OFF: Toolbar Buttons Displayed as Bubbles with Question Marks

• Microsoft Office for Windows 95, version 7.0
• Microsoft Office 97 for Windows

SYMPTOMS

A toolbar button may display a blue question mark inside a white bubble.

CAUSE

This problem occurs if the target of the toolbar button is unavailable. In this situation, the proper icon information for the button is unavailable.

Example

Take, for example, the Office Compatible button on the Office toolbar. If Office is installed from a CD-ROM, and the CD-ROM is in the drive, the icon appears correctly as a book on the Office toolbar. However, if you eject the CD-ROM, the button has the help bubble appearance, because the Office Shortcut Bar cannot obtain the icon information. When the CD is replaced and the Office Shortcut Bar is refreshed, the button is updated and the book is redisplayed.

WORKAROUND

To avoid this problem, make sure the target file, which contains the icon file, exists in the location specified in the Properties dialog box for the button. For example, verify that the target file is inserted in the appropriate disk drive (if it's located on a floppy disk or on a CD-ROM).

If you've verified that the target file is in the correct location, but the icon is still displaying a question mark, you may need to refresh the icon. To do this, use the right mouse button to click the Office Shortcut Bar and click Refresh Icons.