Microsoft KB Archive/215358

= GetWindowsDirectory May Return Incorrect Data =

Article ID: 215358

Article Last Modified on 11/1/2006

-

APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0, Terminal Server Edition

-



This article was previously published under Q215358



SYMPTOMS
Out of process COM server applications that attempt to discover the location of the Windows folder by calling the GetWindowsDirectory API may fail when run on Windows NT Server version 4.0, Terminal Server Edition.

For example, when the Orgchart application supplied with Microsoft Office is started as an embedded object, Orgchart fails with the following error message when it tries to write to the Windows folder:

Unable to load MS Organization Chart. Press F1 for Help.

This message is followed by:

The server application, source file, or item can't be found. You should reinstall the server application.



CAUSE
On Windows NT Server, Terminal Server Edition, the GetWindowsDirectory API should return the user's home folder, not the real Windows folder. The real Windows folder is write-protected for "ordinary" users. When the server application (Orgchart.exe in the above example) subsequently attemps to write to the folder, the write request fails.



RESOLUTION
To resolve this problem, obtain the latest service pack for Windows NT Server 4.0, Terminal Server Edition. For additional information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

152734 How to Obtain the Latest Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack



STATUS
Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in Windows NT Server 4.0, Terminal Server Edition. This problem was first corrected in Windows NT Server 4.0, Terminal Server Edition Service Pack 4.

Additional query words: 4.00 wts tse DCOM COM COM+

Keywords: kbhotfixserver kbqfe kbbug kbfix kbqfe KB215358

-

[mailto:TECHNET@MICROSOFT.COM Send feedback to Microsoft]

© Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.