Setup Program Creates MSCREATE.DIR File in Every Folder

The information in this article applies to:

• Microsoft Access 97 for Windows
• Microsoft Access for Windows 95, version 7.0
• Microsoft Excel 97 for Windows
• Microsoft Excel for Windows 95, version 7.0
• Microsoft Office 97 for Windows
• Microsoft Office for Windows 95, version 7.0
• Microsoft PowerPoint 97 for Windows
• Microsoft PowerPoint for Windows 95, version 7.0
• Microsoft Project for Windows 95, version 4.1
• Microsoft Word 97 for Windows
• Microsoft Word for Windows 95, version 7.0

SYMPTOMS

After you run the Setup program, the Mscreate.dir file appears in every new folder created by the Setup program.

CAUSE

This behavior is by design of the Setup program. The Setup program creates Mscreate.dir (a 0-byte hidden file) in each folder that Setup creates to indicate that the folder was created by Setup. When you run Setup in maintenance mode and remove a component or click Remove All, Setup uses this file to determine whether an empty folder can be removed. If an empty folder does not contain this file, when you run Setup in maintenance mode, Setup will not remove this folder.

For example, if you create the folder My Files in the Microsoft Office folder, when you run Microsoft Office Setup in maintenance mode and click Remove All, the My Files folder is not removed by Setup, even if it is empty when you run Setup.