Microsoft KB Archive/180276

= OFF98: Controlling How and When the Office Assistant Appears =

Article ID: 180276

Article Last Modified on 11/13/2003

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Excel 98 for Macintosh
 * Microsoft Word 98 for Macintosh
 * Microsoft PowerPoint 98 for Macintosh

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This article was previously published under Q180276



SUMMARY
When you run any of the programs included in Microsoft Office 98 Macintosh Edition and you use a lower screen resolution, or you open many windows at once, or the screen is cluttered; the Office Assistant window may become obtrusive. This article contains information about controlling how and when the Office Assistant appears.



MORE INFORMATION
All of the programs in Microsoft Office 98 include the Office Assistant. The Assistant is available to help you with any questions or problems that you have about using Office.

To ask the Office Assistant a question, click the Office Assistant window, and then type your question. If the Office Assistant window is not visible, click the Office Assistant toolbar button on the Standard toolbar.

By default, the Office Assistant is always visible. However, you can make the Office Assistant appear only when you have a question by following these steps:

 Click the Office Assistant window. Click Options on the dialog box that appears.  Under Assistant Capabilities, several check boxes control how often the Office Assistant appears. These check boxes are listed in the following table.   Check box              Functionality

Help With Wizards     If selected, the Assistant appears when you use a                          Wizard.

Display Alerts        If selected, all alerts are displayed in "word                          bubbles" by the Assistant. If cleared, alerts are displayed in normal dialog boxes.

Guess Help Topics     If selected, the Assistant guesses which Help topics you want to see based on your actions.

Respond To Help Key   If selected, pressing Help displays the Assistant and prompts you for a question. If                         cleared, pressing Help displays the Help Topics window for the current program.

Move When In The Way  If selected, the Assistant window moves away from the pointer when you are typing. If cleared, the Assistant window may hide or obscure the text you are trying to edit. If you want the Assistant to appear only when you need to ask a question, clear the Help With Wizards, Display Alerts, and Guess Help Topics check boxes. Make sure that the Respond To F1 Key check box is selected.  Click OK.

When you press Help, the Assistant appears and prompts you for a question. You can also display the Assistant by clicking the Office Assistant toolbar button on the Standard toolbar.

To hide the Assistant, do either of the following:


 * Click the small close box in the upper-left corner of the Assistant window.

-or-
 * Press and hold the CONTROL key and click the Assistant window. Then, click Hide Assistant.

Additional query words: OFF98 XL98

Keywords: kbhowto kbfaq KB180276

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