WD: Problems Running Multiple Versions of Word on Same Computer

• Microsoft Word for Windows, versions 6.0, 6.0a, 6.0c
• Microsoft Word for Windows 95, versions 7.0, 7.0a
• Microsoft Word 97 for Windows

SYMPTOMS

This article describes the problems you may encounter when you:

• Use Word 97 and Word 6.0 or Word 7.0 (sometimes referred to as Word 95) on the same computer

  -and-

• Share files between Word 6.0, Word 7.0, and Word 97 (on the same computer or on different computers)

Case 1: Edit Word 6.0/7.0 Document Created on System with Word 97 Installed

When you work on a system that has Word 97 installed, and you insert a Word document as an embedded object in a document in Word 6.0 or Word 7.0, save the document in Word format or in Rich Text Format, and then open the document in Word 6.0 or Word 7.0 on another computer, you will receive the following error message when you double-click the object to edit it:

   Word cannot edit the object

Case 2: Word 6.0/7.0 Document Opened in Word 97 Then Opened in Word 6.0/7.0

On a computer running Word 6.0 or Word 7.0 only, if you insert a Word document as an embedded object in a Word document, open the document in Word 97, and then save the document in Word 6.0/95 format or Rich Text Format, you can view the object when you reopen the document on a computer running only Word 6.0 or Word 7.0, but you will be unable to edit the object and you will receive the following error message:

   Word cannot edit the object

Case 3: Using Word 7.0 with Internet Assistant version 2.03z

When you use Word 7.0 with Internet Assistant version 2.03z, on a computer with Word 97 installed, you may receive the following error messages when you open an HTML document that contains a GIF or JPEG image in Word 7.0:

   This program has performed an illegal operation and will be shut
   down.

   If the problem persists, contact the program vendor.

   Winword caused an invalid page fault in module WINWORD.EXE at
   <address>.

Case 4: Word Cannot Open the Existing "Normal.dot"

When you start Word 6.0 or Word 7.0 on a computer that has Word 97 installed, you may receive the following error message:

   Word cannot open the existing "Normal.dot"

CAUSE/WORKAROUND/STATUS

Case 1: Edit Word 6.0/7.0 Document Created on System with Word 97 Installed

   Cause
   -----

   When you insert a Microsoft Word Document object in Word 6.0 or Word 7.0
   on a system that has Word 97 installed, a Word 97 document session is
   started. The resulting object field shows the following information:

      {EMBED Word.Document.8 \s}

   This field is created because when you have multiple versions of Word
   installed on the same computer, Word will only use the latest version of
   Word as an OLE server. When you save the document containing a Word
   document object in Word format (*.doc) or in Rich Text Format (*.rtf),
   the embedded object is not saved as a Word 6.0 or Word 7.0 document
   object, but rather as a Word 97 document object. This object cannot be
   edited in Word 6.0 or Word 7.0.

   Workaround
   ----------

   To edit the object, you must have Word 97 installed on your computer.

Case 2: Word 6.0/7.0 Document Opened in Word 97 Then Opened in Word 6.0/7.0

   Cause
   -----

   This problem occurs because when you open a Word 6.0 or Word 7.0
   document containing an embedded object in Word 97, the embedded object
   is updated to the newer version of the server program on the computer.
   Then, when you save the Word document and reopen the document in Word
   6.0 or Word 7.0 on a computer that does not have Office 97 or Word 97
   installed, the updated version of the server program is not available
   and you can no longer edit the embedded object.

   Workaround
   ----------

   To edit the object, you must have Word 97 installed on your computer.

Case 3: Using Word 7.0 with Internet Assistant version 2.03z

   Cause
   -----

   This problem occurs after you install Microsoft Word 97, Microsoft
   Publisher 97, or Microsoft Office 97. These programs install shared
   graphics filters that conflict with the Inloader.dll file installed by
   Internet Assistant. The Inloader.dll file handles image import
   processes.

   Workaround
   ----------

   If you want to use Internet Assistant for Word for Windows 95 or
   Word for Windows NT, upgrade to Internet Assistant version 2.04z.

   To upgrade to Internet Assistant 2.04z, do either of the following:

   - If you installed Word 97 or Office 97 from a compact disc, you can
     install the upgrade for Internet Assistant version 2.04z. Open the
     Valupack folder on the compact disc and double-click Wrdia204z.exe, a
     self-extracting, self-executing file.

   - Download the latest version from the following Web site:

        http://www.microsoft.com/word/internet/ia/sysreq.htm

     NOTE: If you run Wrdia204z.exe on a computer with Word 97 installed
     but not Word for Windows 95, versions 7.x, or Word for Windows NT,
     Setup will fail and will display a dialog box titled "Unable to
     install Internet Assistant for Microsoft Word." Click Exit to finish
     Internet Assistant Setup.

Case 4: Word Cannot Open the Existing "Normal.dot"

   Cause
   -----

   This problem occurs because Word 6.0 or Word 7.0 is trying to use the
   same Normal.dot that Word 97 uses. Because the Word 97 Normal.dot is in
   Word 97 format, the Normal.dot is unreadable by Word 6.0 and Word 7.0.

   NOTE: Installing the Word 6.0/95 converter will not correct this

   Resolution
   ----------

   To prevent this error message from occurring, change the location of the
   Word 6.0 or Word 7.0 User/Workgroup templates path.

   To change the templates path:

   1. Start Word 6.0 or Word 7.0.

   2. On the Tools menu, click Options.

   3. Click the File Locations tab. Under File Types, select User Templates
      and click Modify. The User templates path should normally point
      to  where the Normal.dot template can be found. In some cases, you
      may want to check the Workgroups template path for this file.

   4. Point to and click the appropriate folder that contains the Word 6.0
      or Word 7.0 Normal.dot template. Make sure this is not the folder
      that Word 97 is using for its Normal.dot template. Click OK. Then
      click Close to exit the Options dialog box.

MORE INFORMATION

The problems described in this article occur with all object types--not just Word document objects--that are updated by Office 97 or Word 97. Some of the object types that are updated by Office 97 or Word 97 are:

• Equation Editor
• Microsoft Word Document
• Microsoft Word Picture

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