Microsoft KB Archive/938810

= Information about certain file types that are blocked after you install Office 2003 Service Pack 3 =

Article ID: 938810

Article Last Modified on 1/4/2008

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Office 2003 Service Pack 3
 * Microsoft Office Excel 2003
 * Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2003
 * Microsoft Office Word 2003

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Notice
Important This article contains information about how to modify the registry. Make sure that you back up the registry before you modify it. Make sure that you know how to restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up, restore, and modify the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

322756 How to back up and restore the registry in Windows XP and Windows Vista



SUMMARY
This article contains information about certain file types that are blocked after you install Microsoft Office 2003 Service Pack 3 (SP3).



INTRODUCTION
This article contains detailed information about what file types are blocked by Office 2003 SP3 and about how to enable these file types.



File types that are blocked
After you install Office 2003 SP3, the following Microsoft Office Excel 2003 file types, Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2003 file types, and Microsoft Office Word 2003 file types are blocked. By default, these file types are blocked because the parsing code that Office 2003 uses to open and save the file types is less secure. Therefore, opening and saving these file types may pose a risk to you.

The following table contains the registry value names and the corresponding file types that are blocked from opening by default.

The following table contains the registry value names and the corresponding file types that are blocked from saving by default.

How to enable blocked file types
Important These steps may increase your security risk. These steps may also make the computer or the network more vulnerable to attack by malicious users or by malicious software such as viruses. We recommend the process that this article describes to enable programs to operate as they are designed to or to implement specific program capabilities. Before you make these changes, we recommend that you evaluate the risks that are associated with implementing this process in your particular environment. If you decide to implement this process, take any appropriate additional steps to help protect the system. We recommend that you use this process only if you really require this process.

To enable the blocked file types, use one of the following methods.

Method 1: Use a downloadable update to automatically re-enable all file types
Microsoft has created a set of updates to re-enable all file types. To install the updates, follow these steps:  Download the appropriate files from the Microsoft Download Center. To do this, click one or more of the following links:  To re-enable Word file types only, save the following file to a folder on the computer:

http://download.microsoft.com/download/2/8/B/28B644CE-9A30-4D99-AFEF-830A4FB5B839/UnblockWord.reg

 To re-enable Excel file types only, save the following file to a folder on the computer:

http://download.microsoft.com/download/2/8/B/28B644CE-9A30-4D99-AFEF-830A4FB5B839/UnblockExcel.reg

 To re-enable PowerPoint file types only, save the following file to a folder on the computer:

http://download.microsoft.com/download/2/8/B/28B644CE-9A30-4D99-AFEF-830A4FB5B839/UnblockPowerPoint.reg

 To re-enable the CorelDraw (CDR) file type only, save the following file to a folder on the computer:

http://download.microsoft.com/download/2/8/B/28B644CE-9A30-4D99-AFEF-830A4FB5B839/UnblockCDR.reg

Note You must log on to the computer as a user who has administrator rights to re-enable the CorelDraw (CDR) file type. </li> Double-click the file that you saved in step 1.</li> Click Yes to confirm the installation of the file.</li> If an Office program is running, restart the Office program.</li></ol>

After you install the update, the registry settings will be updated to allow you to open and to save all file types that are supported by Microsoft Office 2003. These file types include the file types that are blocked by default in Office 2003 SP3. The parsing code that is used to open and to save the file types is less secure. We recommend that you install these updates only if you need to work with the file types regularly.

Microsoft has also created a set of updates that will restore your registry settings to the settings as installed by Office 2003 SP3. To install the updates, follow these steps: <ol> Download the appropriate files from the Microsoft Download Center. To do this, click one or more of the following links:  To restore the blocked Word file types only, save the following file to a folder on the computer:

http://download.microsoft.com/download/2/8/B/28B644CE-9A30-4D99-AFEF-830A4FB5B839/RestoreBlockingWord.reg

</li> To restore the blocked Excel file types only, save the following file to a folder on the computer:

http://download.microsoft.com/download/2/8/B/28B644CE-9A30-4D99-AFEF-830A4FB5B839/RestoreBlockingExcel.reg

