Office 4.x: Error Running Setup from DMF Disks Under OS/2

• Microsoft Office for Windows, versions 4.2c, 4.3c
• Microsoft Excel for Windows, version 5.0c
• Microsoft Word for Windows, version 6.0c

SYMPTOMS

When you run the Setup program for one of the programs listed at the beginning of this article, after you insert Disk 2, you may receive any of the following error messages:

   Unable to expand MSOFF2.CAB.

   -or-

   The compressed file '<drive>\msoff2.cab' cannot be decompressed
   and may be corrupted.

   -or-

   System Error: cannot read from drive A:

   -or-

   Setup: Could not read from file named A:\WORD2.CAB

   -or-

   The compressed file A:\WORD2.CAB cannot be decompressed and may be
   corrupted.

CAUSE

One or more of these errors will occur if you run Setup on a computer running OS/2 Warp Version 3. This behavior occurs because the floppy disks that contain the programs use Distribution Media Format (DMF). This floppy disk format was developed before OS/2 Warp was released, so there was no opportunity for compatibility testing.

NOTE: OS/2 Warp Version 3 ships in two different packs. One box has a red spine while the other box has a blue spine. The blue version is called OS/2 Warp Version 3 Connect. This version is able to read DMF disks if you chose to make Win-OS/2 capabilities available when you installed OS/2. The red version cannot read DMF disks, even if you set up Win-OS/2 capabilities.

These errors have also been reported when running OS/2 version 2.0 or 2.1. Microsoft has been unable to reproduce this behavior in testing.

Because Disk 1 of the Setup program does not use DMF, the files contained on this disk are copied correctly to your computer when you are running OS/2. However, when the Setup program prompts you to insert Disk 2, you receive the error message, and you cannot complete the Setup program.

Note: Microsoft Office for Windows 95, version 7.0, will not install or function under OS/2 under any circumstances.

WORKAROUND

To work around this problem, contact Microsoft to obtain a replacement set of floppy disks that are not DMF formatted.