XL5: Incorrect Reg.dat Entries After Automatic Registration

• Microsoft Excel for Windows, versions 5.0, 5.0c

SYMPTOMS

If you rename the Microsoft Excel program file, Excel.exe, to a different file name, or if you rename the Reg.dat file, or if you move the Microsoft Excel program files to a different drive or directory, the Reg.dat file contains incorrect entries.

The behavior of Microsoft Excel should not be affected by these incorrect entries; however, the behavior of a Microsoft Excel object in another program may be affected. The specific effect that these incorrect entries have on the behavior of a Microsoft Excel object in another program is unknown. The following are symptoms you may encounter:

• Another program may stop responding or generate a general protection fault when you paste information from Microsoft Excel.
• You may be unable to complete certain actions with a Microsoft Excel chart object in another program.
• You may receive incorrect results when you edit a Microsoft Excel worksheet object in another program.

CAUSE

When you install Microsoft Excel, the program is registered correctly in the Reg.dat file. If you merge the Excel5.reg file into the Reg.dat file, the program is registered correctly in the Reg.dat file.

The incorrect entries are written to the Reg.dat file only if Microsoft Excel must automatically register itself in the Reg.dat file. This occurs when Microsoft Excel is not already registered in the Reg.dat file. Automatic registration occurs only when you run Microsoft Excel and one of the following conditions is true:

• You rename the Microsoft Excel program file.

  -or-

• You rename the Reg.dat file and start Microsoft Windows again.

  -or-

• You move the Microsoft Excel program files to a different drive or directory.

WORKAROUND

To register Microsoft Excel again in the Reg.dat file after any of the above conditions is true, run the Microsoft Excel Setup program and either click Reinstall All (to repeat the previous installation) or click Remove/Add to remove Microsoft Excel, and then run Setup to reinstall it.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article. We are researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.

MORE INFORMATION

The entries in Reg.dat that are listed in this section are incorrect when the registration information for Microsoft Excel is automatically generated.

NOTE: These entries are shown as they appear when you run Regedit.exe using the verbose switch (/v). The complete path for each entry is the following:

   HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{00020810-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}

Dataformats

The incorrect entries are as follows:

   - DataFormats
      - DefaultFile = Biff5
         - GetSet
            - 1 = 1,1,1
            - 2 = 1,16,1
            - 3 = 1,32,1

   - DataFormats
      - DefaultFile = Biff5
         - GetSet
            - 2 = 1,1,1,1
            - 1 = 2,1,16,1
            - 0 = 3,1,32,1

Conversion

The incorrect entries appear as follows:

   - Conversion
      - Readwritable
         - Main=Biff5
      - Readable
         - Main=Biff5,ExcelWorksheet

   - Conversion
      - Readable
         - Main=Biff5,ExcelWorksheet

MiscStatus

The incorrect MiscStatus entries for Microsoft Excel (for ExcelWorksheet and ExcelChart) are as follows:

   - MiscStatus

   - MiscStatus = 0
     (for ExcelWorksheet)

   - MiscStatus = 1
     (for ExcelChart)