OFF97: Renaming My Computer Causes Office Apps To Error

The information in this article applies to:

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

SYMPTOMS

When you use the Open, Save, or Save As dialog box in any of the Office 97 programs, you may receive one of the following error messages:

Case 1

When you select My Computer in the Look In box in the Open dialog box, you receive the following error messages:

   This program has performed an illegal operation
   and will be shut down.

   If the problem persists, contact the program vendor.

   <application> caused an invalid page fault in module
   KERNEL32.DLL at 0137:bff9a28c.

Case 2

When you select My Computer in the Look In box in either the Save or Save As dialog box, you receive the following error messages:

   This program has performed an illegal operation and will be shut down.

   If the problem persists, contact the program vendor.

   <application> caused an invalid page fault in module
   KERNEL32.DLL at 0137:bff858cd.

Case 3

When you click the Up One Level button in the Open, Save, or Save As dialog box to move to My Computer in the Look In box, you receive the following error message:

   You do not have access to the folder '#####N'. See your administrator
   for access to this folder.

   NOTE: Each number sign (#) in the above error message represents a
   square. The square character does not display in ASCII text.

Case 4 (Microsoft Outlook only)

In Microsoft Outlook 97 for Windows, you may also receive the error messages under these conditions:

   You point to Open Special Folder on the File menu, click Personal
   Folder and then click either of the following:

   - Up One Level button

     -or-

   - Renamed My Computer entry in the Look In box

CAUSE

The My Computer folder in Windows 95 has been renamed and starts with two backslash characters.

WORKAROUND

To work around the problem and avoid the error messages, do either of the following:

• Rename "\\My Computer" so that it does not begin with two backslash characters.

  -or-

• Remove one backslash character from "\\My Computer." A single backslash character at the beginning of the name is allowed.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the products listed at the beginning of this article. We are researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.