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I’m probebly missing something, but couldn’t you just use the Photo Album feature in PowerPoint XP?

Insert>Picture>New Photo Album

-Lenny

Thanks for the info. Even if the help files pose security issues, NOT installing the OA won’t help matters any, will it? It seems the issue is with the help files, not the OA.

Unfortunately, that old security bulletin that only had to do with version 2000 still has some IT people alarmed and confused about the security of the Office Assistant. What they fail to realize is that the problem back then was not in the OA but in some scripted features of the help files like the Show Me links.

That could be because the OA got the blame in many articles, like the one I noted. It sounded funny to bash the OA (Clippy) in print, but that mislead many people to think they should never install the OA in the future.

So, now I have the job of convincing an IT person that it is NOT a security threat to install the OA in Office 2002. But, it’s like talking to a brick wall because he’s so conviced it is a threat. He keeps citing that old security problem that had nothing to do with the OA.

-Lenny

Two questions…

1) Does Office XP have “show me” feature at all in the help files? I can’t find any. That alone would tell me the old security issue is not relevant any longer.

2) Do you think past articles about the UA security problem might have mislead some into thinking the OA itself is a security threat? It seemed some journalists tended to specifically cite the OA as the problem. I’m sure it sounded more interesting than the truth. Later in the articles, they vaguely disclose the problem is in the help files’ “show me” feature. But by that time, they had sensationalized the OA being the problem so much, readers may not catch the truth – or even care because people love bashing the Office Assistant.

For example, check out this article…
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-11-520809.html?legacy=zdnn

-Lenny

Thanks for the info, Phil. I also understood the security patch to be for the help files and not the OA itself. I have not read of any specific security threat from using the OA specifically.

I have a feeling this IT person is simply predjudiced against the OA for the nusiance it was in 97, and is looking for reasons to not load it in XP. I’ll try to find out more information from him, however, and let you know.

Thanks,
Lenny