Section 18.3. Showing Warnings

18.3. Showing Warnings

In earlier versions, Word displayed warnings and alerts in message boxes that popped up on your screen. In Office 2007, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint display these warnings in a message bar that appears just below the ribbon. Often, the warning includes an Options button that lets you choose a course of action. For example, suppose you open a file that contains macros. Word shows a warning in the message bar similar to the one in Figure 18-10. The warning explains the situation: Macros have been disabled. If you click the Options button, you see additional information about the situation. In the case of the macro warning, Word tells you that it has disabled macros, most likely because the file doesn't come from one of your Trusted Publishers, or because the digital signature is invalid. You can choose to "Help protect me from unknown content," in which case Word leaves the macros disabled. Or you can choose to "enable this content" if you know the document is safe.

You can choose whether or not Word shows warnings in the message bar. To change the settings go to Office Word Options Trust Center, and click Trust Center Settings to open the Trust Center box. On the left side of the Trust Center box, click Message Bar. You see two options:

• Show the Message Bar in all applications when content has been blocked . This option is Word's factory setting, and it's a good choice to stick with. The message bar always tells you what's going on and gives you the option to run macros, ActiveX controls, and Add-ins on a case-by-case basis.

• Never show information about blocked content . With this option, you never see alerts about macros and other security issues, and you aren't given the opportunity to run them. This option might be appropriate if you're setting a computer up for someone who doesn't need to use macros or add-ins and who might be confused by the security alerts.

GEM IN THE ROUGH
Protecting Your Privacy

Microsoft likes to collect information about how you use your software, how you use their Web site, and when you have problems with their products. The information they collect helps them make business decisions which, in part, help them make better products and, in part, help them make more money.

You'll find an explanation about their policies and how it affects your privacy in Word Options. Go to Office Word Options Trust Center and look under Protecting Your Privacy. The links lead to Microsoft Web sites, and its possible that the explanations and the policies change from time to time.