The security level is reset to its original level after a user changes the security level in an Office 2003 program (910817)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Office 2003 Editions Resource Kit
  • Microsoft Office Professional Edition 2003
  • Microsoft Office Standard Edition 2003
  • Microsoft Office Students and Teachers Edition 2003
  • Microsoft Office Small Business Edition 2003
  • Microsoft Office Basic Edition 2003
  • Microsoft Office Access 2003
  • Microsoft Office Excel 2003
  • Microsoft Office Outlook 2003
  • Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2003
  • Microsoft Office Word 2003

SYMPTOMS

A user changes the security level in a Microsoft Office 2003 program. For example, the user changes the security level from Low to High. However, when the user quits and then restarts the Office 2003 program, the security level is reset to its original level. For example, the security level is reset to Low.

CAUSE

This behavior may occur when an administrator sets registry keys in the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE subtree. These registry keys override the HKEY_CURRENT_USER registry keys.

If an administrator sets one or more of the following registry keys in the transform (.mst) file, the security level is set to the level that the administrator chooses:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\11.0\Access\Security
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\11.0\Excel\Security
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\11.0\Outlook\Security
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\11.0\PowerPoint\Security
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\11.0\Word\Security

Note If an administrator sets one of these registry keys, users cannot change the security level settings.

For example, this behavior may occur when the administrator changes the Macro Security settings in step 10 of the Custom Installation Wizard.

Note This per-machine setting will override the per-user security level setting that is configured on the Specify Security Settings screen in the Custom Installation Wizard. If this setting is configured, users cannot change this setting by using an Office 2003 program.

RESOLUTION

To let users to change the security level in an Office 2003 program, do not use step 10 of the Custom Installation Wizard to configure security levels. Instead, use only step 15 of the Custom Installation Wizard to configure the default security level for Office 2003 programs.

To do this, follow these steps:
  1. Start the Custom Installation Wizard, and then click Next.
  2. Specify the path of your Office 2003 .msi installer file, and then click Next.
  3. Specify the path of the transform (.mst) file, and then click Next.
  4. Specify the transform (.mst) file that you want to use to save your changes, and then click Next.
  5. Click Next until you reach step 10 of the Custom Installation Wizard. Alternatively, click 10 - Change Office User Settings in the drop-down list in the upper-right corner of the Custom Installation Wizard.
  6. Expand Microsoft Office 2003 (machine).
  7. Click Security Settings.
  8. Double-click the Office 2003 program for which you want to remove or change the security level that you previously set. For example, double-click Word: Macro Security Level.
  9. In the Macro Security Level Properties dialog box, click No Changes, and then click OK.
  10. Repeat steps 8 and 9 for each Office 2003 program for which you previously set the security level.
  11. If you want to set the security level for Microsoft Office Access 2003, follow these steps. Otherwise, go to step 12.
    1. Click Next until you reach step 12 of the Custom Installation Wizard. Alternatively, click 12 - Add/Remove Registry Entries in the drop-down list in the upper-right corner of the Custom Installation Wizard.
    2. On the Add Registry Entry tab, click Add.
    3. In the Root box, click HKEY_CURRENT_USER.
    4. In the Data type box, click REG_DWORD.
    5. In the Key box, type Software\Microsoft\Office\11.0\Access\Security.
    6. In the Value name box, type Level.
    7. In the Value data box, type the value for the security level that you want. For example, for the High security level, type 3. For the Medium security level, type 2. For the Low security level, type 1.
    8. Click OK to close the Add/Modify Registry Entry dialog box.
  12. Click Next until you reach step 15 of the Custom Installation Wizard. Alternatively, click 15 - Specify Security Settings in the drop-down list in the upper-right corner of the Custom Installation Wizard.
  13. Double-click the Office 2003 program for which you want to set the default security level.

    For example, to set the default security level for Word 2003, double-click Microsoft Office Word, and then specify the security level that you want.

    Repeat this step for each Office 2003 program for which you want to specify a default security level.

    Note After you follow this step to set the security level, users can change the security level if they want.
  14. Click Next, and then complete the Custom Installation Wizard.
Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:12/13/2005
Keywords:kbSecurity kbtshoot kbprb KB910817 kbAudITPRO
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