XL5: "File Format No Longer Supported" Using Macro Module

• Microsoft Excel for Windows versions 5.0, 5.0c
• Microsoft Project for Windows version 4.0

WARNING: The information in this article has not been confirmed or tested by Microsoft. Some or all of the information in this article has been taken from unconfirmed customer reports. ANY USE BY YOU OF THE INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THIS ARTICLE IS AT YOUR OWN RISK. Microsoft provides this information "as is" without warranty of any kind, either express or implied, including but not limited to the implied warranties of merchantability and/or fitness for a particular purpose.

SYMPTOMS

In the programs listed at the beginning of this article, when you open a file that contains a Visual Basic for Applications module, insert a Visual Basic module sheet into a workbook, or record a new macro using Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications, you may receive the following error message:

   File format is no longer supported

CAUSE

This behavior has been reported to occur when you install certain third- party programs, and then open or create a new Visual Basic module sheet, record a new macro, or attempt to retrieve external data.

This behavior has been reported to occur after installing the following programs:

• Action
• Artisoft Co-session (In-sync)
• Borland C++
• cc:Mail
• Compton's Encyclopedia (on compact disc)
• CPAV (on network)
• Crystal Ball (add-in for Microsoft Excel)
• Design CAD 3D for Windows
• Internet Anywhere (installs a System32 directory)
• JD Edwards Fianancial
• Lawson (on network)
• Lotus 1-2-3 Release 5 for Windows
• Lotus Approach version 3.0
• Lotus Notes Reporter for Windows 1.0
• Microsoft Visual C++
• Netscape Navigator versions 1.1, 1.1B2, and 2.0
• Network MCI Business
• Novell network environment (workstation running local Windows and shared Microsoft Excel 5.0)
• Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) Software Development Kit (from The Developer Network)
• Microsoft Office for Windows, version 4.3c-CD
• SAS
• Visio 3.0
• Watermark Enterprise Edition
• WordPerfect
• WIN32s operating extension
• WRQ3000

WORKAROUND

You may be able to work around this problem by decompressing or extracting the original version of the Stdole.tlb file from the appropriate Microsoft Excel 5.0, Office 4.2, or Office 4.3 disk to the Windows\System directory.

To decompress or extract the Stdole.tlb file, use the following appropriate steps:

Microsoft Excel 5.0c

Use the Extract utility, Extract.exe, to manually extract the file from the Microsoft Excel .cab file that is located on the appropriate Microsoft Excel Setup disk.

The Stdole.tlb file is located on the following disks in the following .cab files.

Microsoft Office:

The .cab files that contain Stdole.tlb are listed in the following table.

   Version of Office    Disk format  Disk number     File
   -------------------------------------------------------------

   4.3                  DMF          23              Msoff23.cab
   4.3                  Non-DMF      32              Msoff32.cab
   4.2                  DMF          19              Msoff19.cab
   4.2                  Non-DMF      26              Msoff26.cab

The .cab files that contain Stdole.tlb are listed in the following table.

   Disk type     Disk number     File
   ----------------------------------------

   DMF           1               Excel1.cab
   3.5-inch      1               Excel1.cab
   5.25-inch     1               Excel1.cab
   720k          2               Excel2.cab

1. Copy Extract.exe from Setup Disk 1 to the root directory on the local hard disk, or to a directory that is located in the PATH statement in the Autoexec.bat file.

2. Insert the Setup disk that contains the Stdole.tlb file in the floppy disk drive.

3. At the MS-DOS prompt, type the following:

         extract /y <drive>:\<directory>\<.cab file> /L c:\<windows>\system\
         stdole.tlb
   

   where <drive> is the drive that contains the Setup Disk, <.cab file> is the .cab file that contains the Stdole.tlb file that you want to extract, and <windows> is the Microsoft Windows directory on drive C.

   Note that you can use the /y switch to overwrite the existing compressed file without prompting. The space before the file name is required to properly extract the new file and overwrite the existing file.

Microsoft Excel 5.0

If you are using Microsoft Excel 5.0, use the Decomp utility, Decomp.exe, to manually decompress the file from the appropriate Microsoft Excel Setup disk. Decomp.exe is available on the Microsoft Excel Setup Disk 1.

The disks that contain Stdole.tlb are listed in the following table.

   Disk type     Disk number
   -------------------------

   3.5-inch      7
   5.25-inch     9
   720k          9

1. Copy Decomp.exe to the root directory of the local hard drive, or to a directory that is located in the PATH statement in the Autoexec.bat file.

2. Insert the Microsoft Excel Setup disk that contains the Stdole.tlb file in the disk drive.

3. If you are using the stand-alone version of Microsoft Excel, type the following command at the MS-DOS prompt and press ENTER:

         decomp -f <drive>:\stdole.tl_ c:\windows\system\stdole.tlb
   

   where <drive> is the drive that contains the Microsoft Excel Setup disk that contains the (uncompressed) Stdole.tl_ file.

   You can use the -f switch to overwrite the existing uncompressed file without prompting.

   If you are using the version of Microsoft Excel that comes with Microsoft Office 4.3-CD, type the following command at the MS-DOS prompt and press ENTER:

         extract /y d:\setup.adm\disk32\msoff32.cab /L c:\windows\system
         stdole.tlb
   

   Windows\System (on the network)
   Windows (on the local computer)
   Windows\System (on the local computer; create it if it does not
   already exist)