method:

To add a registry entry to redirect DW.exe using either the Custom Maintenance Wizard or Custom Installation Wizard

1. Start the wizard.
   
   
2. Navigate to the Add/Remove Registry Entries page.
   
   
3. In the Add/Remove Registry Entries page, click the Add Registry Entry tab, then click the Add… button.
   
   
4. Select the HKEY_CURRENT_USER node and REG_SZ data type from their respective drop-down combo boxes.
   
   
5. Enter Software\Policies\Microsoft\Office\10.0\Common in the Key text box.
   
   
6. Enter DWFileTreeRoot in the Value name text box
   
   
7. Enter the UNC or URL in the Value data text box.
   
   
8. Click OK.

Enforcing policy settings local to the crash-reporting server only requires setting policies in either the Policy.txt file (accessible through the Default Policy dialog box from the Edit menu) or, specific to a given bucket, in the status.txt file (accessible through the Selected Buckets' Policy dialog from the Edit menu). Redirecting users to the local crash-reporting file server requires the use of the System Policy Editor, which ships with the Office Resource Kit or is available with Windows NT Server 4.0 and above. Use the Office10.adm policy template and navigate to Office XP | Corporate Error Reporting | Error Reporting Location and set the check box to checked.

When users are redirected to the local crash-reporting file server, the policy settings within the File Folder Tree are used by DW.exe to manage how crash data is reported.

Security of crash data

Submitting the data from files associated with a crash (secondary data) increases the probability that Microsoft can find a solution to your crash faster. In many cases, it is impossible to isolate a crash-causing problem without more relevant data to explain the crash. If it all possible, allow secondary data to be submitted with crash data to Microsoft.

For many corporations, reporting secondary crash data is a sensitive subject, because there may be limited or proprietary data in the associated files, and because it may take extra time to send the data to Microsoft. Furthermore, reporting secondary data that is proprietary can be considered a breach of conduct or grounds for termination in some corporations.

With these critical issues in mind, Microsoft designed and developed Corporate Error Reporting as an intermediate point where administrators have a chance to collect, evaluate, and, if need be, block the submission of crash reports and secondary data to Microsoft.

How users know if data can be uploaded

DW.exe prompts all users when a crash occurs, asking them whether they want to report the crash. If secondary data is requested by DW.exe, users are asked if they are willing to upload the secondary files. If a user chooses not to upload the files, then only the core memory associated with a crash is placed in the cabinet file (along with other crash data).

Administrators also have the option of using expand.exe to open cabinet files and examine the contents prior to uploading. When crash data is reported by individuals or groups that have access to sensitive information, you might want to create a separate File Folder Tree for their reports. You can then expand each cabinet file that is submitted and examine it for any proprietary or limited data prior to uploading it to Microsoft.

Registry settings for DW.exe controlled by Corporate Error Reporting

All the registry entries vital to controlling the reporting of crash data are explained in this section. Most of these entries can be overridden with the Default Policy (policy.txt) or Selected Buckets' Policy (status.txt) dialog settings. However, some require deployment through a system policy or must be deployed to users through a transform (MST file), configuration maintenance file (CMW file), or Office profile settings file (OPS file).

The local copy of DW.exe running on a user's computer uses the registry entry DWFileTreeRoot. This registry entry is set with a system policy. When DW.exe runs, it evaluates the File Folder Tree it finds listed at this location. If the location is a valid File Folder Tree, then DW.exe reports to it. If the location is not valid, DW.exe will not report a crash. It is very important that the DWFileTreeRoot registry entry be specified correctly in order for any crash-reporting system to work correctly.

All customized registry entries for DW.exe must be in the following registry node:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Office\10.0\Common\<value>

These custom registry entries for DW.exe are not created when Office XP is installed on a user's computer. These settings must be created by the administrator or present in either a Default or Selected Buckets' policy on the local crash-reporting server. The only exception to this is the DWFileTreeRoot registry entry. It must exist on a user's computer to redirect users to the local crash-reporting server.

DWFileTreeRoot registry entry

If any valid URL, drive alias, or UNC is present in the DWFileTreeRoot registry entry, DW.exe communicates with the corporate crash-reporting server instead of Microsoft's crash-reporting server. This setting must be a valid URL, drive alias, or UNC server-share combination on a local crash-reporting server where all users have write access. If the provided string is not a valid UNC path, DW.exe aborts. The specified path can also be a drive-letter alias to the network share. However, this drive letter must reference the same network and server share on all computers; otherwise you may encounter an error if DW.exe cannot connect to the File Folder Tree.

You can set the DWFileTreeRoot registry entry with one of the following values by using either the System Policy Editor, Custom Installation Wizard, Custom Maintenance Wizard, or Office Profile Wizard:

Null = go to the Internet (Microsoft server)
(string) = UNC to store crash information to (File Folder Tree root of local server)

DWTracking registry entry or Tracking policy

If any value is present in the DWTracking registry entry, it enables tracking of crashes to the File Folder Tree. If tracking is enabled, DW.exe writes user information for every crash to the log file crash.log. It also writes the same information to hits.log and associates each set of user data with a particular cabinet file.

