Error When Starting Application from Word's Microsoft Toolbar

• Microsoft Word for Windows, versions 6.0, 6.0a, 6.0c

SYMPTOMS

If you start a Microsoft application by choosing its button on the Microsoft toolbar, the following error message may appear in Word for Windows:

   Word cannot find or run the application, <Name Of Application>

   The shared Mail extensions list at .\SHARED.INI could not be found.

   -and then-

   An entry in the list of Mail extensions contains a syntax error
   and will be ignored.

CAUSE

The Microsoft application is not registered correctly in the Windows registration database (REG.DAT).

To confirm that this is actually the problem, start the Microsoft application from Windows Program Manager instead. If the application starts without displaying any error messages, the application is not correctly registered in your REG.DAT file.

RESOLUTION 1

Do the following to correctly register the application in your REG.DAT file:

1. Start the application from its icon in Program Manager.

2. Switch to Word.

3. Choose the application's button on the Microsoft toolbar. Word automatically adds an MSToolbar key to the REG.DAT file that includes the path to that application's program file.

RESOLUTION 2

Alternatively, you can manually correct your REG.DAT file using the following instructions:

1. In Program Manager, choose Run from the File menu.

2. In the Command Line box, type "regedit /v" (without the quotation marks) and choose OK. This starts Registration Info Editor.

3. From the Search menu, choose Find Key.

4. In the Find What box, type "MSToolbar" (without the quotation marks) and choose OK.

5. From the Edit menu, choose Add Key.

6. In the Key box, type the name of the application. For example, type "MSAccess" or "MSMail" for Microsoft Access or Microsoft Mail, respectively.

7. In the Value box, type the path to the program file for the application and then choose OK. For example, type "C:\ACCESS\MSACCESS.EXE" if you are registering Microsoft Access. In the following sample MSToolbar key, Microsoft Access and Microsoft Mail are correctly registered:

         --MSToolbar
           |--MSAccess = C:\ACCESS\MSACCESS.EXE
           |--MSMail = C:\WINDOWS\MSMAIL.EXE
   
   

MORE INFORMATION

The resolution in the previous section enables Word to find the application in the future, but it does not correctly register the application for use by other processes, such as OLE 2 transactions. To correctly register the application for use by all processes, you must merge its Registration (.REG) file, which is supplied with the application, using the following instructions:

Merging a Registration File

Note: Before you perform this procedure, close the application you want to register. For example, to register Microsoft Excel, first close Microsoft Excel.

1. In Program Manager, choose Run from the File menu.

2. In the Command Line box, type "regedit /v" (without the quotation marks) and choose OK. This starts Registration Info Editor.

3. In Registration Info Editor, choose Merge Registration Files from the File menu.

4. Select the program directory for the application you need to register, such as Microsoft Excel.

5. Select the REG file for the application and then choose OK. For example, to register Microsoft Excel version 4.0, select XL4.REG in the Microsoft Excel program directory.

6. From the File menu, choose Save Changes.

7. From the File menu, choose Exit.