OFF98: "Cannot Load Shared Libraries" Starting Office 98 Program

• Microsoft Excel 98 Macintosh Edition
• Microsoft Word 98 Macintosh Edition
• Microsoft PowerPoint 98 Macintosh Edition

SYMPTOMS

If you run the installer program for any of the stand-alone Microsoft Office 98 Macintosh Edition programs, click Remove to remove the program, and then attempt to start any of the remaining stand-alone Office 98 programs, you receive the following error message:

   <Office 98 program name> cannot load the Microsoft Office 98 shared
   libraries. There may not be enough free memory to load the libraries
   or files may have been moved from their originally installed locations.

   Try the following:

    - In the Memory Control Panel, make sure Virtual Memory is turned on.
      If you turn it on, restart your computer.

    - Move <Office 98 program name> back to the Microsoft Office 98 folder
      (or the folder where it was originally installed).

    - Reinstall <Office 98 program name> using the installer program
      provided with the software to make sure that all files needed to run
      <Office 98 program name> are installed correctly.

CAUSE

This problem occurs because the installation program for the stand-alone program that you have removed also removes files that the other stand-alone program requires.

When you run the Installer program for any of the programs listed at the beginning of this article, and then click Remove, the following message appears:

   Remove all previously installed components.

   Files that may be used by other applications will not be removed.

The information in the Installer dialog box is incorrect. When you click Remove in the installer program for any stand-alone Office 98 program, certain files that are required by the remaining stand-alone Office 98 programs are removed.

WORKAROUND

To work around this problem, reinstall the affected programs. Because some of the program files already exist on your computer, run the Installer program for each affected program instead of performing a drag-and-drop installation.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the Microsoft 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.

MORE INFORMATION

When you click Remove in the Installer program for one of the stand-alone Office 98 programs, the icons for other Office 98 programs in the Microsoft Office 98 folder are not deleted. This gives the impression that the programs still function. However, several crucial files in the Microsoft Office 98:Office folder are deleted (by design). The absence of these files prevents any remaining Office programs from starting.