You can set the DWTracking registry entry with one of the following values by using a Default or Selected Buckets' policy setting, the Custom Installation Wizard, Custom Maintenance Wizard, or the Profile Wizard:

null = no tracking
1 (non-zero - dword) = tracking enabled

DWNoExternalURL registry entry or NoExternalURL policy

If any value is present in the DWNoExternalURL registry entry, DW.exe will not connect to the Microsoft Web site from the DW.exe response dialog when users report a crash. Only internal URLs are displayed to users on the final response dialog when they report a crash.

You can set the DWNoExternalURL registry entry with one of the following values by using a Default or Selected Buckets' policy setting, the Custom Installation Wizard, Custom Maintenance Wizard, or Profile Wizard:

null = launch the Microsoft supplied URL found in the Response entry in the status.txt file
1 (non-zero - dword) = do not connect to the Microsoft supplied URL

DWNoFileCollection registry entry or NoFileCollection policy

If any value is present in the DWNoFileCollection registry entry, DW.exe will not send, or prompt the user, for any files requested by the Microsoft crash-reporting server.

You can set the DWNoFileCollection registry entry with one of the following values by using a Default or Selected Buckets' policy setting, the Custom Installation Wizard, Custom Maintenance Wizard, or Profile Wizard:

null = prompt the user for any files requested by Microsoft.
1 (non-zero - dword) = no file collection

DWNoSecondLevelCollection registry entry or NoSecondLevelCollection policy

If any value is present in the DWNoSecondLevelCollection registry entry, DW.exe will not send second-level data, or prompt the user for any supporting data, requested by Microsoft. Second-level data includes any files, file version information, Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) queries, user registry settings, and current documents considered relevant to resolving the reason for the crash. These are never uploaded without explicit permission of the user.

You can set the DWNoSecondLevelCollection registry entry with one of the following values by using a Default or Selected Buckets' policy setting, the Custom Installation Wizard, Custom Maintenance Wizard, or Profile Wizard:

null = prompt the user for second level data
1 (non-zero - dword) = no collection (and no prompting of the user)

DWURLLaunch registry entry or URLLaunch policy

If the DWURLLaunch registry entry contains a URL (string), DW.exe provides a link pointing to the location where fixes or work-around information for a particular crash are stored. This is posted on the final DW.exe response dialog shown to users after they report a crash. Use this entry to redirect users to local fixes and work-arounds for a particular crash.

You can set the DWURLLaunch registry entry with one of the following values by using the Custom Installation Wizard, Custom Maintenance Wizard, or Profile Wizard:

null = no URL (an empty string)
(string) = URL to jump to for further information

DWNeverUpload registry entry

If the DWNeverUpload registry entry value is set to 1, DW.exe never uploads data and never prompts the user. If this is set to 0, DW.exe prompts the user before uploading.

You can set the DWNeverUpload registry entry with one of the following values by using the Custom Installation Wizard, Custom Maintenance Wizard, or Profile Wizard:

0 = Prompt
1 (non-zero - dword) = Never

DWReporteeName registry entry

If the DWReporteeName registry entry value is set to empty (null), the string "Microsoft" will appear in the user interface for any messages or dialogs informing the user where data is being sent regarding a crash. If this value is replaced with a string value, DW.exe replaces any references to Microsoft in the data reporting messages. Specifically, if a user receives the message "Report problem to Microsoft" from DW.exe when data is being redirected to a local crash-reporting server, it is best to change this entry to the name of your server or the department that is managing crashes. For example, setting this registry entry to "corporate server \\Corp1\crashshare" changes the previous message to "Report problem to corporate server \\Corp1\crashshare".

You can set the DWReporteeName registry entry with one of the following values by using the Custom Installation Wizard, Custom Maintenance Wizard, or Profile Wizard:

null = None, defaults to "Microsoft"
(string) = substitutes "Microsoft" with the specified string within the user interface

Reporting stored crash data to Microsoft

Perhaps one of the easiest tasks to perform in Corporate Error Reporting is to report stored crashes from the File Folder Tree. However, this task can also be the most time-consuming of features in the utility, depending upon the amount of data to report.

If you are part of a large corporation, you may prefer with large reports to export only the selected buckets instead of the entire File Folder Tree. If you are part of a small company with only a few crashes to report, you are probably safe to report all the buckets at once.

Quantity of reported data is the key factor in how long the process will take. It is highly recommended to begin the reporting process at the end of the day; using the evening to accomplish the upload can ensure full performance of your computer system by the morning.

To report all buckets in the current File Folder Tree

• Select File, Export Buckets…

To report only a select bucket or set of selected buckets

1. Hold the Ctrl key and click on each bucket in the Bucket View grid that you want to submit to Microsoft.
   
   
2. Select File, Export Selected Buckets…

If the Bucket ID does not exist in the File Folder Tree, DW.exe creates:

• The folder structure within the File Folder Tree to support the crash (a bucket)

The folder structure within the File Folder Tree created by DW.exe is the concatenation of <File Folder Tree Root directory>\<Application name>\<Application Version>\<Module Name>\<Module Version>\<Memory offset>

• A mini-dump of the memory, then turning it into a file
  
  
• A collection of any registry keys, entries, documents, or related files, along with the mini-dump, into a cabinet file (cab)
  
  
• An instance of a cabinet file in the lowest leaf for the new bucket in the Cabs folder
  
  
• A hits.log file in the Cabs folder
  
  
• An identical folder structure created for the Cabs folder under the Counts folder
  
  
• A count.txt file in the Counts folder
  
  
• An identical folder structure created for the Cabs folder under the Status folder
  
  
• A status.txt file in the Status folder