WD: Word Hangs When You Assign Colon Character to Shortcut Key

• Microsoft Word for Windows, versions 6.0, 6.0a, 6.0c
• Microsoft Word for the Macintosh, versions 6.0, 6.0.1, 6.0.1a
• Microsoft Word for Windows 95, versions 7.0, 7.0a
• Microsoft Windows 95

SYMPTOMS

When you attempt to assign the colon character to a shortcut key in the Symbol dialog box, Word may stop responding or display one of the following error messages:

• The application "unknown" has unexpectedly quit, because an error of type 4 occurred.
• Program Error Integer Divide By Zero
• This program has performed an illegal operation and will be shut down.

CAUSE

This happens when the font you select in the Symbol dialog box is (normal text). (To locate the Symbol dialog box, click Symbol on the Insert menu. The error occurs when you choose the Shortcut Key button.)

RESOLUTION

To resolve this problem, upgrade to Microsoft Word 97 for Windows, or Word 98 Macintosh Edition.

To work around this problem, use either of the following methods.

Method 1:

Record a macro to insert the colon character, and assign the macro to a keystroke.

Method 2:

Choose a specific font's colon character, rather than using the (normal font) font.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article. This problem has been fixed in Microsoft Word 97 for Windows and Word 98 Macintosh Edition.