</li> To restore the blocked PowerPoint file types only, save the following file to a folder on the computer:

http://download.microsoft.com/download/2/8/B/28B644CE-9A30-4D99-AFEF-830A4FB5B839/RestoreBlockingPowerPoint.reg

</li> To restore the blocked CorelDraw (CDR) file type only, save the following file to a folder on the computer:

http://download.microsoft.com/download/2/8/B/28B644CE-9A30-4D99-AFEF-830A4FB5B839/RestoreBlockingCDR.reg

Note You must log on to the computer as a user who has administrator rights to restore the blocked CorelDraw (CDR) file type.</li></ul> </li> Double-click the file that you saved in step 1.</li> Click Yes to confirm the installation of the file.</li> If an Office program is running, restart the Office program.</li></ol>

Note After you install the update, the registry settings will be updated to the settings as installed by Office 2003 SP3. Additionally, you will no longer be able to open or to save the file types that are blocked by default in Office 2003 SP3.

For more information about how to download Microsoft support files, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

119591 How to obtain Microsoft support files from online services

Microsoft scanned this file for viruses. Microsoft used the most current virus-detection software that was available on the date that the file was posted. The file is stored on security-enhanced servers that help prevent any unauthorized changes to the file.

Method 2: Use the Administrative Templates to set the registry keys
You can use the Administrative Templates in the &quot;Office 2003 Service Pack 3 Administrative Template (ADM), OPAs, and Explain Text&quot; update to set these registry keys.

To download this update, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=BA8BC720-EDC2-479B-B115-5ABB70B3F490

Method 3: Manually set the registry values
You can manually set the registry values to enable these file types in various products. To do this, follow these steps for the product that you are running.

Warning Serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly by using Registry Editor or by using another method. These problems might require that you reinstall the operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that these problems can be solved. Modify the registry at your own risk.

Note You should temporarily unblock the file types. After you open or save the files, block the file types again.

Excel
To enable Excel 2003 to open files in earlier Excel file types, follow these steps: <ol> Exit Excel 2003.</li> Click Start, click Run, type regedit in the Open box, and then click OK.</li> Locate and then click the following registry subkey:

 

</li> After you select the subkey that is specified in step 3, point to New on the Edit menu, and then click Key.</li> <li>Type FileOpenBlock, and then press ENTER.</li> <li>With the FileOpenBlock subkey selected, point to New on the Edit menu, and then click DWORD Value.</li> <li>Type LotusandQuattroFiles, and then press ENTER.</li> <li>Right-click LotusandQuattroFiles, and then click Modify.</li> <li>In the Value data box, type 0, and then click OK.</li> <li>Repeat steps 6 through 9 for the LegacyBinaryFiles registry entry and for the LegacyDatabaseAndDatasourceFiles registry entry.</li> <li>On the File menu, click Exit to exit Registry Editor.</li></ol>

To enable Excel 2003 to save files in earlier Excel file types, follow these steps: <ol> <li>Exit Excel 2003.</li> <li>Click Start, click Run, type regedit in the Open box, and then click OK.</li> <li>Locate and then click the following registry subkey:

 

</li> <li>After you select the subkey that is specified in step 3, point to New on the Edit menu, and then click Key.</li> <li>Type FileSaveBlock, and then press ENTER.</li> <li>With the FileSaveBlock subkey selected, point to New on the Edit menu, and then click DWORD Value.</li> <li>Type LotusandQuattroFiles, and then press ENTER.</li> <li>Right-click LotusandQuattroFiles, and then click Modify.</li> <li>In the Value data box, type 0, and then click OK.</li> <li>Repeat steps 6 through 9 for the LegacyBinaryFiles registry entry and for the LegacyDatabaseAndDatasourceFiles registry entry.</li> <li>On the File menu, click Exit to exit Registry Editor.</li></ol>

PowerPoint
To enable PowerPoint 2003 to open files in earlier PowerPoint file types, follow these steps: <ol> <li>Exit PowerPoint 2003.</li> <li>Click Start, click Run, type regedit in the Open box, and then click OK.</li> <li>Locate and then click the following registry subkey:

 

