Can't Use Open, Save, or Print Commands but Toolbar Tools Work

 Last reviewed: August 19, 1996
Article ID: Q86515

The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Excel for Windows, versions 4.0
  • Microsoft Project for Windows, versions 3.0, 4.0
  • Microsoft Query for Windows, version 1.0

SYMPTOMS

In Microsoft Excel, you may experience problems opening, dragging, saving, or printing files, if you have an outdated version of or more than one copy of the SHELL.DLL or Common Dialog Box Dynamic Link Library (COMMDLG.DLL) file. You may experience the following problems:

  • You receive the "File name is not valid" error message in the Open dialog box.
  • You receive the "Cannot find <FILENAME>.DLL, Please insert in drive A:" error message.
  • You are able to save two documents with the same filename without receiving an error message.
  • You receive an unrecoverable application error (UAE).
  • You experience a general protection (GP) fault.
  • You receive the "File not found" error message.

These symptoms are not always consistent and may not be easy to reproduce. For more information, see the "Troubleshooting" section later in this document.

WORKAROUNDS

Make sure the COMMDLG.DLL and SHELL.DLL files are located in the WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory and have a file date of March 10, 1992, or later. If the .DLL files are not in the WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory, or if they have earlier dates, copy the most recent version of the files to the WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory, and delete all earlier versions from your hard disk drive. Do not leave multiple copies of these files on your hard disk drive.

The COMMDLG.DLL and SHELL.DLL files are used by many applications to provide a consistent interface for common tasks. These dialog boxes include the Open, Save, Print, and Font dialog boxes.

The Microsoft Excel 4.0 installation program checks for an existing COMMDLG.DLL in the WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory and replaces it if the file is outdated. However, because it does not look in other directories for this file, multiple or older versions of the file may remain on your hard disk drive or network directory.

Troubleshooting

Use the toolbar to print or change fonts. If you can perform this operation when you use the toolbar, but are unable to perform it when you use menu commands and dialog boxes, this points to a .DLL conflict. (The toolbar tools offer a quick fix for printing and font selection until the .DLL can be updated.)

Use File Manager to open a file, or, if you are in an application, you should be able to open a file from the most recent file list at the bottom of the File menu.

Networks

During a Network Installation, the Setup program for the application you are using may copy its version of the COMMDLG.DLL and SHELL.DLL files to the network installation directory. On subsequent workstation installations, Setup writes the .DLL files to the WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory. If the WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory is set to read-only status, these files will not be written to the appropriate directory.

Third-Party Applications

The following table contains the names of third-party applications that have been reported to install the COMMDLG.DLL file. The "May Install COMMDLG.DLL here" column lists directories where this file may be installed (note, however, that you should check your entire hard disk drive for multiple copies of this file). 

   This third-party application   May Install COMMDLG.DLL here
   ===========================================================
   BizPlan Builder
   ----------------------------------------------------------
   Faxgrabber versions
   1.0 and 2.0 for Windows
   ----------------------------------------------------------
   Free Lance Graphics
   ----------------------------------------------------------
   Free Lance Info
   ----------------------------------------------------------
   Grammatik 5.0                  \GMKW
   ----------------------------------------------------------
   LANtastic
   ----------------------------------------------------------
   Lotus cc:Mail
   ----------------------------------------------------------
   Lotus Sound (the OLE server
   that ships with AudioPort)
   ----------------------------------------------------------
   MathCad for Windows
   ----------------------------------------------------------
   Norton Desktop
   ----------------------------------------------------------
   Real Data
   ----------------------------------------------------------
   Reflections 2.0
   ----------------------------------------------------------
   SAART network database         \SAART
   ----------------------------------------------------------
   WinFax
   ----------------------------------------------------------
   Xerox 7033 Lan Fax release
   2.01
   ----------------------------------------------------------
For additional information, please see the following article(s) in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: 

   ARTICLE-ID: Q102946
   TITLE     : "Excel Err Msg: Common Dialog Reported an Error While..."

REFERENCES

NETWORK.TXT file, Microsoft Excel version 4.0 for Windows "User's Guide 1," version 4.0, page 55

KBCategory: kbinterop kb3rdparty
KBSubcategory: xlquery

Additional reference words: 3.00 4.00 5.00 filename GPF cc mail software
international rsi delrina artisoft



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Last reviewed: August 19, 1996
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