Microsoft KB Archive/114307

{|
 * width="100%"|

Graph: Windows Resources Decrease With OLE Objects in Word, Excel, PowerPoint

 * }

Q114307

-

The information in this article applies to:


 * Microsoft Graph 5.0
 * Microsoft Excel for Windows, versions 5.0, 5.0c
 * Microsoft PowerPoint versions 4.0, 4.0a, 4.0c
 * Microsoft Word for Windows, versions 6.0, 6.0a, 6.0c
 * Microsoft Windows for Workgroups version 3.11
 * Microsoft Windows 3.1

-

SYMPTOMS
If you insert a Microsoft Graph 5.0 Chart object, a Microsoft WordArt object or an Equation Editor 2.0 object in a Word for Windows document, a Microsoft Excel worksheet, or a PowerPoint for Windows presentation, Windows loses available GDI (system) resources. (To display the percentage of available Windows resources, switch to Windows Program Manager and choose About Program Manager from the Help menu.)

If you insert additional Graph 5.0 Chart, WordArt or Equation Editor objects, Windows continues to lose available system resources. Closing the file that contains the objects will restore Windows resources.

After you sufficiently deplete your Windows resources, memory errors may occur in Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, or other Windows- based applications. Some applications, including Word, may not even start.

This problem does not occur when you insert Graph 5.0 Chart, WordArt or Equation Editor objects in the following Microsoft applications:


 * Microsoft Publisher
 * Microsoft Works
 * Windows Write

Furthermore, this problem does not occur when you insert objects from versions of Microsoft Graph earlier than 5.0.

CAUSE
Both Microsoft Excel and Word start a separate Graph or WordArt session each time you insert a new Graph 5.0 Chart or WordArt object in the document. Each Graph or WordArt object keeps its respective session of Graph running even after returning to the document. PowerPoint uses only one Graph session per document regardless of how many Graph objects are inserted into the presentation. That Graph session remains active even after returning to the document. If several PowerPoint presentations remain open for editing, each presentation can have its own session of Graph running.

NOTE: The active Graph session in PowerPoint can be replaced by another OLE edited object such as an embedded Microsoft Excel chart. If the Microsoft Excel chart is the last OLE object edited in the presentation, then Microsoft Excel will continue to run in that presentation. PowerPoint minimizes the loss of system resources by allowing only one active OLE application at a time per presentation. The accumulation of open Graph, WordArt, or other OLE object sessions quickly depletes your available Windows GDI resources.

STATUS
Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article.

WORKAROUND
Method 1: If your Windows system resources are depleted by the multiple insertion of Graph 5.0 Chart or other OLE objects, save, close and reopen the Word document, Microsoft Excel worksheet, or PowerPoint presentation. The OLE objects will close and release system resources. However, editing the objects again will once more leave them running in the document.

Method 2: Instead of editing the Graph 5.0 Chart or other OLE object in place (that is, in the Word or Microsoft Excel window), open the chart in a separate Graph 5.0 window. To do this, select the Graph 5.0 Chart object and choose Edit Chart Object from the Edit menu. From the menu that appears, choose Open.

Method 3: Do not insert a Graph 5.0 Chart object in your document or worksheet. Instead, insert a Microsoft Graph 3.0 object or Microsoft Excel Chart object.

NOTE: Word 6.0 supplies Graph 3.0, which appears as "Microsoft Graph" in the Object Type list in the Insert Object dialog box. If Microsoft Graph does not appear in the Object Type list, you can install it using the Word Setup program.

If you want to run both Graph 3.0 and 5.0 on your computer, you need to set the AutoConvert option in Graph 5.0 to "off." To turn off this option, either run the AUTOCONV.EXE program, located in the Graph 5.0 program directory, or rerun Setup and choose No when Setup asks whether you want to enable the AutoConvert option.

MORE INFORMATION
Microsoft Graph 5.0 ships with Microsoft Access version 2.0 and Microsoft PowerPoint version 4.0. After you install Microsoft Access or PowerPoint, other Windows-based OLE 2 applications (such as Microsoft Excel or Word) can use Graph 5.0 as well.