FP97: Error Connecting to FrontPage Editor

Last reviewed: March 18, 1998
Article ID: Q169079

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft FrontPage 97 for Windows with Bonus Pack

IMPORTANT: This article contains information about editing the registry. Before you edit the registry, make sure you understand how to restore it if a problem occurs. For information about how to do this, view the "Restoring the Registry" Help topic in Regedit.exe or the "Restoring a Registry Key" Help topic in Regedt32.exe.

SYMPTOMS

When you start FrontPage Editor from within FrontPage Explorer, you receive the following error:

   Unable to connect to the FrontPage Editor.

When you attempt to save a file to FrontPage Explorer from FrontPage Editor, you receive the following error message:

   Could not make connection to the FrontPage Explorer. Please try to
   start the FrontPage Explorer from the Start menu or the icon in the
   program group.

CAUSE

This error may result from any of the following conditions:

Illegal TCP/IP name
Resource limitations
Errors in the video subsystem
Registry errors
Missing registry keys
Missing FrontPage registry key
Mismatched OLE components on Windows NT
Problems with Windows installation

RESOLUTION

Start with the first method and proceed to the next method until the problem is corrected.

Method 1: Illegal TCP/IP Name

Check the name of the computer and correct it. For more information, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   ARTICLE-ID: Q156909
   TITLE     : FP: OLE Errors When Working With FrontPage

Method 2: Resource Limitations

Make sure you have sufficient free resources. FrontPage 97 requires a minimum of 16 megabytes (MB) of memory if you are running the Personal Web Server. If you are running other programs or services, they will be using resources that otherwise would be available to FrontPage. To free up resources, try either of the following:

Restart your computer.
-or-
Shut down all programs except for Windows Explorer and Systray.

Method 3: Errors in Video Subsystem or Registry Errors

Start FrontPage Editor as a stand-alone program by double-clicking the Fpeditor.exe file in the \Program Files\Microsoft FrontPage\bin folder. Because FrontPage registers itself when you start it, it may be able to fix any registry errors related to it. If you still receive errors after starting FrontPage Editor, follow these steps.

NOTES:

Do not replace any .dll files if FrontPage Editor starts.
Do not rename the Ntdll.dll file in step 1 if you are running Windows NT.

Rename the following files, located in the Windows\System folder. These files are hidden files.
```
      Ntdll.dll
      Avifil32.dll
      Advapi32.dll
```
From the Windows 95 compact disc, copy the three files listed in step 1 to the Windows\System folder on your hard disk.
Try to run FrontPage Editor. If you still receive errors after performing steps 1 and 2, follow these steps:
a. Rename the following files, located in the Windows\System folder.
```
      These files are hidden files.
```
```
         Dciman.dll
         Dciman32.dll

   b. From the Windows 95 compact disc, copy the two files mentioned in
      step a to the Windows\System folder on your hard disk.
```
Try to run FrontPage Editor again.

Method 4: Undo Registry Cleaning Utilities

If you used a utility to clean the Registry (remove obsolete registry keys), restart the registry cleaning program and restore the Registry to its previous state. If the program does not provide a feature to restore previous Registry entries, go to Method 5.

Method 5: Absence of Required Registry Keys

WARNING: Using Registry Editor incorrectly can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that problems resulting from the incorrect use of Registry Editor can be solved. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

For information about how to edit the registry, view the "Changing Keys And Values" Help topic in Registry Editor (Regedit.exe) or the "Add and Delete Information in the Registry" and "Edit Registry Data" Help topics in Regedt32.exe. Note that you should back up the registry before you edit it. If you are running Windows NT, you should also update your Emergency Repair Disk (ERD).

Microsoft has received reports that some computers appear to be "losing" the Registry settings that FrontPage needs to run properly. Microsoft has not determined why some computers are losing these Registry settings while other computers are not.

If You Are Using Windows 95:

   Back up your registry, and then follow these steps:

   1. Download the Fp169079.exe file.

      The Fp169079.exe file is available to download from the Microsoft
      Software Library (MSL):

       ~ FP169079.exe

   For more information about how and where to obtain this file, see the
   "More Information" section of this article.

   2. Double-click the Fp169079.exe file to extract its contents.

      The following two files will be stored on your hard disk:

         Fix97.reg
         Aux97.reg

   3. Double-click the Fix97.reg file.

   4. When you receive a message indicating that the information was
      successfully registered, click OK.

   If you still receive the errors described in the "Symptoms" section of
   this article, skip to Method 6.

If You Are Using Windows NT 4.0:

   Back up the following registry keys:

         HKEY_CLasses_Root
         HKEY_Current_User

   To back up these registry keys, follow these steps:

   1. On the Start menu, click Run.

   2. In the Open box, type "regedt32 /v" (without the quotation marks).

   3. Open the HKEY_Classes_Root key and select the first folder in the
      left pane.

   4. On the Registry menu, click Save Key.

   5. Type a file name and select a location where you want to save this
      file.

      NOTE: You should note the file name and location in case you need
      to restore the Registry key.

   6. Open the HKEY_Current_User key and select the top folder in the
      left pane.

   7. Repeat steps 4 and 5.

   After you back up the registry keys, follow these steps:

   1. Download the Fp169079.exe file from the Microsoft Software Library.

      The Fp169079.exe file is available to download from the Microsoft
      Software Library (MSL):

       ~ FP169079.exe

      NOTE: For more information about how and where to obtain this file,
      see the "More Information" section of this article.

   2. Double-click the Fp169079.exe file.

      The following two files will be copied to your hard disk:

         Fix97.reg
         Aux97.reg

   3. Double-click the Fix97.reg file.

   4. When you receive a message indicating that the information was
      successfully registered, click OK.

   If you still receive the errors described in the "Symptoms" section,
   follow the steps in Method 6.

Method 6: Missing FrontPage Registry Key

On some computers, FrontPage 97 Setup does not create the following registry key:

   [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\FrontPage\Editor]
   "Auxiliary DLL Registered For"="2.0.2.1112"

The existence of this key affects how long it takes FrontPage to start. On computers where this Registry key is missing, FrontPage Explorer and FrontPage Editor time-out prematurely.

It you determine that this key is missing from the Registry, use the following steps to install it.

Windows 95:

   After you back up your Registry, follow these steps:

   1. Download the Fp169079.exe file from the Microsoft Software Library.

      The Fp169079.exe file is available to download from the Microsoft
      Software Library (MSL):

       ~ FP169079.exe

      NOTE: For more information about how and where to obtain this file,
      see the "More Information" section of this article.

   2. Double-click the Fp169079.exe file.

      The following two files will be copied to your hard disk:

         Fix97.reg
         Aux97.reg

   3. Double-click the Aux97.reg file.

   4. When you receive a message indicating that the information was
      successfully registered, click OK.

Windows NT 4.0:

   Back up the following Registry keys:

         HKEY_CLasses_Root
         HKEY_Current_User

   To back up these Registry keys, do the following:

   1. On the Start menu, click Run.

   2. In the Open box, type "regedt32 /v" (without the quotation marks).

   3. Open the HKEY_Classes_Root key and select the first folder in the
      left pane.

   4. On the Registry menu, click Save Key.

   5. Type a file name and select a location where you want to save this
      file.

      NOTE: You should note the file name and location in case you need
      to restore the Registry key.

   6. Open the HKEY_Current_User key and select the top folder in the
      left pane.

   7. Repeat steps 4 through 5.

   After you back up the Registry keys, follow these steps:

   1. Download the Fp169079.exe file.

      The Fp169079.exe file is available to download from the Microsoft
      Software Library (MSL):

       ~ FP169079.exe

      NOTE: For more information about how and where to obtain this file,
      see the "More Information" section of this article.

   2. Double-click the Fp169079.exe file.

      The following two files are stored on your hard disk:

         Fix97.reg
         Aux97.reg

   3. Double-click the Aux97.reg file.

   4. When you receive a message indicating that the information was
      successfully registered, click OK.

If you still receive the errors described in the "Symptoms" section, go to Method 7.

Method 7: Mismatched OLE Components on Windows NT

FrontPage 97 calls OLE32.dll and OLEAUT32.dll files when making the connection between FrontPage Explorer and FrontPage Editor. These files may make further calls to other elements of the OLE subsystem. In the event your installation of OLE has been improperly upgraded or has become mismatched, a full installation of the most recent Service Pack for Windows NT may solve the problem. If you have followed all of the previous steps without success, try installing the latest Windows NT Service Pack from the following Web site:

   http://www.microsoft.com/ntserver/info/

NOTE: Follow the Service Pack Setup directions explicitly. Also, be sure to quit any programs which may use OLE before you install the service pack.

If you still receive the errors described in the "Symptoms" section, you will need to reinstall Windows NT to a new folder.

Method 8: Reinstall Windows

For information about how to reinstall Windows 95, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   ARTICLE-ID: Q142096
   TITLE     : How to Reinstall Windows 95 to a New Folder

MORE INFORMATION

The Fp169079.exe file is available to download from the Microsoft Software Library (MSL):

 ~ FP169079.exe (size: 71392 bytes)

You can also download the Fp169079.exe file from the Microsoft FTP site:

   ftp://ftp.microsoft.com/Softlib/MSLFILES/

This self-extracting file contains the following two files:

   Fix97.reg
   Aux97.reg

For more information about downloading files from the Microsoft Software Library, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   ARTICLE-ID: Q119591
   TITLE     : How to Obtain Microsoft Support Files from Online
               Services

Additional query words:
Keywords : fpedit fpexp kberrmsg kbdta
Version : windows:97
Hardware : x86

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Last reviewed: March 18, 1998
© 1998 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Terms of Use.