WD97: Problems Opening or Locating Files Using UNC Path

ID: Q239060

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Word 97 for Windows

SYMPTOMS

When you attempt to connect to, open, or locate a file with a long file name (UNC), one of the following problems may occur:

Case 1: Advanced Search fails

When you choose Find Now in the Advanced Find dialog box (on the File menu, click Open and then click Advanced), Word finds no files, even though the files actually exist in the location indicated. You can view the files in Windows Explorer, and you can open the files in Word.

Case 2: Error with INCLUDE or INCLUDETEXT Field

The result of an INCLUDE or INCLUDETEXT field may display the following error message:

Error! Not a valid filename.

Case 3: Error with Modify Location dialog box

The following error message appears when you select a folder on a UNC drive that contains a space in the Modify Location dialog box:

Not a valid directory.

NOTE: To open the Modify Location dialog box, click Options on the Tools menu, click to select the File Locations tab, and then click Modify.

Case 4: Attaching data source to a mail merge main document fails

When you try to attach a data source to a mail merge main document, no error message appears, but the data file does not appear in the Mail Merge Helper dialog box.

CAUSE

This problem may occur when there is a space in the path or in the name of a file.

WORKAROUND

To work around this problem, turn off the use of Universal Naming Convention (UNC) in Microsoft Word 97 by using the DontUseUNC switch.

For additional information about the DontUseUNC switch, please click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q171406 WD97: How to Disable the Use of UNC

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article. This problem was corrected in Microsoft Word 2000.

MORE INFORMATION

For additional information about problems you may encounter when trying to access files using a Universal Naming Convention (UNC) path, please click the article numbers below to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q138418 WD97: Can't Use UNC Drive for Document Path on Some Networks

Q122379 WD97: Error Saving Document: "Network or File Permission Error..."

Q192447 WD97: Errors Opening Files in a Map Root of a Novell 4.11 Server

Additional query words: nolongnetnames dontuseunc

Keywords : kbdta word8 word97
Version : WINDOWS:97
Platform : WINDOWS
Issue type : kbbug