OFF97: Errors Caused by Corrupted ACL Files

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

SYMPTOMS

• When you start Microsoft Word 97 or Microsoft Outlook 97, or when you click AutoCorrect on the Tools menu in Microsoft Excel 97 or Microsoft Access 97, you may receive the following error message:

        This program has performed an illegal operation and will be shut
        down. If the problem persists, contact the program vendor.
  

  If you click Details, you receive the following error message:

        <Program name> caused an invalid page fault in module MSO97.DLL at
        014f:306c59b9.
  

  where <Program name> is WINWORD, EXCEL, or MSACCESS.

• When you click AutoCorrect on the Tools menu in Microsoft PowerPoint 97, you may receive the following error message:

        PowerPoint found an error that it can't correct. You should save
        presentations, exit, and then restart PowerPoint.
  

• When you add a Microsoft Word document to a Binder in Microsoft Office 97, you may receive the following error message:

        This program has performed an illegal operation and will be shut
        down. If the problem persists, contact the program vendor.
  

  If you click Details, you receive the following error message:

        WINWORD caused an invalid page fault in module MSO97.DLL at
        014f:306c59b9.
  

  If you click Close, you receive the following error message:

        Office Binder cannot add the section to the binder. This type of
        file may not be supported by Office Binder. An unexpected error has
        occurred.
  

CAUSE

These problems may occur if a corrupted AutoCorrect list (.acl) file is stored in the Windows folder on the computer.

RESOLUTION

To resolve these problems, use one of the following methods.

Method 1: Download the Microsoft Office 97 SR-1 Patch

For additional information about SR-1, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   ARTICLE-ID: Q172475
   TITLE     : OFF97: How to Obtain and Install MS Office 97 SR-1

Method 2: Download the AutoCorrect Utility

The following file is available for download from the Microsoft Software Library:

 ~ Aclutil.exe (size: 26259 bytes) 
                 26K self-extracting file
                 contains Aclfix.exe and Aclread.txt

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

Method 3: Rename the .acl files (except Mso97.acl)

1. On the Start menu, point to Find, and click Files Or Folders.

2. In the Named box, type "*.acl", without quotation marks. In the Look In box, type the path to the Windows folder (for example, type C:\Windows). Then, click Find Now.

   When the search is completed, a list of .acl files appears. These files are stored in the Windows folder.

   IMPORTANT: One of the .acl files is named Mso97.acl. Do not rename or delete this file unless you are instructed to do so by Microsoft Technical Support, or you completely remove Microsoft Office 97 from the computer.

3. Right-click one of the .acl files (for example, User.acl). Then, click Rename on the shortcut menu.

4. Press END. Then, type ".old" (without the quotation marks) and press ENTER.

   The file appears with ".old" appended to the end (for example, User.acl.old).

5. Except for Mso97.acl, repeat steps 3 and 4 for all .acl files in the Windows folder.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Microsoft Office 97 for Windows. This problem was corrected in Microsoft Office 97 SR-1.

For additional information about SR-1, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   ARTICLE-ID: Q172475
   TITLE     : OFF97: How to Obtain and Install MS Office 97 SR-1

MORE INFORMATION

All of the programs included with Microsoft Office 97 support a feature called AutoCorrect. AutoCorrect automatically corrects text as you type it, fixing mistakes like accidentally typing two initial capitals, or correcting commonly misspelled words.

For each person who uses the computer, AutoCorrect settings and words are maintained separately in a file called <User name>.acl, where <User name> is the user's profile. This file is stored in the Windows folder on the computer.

If this file becomes corrupted for any reason, you may encounter one or more of the problems described in this article when you start Microsoft Word 97 or Microsoft Outlook 97, or when you attempt to display the AutoCorrect dialog box in any program.

When you rename or delete a <Username>.acl file, a new <Username>.acl file is created when you start Microsoft Word 97 or Microsoft Outlook 97, or when you display the AutoCorrect dialog box in any program.

Note that the file Mso97.acl is a special AutoCorrect file. Do not rename or delete it unless you have completely removed Microsoft Office 97 from the computer.