OFF97: Internet Explorer 2.0 Required in Windows NT 3.51

The information in this article applies to:

• Microsoft Office 97 for Windows
• Microsoft Excel 97 for Windows
• Microsoft Word 97 for Windows
• Microsoft Access 97 for Windows
• Microsoft PowerPoint 97 for Windows

SYMPTOMS

In the Microsoft Office 97 programs, if you click a hyperlink that is linked to a Web page or to other resource on the Internet, you may receive an error message that is similar to either of the following:

   Unable to open http://www.microsoft.com/. Cannot locate the Internet
   server or proxy server.

   -or-

   Netscape was unable to locate the server: www.microsoft.com. The server
   does not have a DNS entry. Check the server name in the Location (URL)
   and try again.

CAUSE

This behavior may occur if both of the following conditions are true:

• You are running Microsoft Office 97 under Microsoft Windows NT 3.51.

  -and-

• You have Microsoft Internet Explorer version 1.5 installed on your computer, or no Web browser is installed at all.

  -or-

• The proxy server is not set up correctly.

RESOLUTION

To resolve this problem, use the appropriate method.

Method 1

To resolve this problem under Windows NT 3.51, install Microsoft Internet Explorer version 2.0 on your computer. Microsoft Internet Explorer 2.0 is available free of charge from the following address on the Internet:

   http://www.microsoft.com/ie/download/

Method 2

Configure the proxy server to work correctly with your Web browser.

If Microsoft Internet Explorer 2.0 (for Windows NT) or 3.0 (for Windows 95 and Windows NT 4.0) is installed on your computer, specify the proxy server information by following these steps:

1. On the Start menu, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.

   Or, double-click the Control Panel icon in the Main program group.

2. Double-click the Internet Control Panel icon.

3. Use the following appropriate steps for your version of Microsoft Internet Explorer.

   Internet Explorer Version 2.0 -----------------------------

       a. Click to select the Use Proxy Server check box, and then type the
          name of your proxy server in the Proxy Server box.
   

       b. To specify a list of Uniform Resource Locators (URLs) that can
          bypass the proxy, click Bypass Proxy On.
   

       c. Type "local" (without the quotation marks) to bypass the proxy
          server for intranet sites.
   

   Internet Explorer Version 3.0 -----------------------------

       a. Click the Connection tab.
   

       b. In the Proxy Server box, click to select the "Connect through a
          proxy server" check box, and then click Settings.
   

       c. Enter the name of your proxy servers in the appropriate boxes.
   

       d. To specify a list of URLs that can bypass the proxy, enter them
          in the box under Exceptions.
   

       e. Click to select the "Do not use proxy server for local (intranet)
          addresses" check box to bypass the proxy server for intranet sites.
   

       f. Click OK.
   

4. Click OK, and then close the Control Panel.

STATUS

This behavior is by design of the programs in Microsoft Office 97.

MORE INFORMATION

When you click a hyperlink in a Microsoft Office 97 program, and the hyperlink is connected to a Web page or other resource on the Internet, the Microsoft Office 97 program uses the proxy server settings you specified in the Internet Control Panel icon; these settings are used to establish a connection with the Internet. The Internet Control Panel icon is included with Microsoft Internet Explorer versions 2.0 (for Windows NT) and 3.0 (for Windows 95 and Windows NT 4.0).

Microsoft Internet Explorer version 1.5 does not use the Internet control Panel icon; it stores proxy server settings in a different way. Because of this, hyperlinks in Microsoft Office 97 programs are unable to connect to Internet resources unless Microsoft Internet Explorer version 2.0 or later is installed on your computer.