WD6X: Word Fails to Start or Produces OLE Error Message

• Microsoft Word for the Power Macintosh, versions 6.0, 6.0.1

SYMPTOM

When you try to start Microsoft Word for the Power Macintosh, version 6.0 or 6.0.1, Word may not start at all or it may produce one of the following two error messages:

   The application "Microsoft Word" could not be opened because
   "Microsoft_OLE2" could not be found.

    -or-

   The application "Microsoft Word" could not be opened because
   "MicrosoftDialogLib" could not be found.

CAUSE

The Power Macintosh version of Word loads OLE files during the start sequence. If Word cannot find the OLE files or if there is not enough memory for them to load, Word cannot start.

NOTE: If you use Word on a 68K Macintosh and the OLE files don't load, you can still use Word, but OLE functionality will be absent.

RESOLUTIONS

Cause                              Resolution
-----                              ----------

Word cannot find the OLE files     Make sure that all three required OLE
required to start Word.            files

                                      Microsoft Dialog Library
                                      Microsoft OLE Library
                                      Microsoft OLE Extension

                                   are in one of the following places:
                                   the search path for Word, the Word 
                                   folder, or the Extensions folder.

There is not enough memory         Make sure that there is enough memory
available to load the required     for both the Word program and OLE to
OLE files.                         load. Check the "About this Macintosh"
                                   dialog box before starting Word to be
The required OLE files:            sure there is enough memory available.
                                   If there isn't, quit other running
   Microsoft Dialog Library        programs, reduce Word's allocation
   Microsoft OLE Library           through "Get info," or increase the
                                   amount of available memory by turning
Additional OLE file (required      on Virtual Memory or RAM Doubler.

   Microsoft OLE Extension

MORE INFORMATION

During the launch sequence, Word searches for the required OLE files and loads them into random access memory (RAM). Word looks in only two places for these files. First, Word searches for the OLE files in the same folder that the program resides in. For example, if Microsoft Word is stored in a folder called MS Word, Word looks for the OLE files in the MS Word folder. Second, Word searches the System's Extension folder for the OLE files.

OLE 2 (OLE version 2.0), which ships with Word 6.x and Office 4.2.x, requires between 1 and 2 megabytes (MB) of memory to load, depending on your system configuration. When your computer starts Word 6.x, there must be enough memory to load Word and OLE. For example:

     Total Memory   8   MB
     System         2.5 MB
     Excel          2   MB
     Available      3.5 MB

If Word cannot find the OLE files or if there is not enough memory, OLE fails to load and Word does not start.