"Must Load SHARE.EXE" Starting Word 6.0 Under Windows NT

The information in this article applies to:

• Microsoft Word for Windows, versions 6.0, 6.0a, 6.0c
• Microsoft Windows NT operating system version 3.1

SYMPTOMS

The following error may occur when you try to start Word 6.0 for Windows:

   You must exit Windows and load SHARE.EXE in order to run Word.

CAUSE

There are three possibilities that may cause this error occurring:

• The first hard drive on a Windows NT system is not available (that is, not enabled or not formatted).

  -or-

• The security applied to the first hard drive prohibits Word from performing its file-locking test.

  NOTE: Third-party software is available that provides write protection for a hard drive. If this type of protection is being used, this error can occur on a system using standard Windows 3.x.

  -or-

• The root directory (C:\) is full and more files or directories cannot be added. If the C: drive is FAT partition, there is a maximum of 512 files allowed in the root directory. If the drive is formatted for NTFS, the limit is over 2,000 files.

  When Word starts, it performs a test to check for the availability of file-locking functionality (typically provided by SHARE.EXE or VSHARE.386 under standard Windows or Windows for Workgroups, but built into Windows NT). During this test, Word creates a small temporary file in the current directory of the first hard drive (typically drive C). If Word cannot create a temporary file in this directory, the test will fail, and Word will assume that file-locking functionality is not available.

  NOTE: Because FAT- and HPFS-formatted partitions do not allow directory or file-level security to be defined, this problem can occur only when using a system where the first hard drive, if available, is formatted as NTFS. (FAT = File Allocation Table, HPFS = High Performance File System, NTFS = NT File System.)

Determining the Current Directory on Drive C

To determine the working directory setting, examine the properties of the Word 6.0 for Windows program icon in Program Manager. If this setting defines a directory on drive C, then this is the same directory that Word will perform the locking test in.

If the working directory option indicates a directory on a drive other than drive C and Windows NT is installed on drive C, then the current directory for drive C will be the Windows NT directory (typically C:\WINNT).

If the working directory option indicates a directory on a drive other than drive C and Windows NT is installed on a drive other than drive C, then the current directory for drive C will be the root directory (C:\).

RESOLUTION

To avoid getting the error message indicating that SHARE.EXE must be loaded, two solutions are available.

Method 1: Change the current directory of drive C.

          ----------------------------------------

          Under a normal installation of Word 6.0 for Windows, the DOC-
          PATH setting in the WINWORD6.INI file determines what the
          current (working) directory for Word will be. But because Word
          does not switch to this directory until after the locking test
          is performed, it is safe to specify any directory as the working
          directory in the Word icon properties window in Program Manager.
          As long as DOC-PATH is specified in the WINWORD6.INI file, the
          working directory option will be ignored once Word is fully
          started.

          users have write access.

          Once the current directory on drive C has been determined, use
          the Windows NT File Manager Security option to grant read and
          write access to that particular directory.

          If third-party software is used to protect drive C, change the
          software setting to provide read and write access to the
          protected C drive.

REFERENCES

"Microsoft Windows NT System Guide," "Securing Directories and Files," pages 90-104; "Program Manager," pages 37-52

Word Readme Help, "WINWORD6.INI Options"