</li> <li>After you select the subkey that is specified in step 3, point to New on the Edit menu, and then click Key.</li> <li>Type FileOpenBlock, and then press ENTER.</li> <li>With the FileOpenBlock subkey selected, point to New on the Edit menu, and then click DWORD Value.</li> <li>Type FilesBeforePowerPoint97, and then press ENTER.</li> <li>Right-click FilesBeforePowerPoint97, and then click Modify.</li> <li>In the Value data box, type 0, and then click OK.</li> <li>On the File menu, click Exit to exit Registry Editor.</li></ol>

To enable PowerPoint 2003 to save files in earlier PowerPoint file types, follow these steps: <ol> <li>Exit PowerPoint 2003.</li> <li>Click Start, click Run, type regedit in the Open box, and then click OK.</li> <li>Locate and then click the following registry subkey:

 

</li> <li>After you select the subkey that is specified in step 3, point to New on the Edit menu, and then click Key.</li> <li>Type FileSaveBlock, and then press ENTER.</li> <li>With the FileSaveBlock subkey selected, point to New on the Edit menu, and then click DWORD Value.</li> <li>Type FilesBeforePowerPoint97, and then press ENTER.</li> <li>Right-click FilesBeforePowerPoint97, and then click Modify.</li> <li>In the Value data box, type 0, and then click OK.</li> <li>On the File menu, click Exit to exit Registry Editor.</li></ol>

Word
To enable Word 2003 to open files in earlier Word file types, follow these steps: <ol> <li>Exit Word 2003.</li> <li>Click Start, click Run, type regedit in the Open box, and then click OK.</li> <li>Locate and then click the following registry subkey:

 

</li> <li>After you select the subkey that is specified in step 3, point to New on the Edit menu, and then click Key.</li> <li>Type FileOpenBlock, and then press ENTER.</li> <li>With the FileOpenBlock subkey selected, point to New on the Edit menu, and then click DWORD Value.</li> <li>Type FilesBeforeVersion, and then press ENTER.</li> <li>Right-click FilesBeforeVersion, and then click Modify.</li> <li>In the Value data box, type the value that corresponds to one of the values in the Word file version table, and then click OK.

For example, the default value of this entry is set to &quot;Word 6.0 for Windows&quot; or &quot;101.&quot; This means that all Word files that have a version number that is less than but not equal to Word 6.0 for Windows are blocked from opening. You can increase or decrease the default version. The versions that are specified in the Word file version table are in ascending order.

Note When you set the value of the entry to 0, all earlier-version files can be opened. We recommend that you set the value of this entry to one of the values that are listed in the Word file version table instead of setting of the entry to 0. This is because the parsing code that is used to open the earlier file types is less secure.</li> <li>On the File menu, click Exit to exit Registry Editor.</li></ol>

 Word file version table 

Corel Draw
To enable .cdr files to be opened, follow these steps: <ol> <li>Exit all Office 2003 programs.</li> <li>Click Start, click Run, type regedit in the Open box, and then click OK.</li> <li>Locate and then click the following registry subkey:

 

</li> <li>After you select the subkey that is specified in step 3, point to New on the Edit menu, and then click Key.</li> <li>Type CDR, and then press ENTER.</li> <li>With the CDR subkey selected, point to New on the Edit menu, and then click DWORD Value.</li> <li>Type Enabled, and then press ENTER.</li> <li>Right-click Enabled, and then click Modify.</li> <li>In the Value data box, type 1, and then click OK.</li> <li>On the File menu, click Exit to exit Registry Editor.</li></ol>

Additional information
For more information about blocked file types, click the following article numbers to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

922847 You receive an error message when you try to open or to save a file type that was blocked by your registry policy settings in PowerPoint 2007 or in PowerPoint 2003

922848 You receive an error message when you try to open or to save a file type that was blocked by your registry policy settings in Excel 2007 or in Excel 2003

922849 You receive an error message when you try to open or to save a file type that was blocked by your registry policy settings in Word 2007 or in Word 2003

922850 You receive an error message when you try to open or to save a file in one of the 2007 Office programs or in one of the Office 2003 programs

The third-party products that this article discusses are manufactured by companies that are independent of Microsoft. Microsoft makes no warranty, implied or otherwise, about the performance or reliability of these products.

Keywords: kbtshoot kberrmsg kbexpertisebeginner kbprb KB938810

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