GP Fault Exiting Windows with Linked Word Document

• Microsoft Word for Windows, versions 6.0, 6.0a, 6.0c
• Microsoft Word for Windows 95, versions 7.0, 7.0a
• Microsoft Excel for Windows, versions 5.0, 5.0a, 5.0c
• Microsoft Excel for Windows 95, versions 7.0, 7.0a

SYMPTOMS

When you exit Windows after closing a Microsoft Excel document that is linked to a Word document, you may receive the following error message:

   WinWord caused a General Protection Fault
   in module: WINWORD.EXE at 0025:0A70

CAUSE

This problem occurs when your worksheet contains a document that was linked from Word, and your Word Startup directory contains a template. Word is activated and kept hidden when you open the Microsoft Excel file, and it is still running when you exit Microsoft Excel and Windows.

WORKAROUND

To work around this problem, use any of the following methods.

Method 1: Use the following steps to close Word manually:

          1. Select the Word document object in the Microsoft Excel
             worksheet.

          2. On the Edit menu, click Links.

          3. Click Open.

          This step activates Word.

          4. On the File menu in Word, click Exit.

          After you answer the question about whether or not you want to
          save the changes to the document, you are returned to Microsoft
          Excel. You can now safely exit Microsoft Excel.

          Move them to another directory, such as the Template directory.
          You can make them available at any time by clicking Template on
          the File menu, selecting the templates that you want to activate,
          and choosing OK.

         1. On the File menu, click Templates.

         2. Click the Add button.

         3. If you have moved your templates to a location other than the
            Template directory, locate the desired templates. Select the
            template you want to make global. Choose OK.

         4. Repeat Step 3 for any additional templates.

         5. When you start Word and want to activate the templates, click
            Templates on the File menu.

         6. To automate this process, record a macro. Save the macro in the
            Normal.dot file and name the macro AutoExec. Note that a
            document based on Normal.dot must be open for you to properly
            record these steps in the macro.

            a. On the Tools menu, click Macro.

            b. Choose Record. In the Make Macro Available To box, click
               All Documents (Normal.dot). Click OK.

            c. On the File menu, click Templates.

            d. Place a check mark next to those templates that you
               want to activate. Click OK.

            e. On the Tools menu, click Macro. Click Stop Recording.

            f. Select AutoExec.

            g. Click Edit.

            h. Delete the line that begins with "FileTemplates."

            i. On the File menu, click Close.

            When you are prompted to save changes to AutoExec, click
            "Yes."

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the Word versions listed above. This problem was corrected in Microsoft Word 97 for Windows.