Mac Office 2011 Update 14.2.4: "Error encountered installation failed".

Anonymous
2012-09-20T03:41:05+00:00

I have tried installing the latest update of Mac Office 2011 which is version 14.2.4, however, at the end of the installation I get a message "error encountered installation failed".

Microsoft 365 and Office | Install, redeem, activate | For home | Other

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

0 comments
Answer accepted by question author
Anonymous
2012-09-27T23:51:01+00:00

Hi everyone!

Thanks to everyone who sent installation logs for this issue.  There are two separate 14.2.4 installation issues that have shown up in this thread.

The first issue (and most common in this thread) stems from re-installing on top of existing installations. In general, don’t do this. Re-installing on top of existing installations can re-introduce files that should not be present. If you need to re-install, please be sure to remove Office 2011 as described on the following links:

Video | Uninstall Office 2011

Step-by-Step Instructions | How to completely remove Office for Mac 2011

One workaround for the 14.2.4 update that has helped some users is to temporarily move or rename the /Library/Automator folder. You can do this by following the steps below:

  1. With Finderopen, choose Go > Go to Folder...
  2. Type in the following path and then click Go:

/Library 3. Find the Automator folder, select it, and then click the name of the folder again to Rename the folder. Name the folder Automator_OldNote: OS X may prompt you for your password. This is normal. 4. Attempt to install the 14.2.4 update again. 5. If the update installs correctly, rename the Automator_Old folder back to its original name: Automator

If that solution does not work and you know you have re-installed Office 2011 on top of an existing Office 2011 installation, you’ll need to remove Office 2011 properly and re-install. 

The second issue was some users changed the size of the /tmp/ directory on their machine which was too small for the update to fully install. Re-sizing the /tmp/ directory resolved the install issue for these users.

If you're still experiencing issues installing the 14.2.4 update, please create your own thread by choosing **Ask a question...**at the top of this page. Be sure to include details about which solutions you've already tried.

Was this answer helpful?

1 person found this answer helpful.
0 comments

84 additional answers

Sort by: Oldest
Most helpful Newest Oldest
  1. Anonymous
    2012-09-21T19:38:58+00:00

    Same exact problems down to the weird toolbar thing

    1. 10.8.2
    2. Macbook Pro 15", Late 2011
    3. No FileVault
    4. Yes, except for the @2x toolbar for a few buttons (not all) and weird artifacts when hovering over spellcheck, etc
    5. Version: 14.2.4 (120616), Latest Installed Update: 14.2.3
    6. Install still failed with a new account

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  2. Anonymous
    2012-09-21T19:50:25+00:00

    Same-O Same-O

    Version 14.1.0 (-1074154576)

    Current Update 14.2.3

    OS X 10.8.2

    as of Sept 21, 2012

    "Safe Start" etc., etc. ....

    WAJ

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  3. Anonymous
    2012-09-21T20:01:18+00:00

    Oops, I meant 10.7.4

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  4. Anonymous
    2012-09-21T20:35:26+00:00

    I have MacBook Retina

    OSX 10.8.2

    2.7 GHz / Core i7

    Received the failure message.

    Outlook 14.2.3 - not upgraded

    Word - 14.2.4 - all my icons on the tool bar scrambled.

    Excel - 14.2.3 - all icons on the tool bar scrambled (graphics for copy and paste are disk like it should be for save)

    PP - 14.2.3 - All icons are scrambled like cut and paste is represented with a disk and undo is scissors.

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments