Microsoft KB Archive/121595

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OFF4: Optimizing Memory Allocation for Use with OLE Documents

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Q121595

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The information in this article applies to:


 * Microsoft Office for the Power Macintosh, version 4.2
 * Microsoft Office for the Macintosh, version 4.2
 * Apple Macintosh System Software 7.1 and later

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SUMMARY
When you use OLE automation in a Microsoft document, you may receive OLE error messages if any of the following conditions are true:


 * You have a conflicting extension file in the Extensions folder.
 * The system is unable to locate the Microsoft OLE Extension file (the Microsoft OLE Library file if you are using a Power Macintosh).
 * You do not have enough available memory for the system to access the file.

To use OLE functionality with Microsoft applications, the Microsoft OLE Extension file (the Microsoft OLE Library file if you are using a Power Macintosh) must be located in the Extensions folder, which is located in the System Folder.

NOTE: If the Microsoft OLE Extension file has been moved to a different folder, you must return it to the Extensions folder. If the file is missing (that is, it has been removed from your hard disk), you must reinstall the Microsoft application to reinstall the file.

This article discusses how the Microsoft OLE Extension file is loaded, and it also describes ways you can optimize your Macintosh in order to use this file.

How the Microsoft OLE Extension File Is Loaded
The Microsoft OLE Extension file (the Microsoft OLE Library file if you are using a Power Macintosh) is loaded when you run a Microsoft application; however, this file is not loaded into the application's allocated memory. Instead, because it is an extension, it is loaded by the system software.

Note that holding down the SHIFT key to start your computer with extensions off does not disable the Microsoft OLE Extension.

Once the Microsoft application is started, your computer must have an additional unused memory block of the size specified in the table below if you want to be able to use OLE functionality.

The table below specifies the minimum amount of unused memory required for your type of computer to load the Microsoft OLE Extension (or Microsoft OLE Library) file.

  For this type of Macintosh          Virtual Memory Off     Virtual Memory On   --- 680x0 (Not a               400K                 400K   Power Macintosh) Power Macintosh           2048K                 300K Note that more memory will be required if you are using an OLE server such as Clip Art Gallery or Microsoft Graph. This memory will also be taken from the largest unused block of memory.

How You Can Optimize Your Macintosh to Use the Microsoft OLE Extension File
If there is not enough memory to load the Microsoft OLE Extension, close any currently open non-essential applications, turn on virtual memory, or reduce the amount of memory allocated to the Microsoft application.

To close any currently open non-essential applications, select the application, and choose Quit from the File menu.

To turn on virtual memory:


 * 1) From the Apple menu, choose Control Panels, and choose the Memory Control Panel.
 * 2) Change the Virtual Memory setting to On. [You may also need to set the 32-bit Addressing setting to On in order to access more than 8 megabytes (MB) of RAM.]
 * 3) Close the Memory Control Panel and restart your Macintosh.

To reduce the amount of memory allocated to the Microsoft application:


 * 1) To determine the amount of memory your application must be allocated so that the system can load the Microsoft OLE Extension (OLE Library if you are using a Power Macintosh), switch to the Finder and choose About This Macintosh from the Apple menu. Note the number in the largest unused block field on the right side of the dialog box.
 * 2) From the table in the "How the Microsoft OLE Extension File Is Loaded" section of this article, determine the amount of memory your computer needs to load the Microsoft OLE Extension file (or OLE Library). Subtract this number from the number listed in the Largest Unused Block field of the About This Macintosh dialog box. The result is the largest amount of memory that can be allocated to the Microsoft application.
 * 3) To change the amount of memory allocated to an application, in the Finder, locate the application icon, and click on it once to select it.
 * 4) From the File menu, choose Get Info.
 * 5) In the Microsoft  Info dialog box, under Memory, In the Preferred (or Current) Size field, type a value greater than the Minimum size shown, but less than the result of step 2, above.

For information about other OLE error messages, please see the following article(s) in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q121452 "Err Msg: Word Cannot Complete the Current Operation"

Q121453 "Err Msg: Sorry, OLE Could Not Get Started"

Q121454 "Err Msg: Cannot Use Object Linking and Embedding"