Article ID: 216733
Article Last Modified on 10/4/2002
APPLIES TO
- Microsoft Word 98 for Macintosh
This article was previously published under Q216733
SUMMARY
This article provides information about troubleshooting Macintosh system errors that may occur when you use Microsoft Word 98 for the Macintosh.
MORE INFORMATION
Occasionally, a Macintosh system error occurs when you perform an operation in Word for the Macintosh.
The following are examples of Macintosh system error messages:
-and-
Or, instead of receiving one of these error messages, your computer may stop responding (hang).
Although you may see one of these messages while you are working in Word, the error is usually caused by the Macintosh system software.
To troubleshoot system errors that occur when you use Word, follow these steps.
Step 1: Test Extensions
Extensions and Control Panel files add functionality to your Macintosh system. Sometimes one of these files conflicts with a program by attempting to store its information at a location in memory where another program stores its information.
If you have System 7.x or Mac OS 8.0, you can temporarily turn off extensions by performing the following steps:
- Press and hold the SHIFT key and then restart your computer.
- Continue holding down the SHIFT key until the "Welcome to Macintosh Extensions Off" (System 7.5.x or earlier) or "Welcome to Mac OS Extensions Disabled" (System 7.6.x or later) message disappears.
To reactivate extensions, restart your computer by clicking Restart on the Special menu.
NOTE: If the system error causes your computer to stop responding (hang), shut down the computer (turn off the power if necessary), and then restart with extensions off.
If the system error does not occur again in Word, one of your extensions or Control Panel files is probably causing the problem. Isolate the problem file, or contact Apple Technical Support at (800) SOS-APPL for assistance.
For additional information about troubleshooting extension conflicts and isolating a problem extension, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
263159 How to Troubleshoot Extension Conflicts on the Macintosh
Microsoft provides third-party contact information to help you find technical support. This contact information may change without notice. Microsoft does not guarantee the accuracy of this third-party contact information.
If the system error occurs in Word again, the problem is not caused by an extension conflict. Continue with step 2.
Step 2: Rebuild the Desktop File
You should rebuild your Desktop file on a regular basis, as often as once a month. Your Desktop consists of a pair of invisible system files that maintain information about the files and folders on your hard disk.
To rebuild your Desktop file, follow these steps:
- Hold down the OPTION and COMMAND (Apple) keys and restart your computer.
- Hold down the OPTION and COMMAND keys until the "Are you sure you want to rebuild the desktop file ..." message appears. Then release the keys and click OK.
If the system error no longer occurs in Word after you rebuild your Desktop, you can conclude that you had a damaged Desktop file.
If the system error does recur in Word, continue with step 3.
Step 3: Test the Word Settings File
- Quit Word if it is still running.
NOTE: If you're not sure whether Word is still running, choose the Finder icon on the right end of the menu bar. If Microsoft Word appears on the menu, Word is still running. In this case, choose Microsoft Word from the Finder menu. Then choose Quit from the File Menu.
- In the Finder, open the Hard Disk icon.
- Open the System Folder, and then open the Preferences Folder.
- Drag the Word Settings (8) file from the Preferences Folder and drop it next to the Trash icon.
NOTE: Be sure you do NOT double-click this file, because it starts Word; if this happens, quit Word again before you continue.
- Start Word and test to see whether the problem still exists.
If the system error no longer occurs in Word after you disable your Word Settings file, you can conclude that your Word Settings file is damaged. In this case, drag the Word Settings file to the Trash. When no Word Settings file exists, Word creates a new one with default settings when you quit Word.
If the system error does recur in Word, continue with step 4.
Step 4: Test the System
To rule out system corruption as the cause of your system error in Word, start your Macintosh computer using a System CD. This disk contains programs you can use to initialize, test, and repair disks.
If you are using Word 98 for the Power Macintosh, follow these steps to start from a System CD.
To start your Macintosh from the CD-ROM drive, follow these steps:
- Insert a System CD in the CD-ROM drive.
- Restart the computer while holding down the C key on the keyboard.
NOTE: Not all Power Macintosh computers can be started from CD-ROM by holding down the C key at Startup. If this method does not work, try one of the following alternate methods:
Alternate Method 1: Use a Key Combination
Hold down COMMAND+SHIFT+OPTION+DELETE. This forces the Macintosh to bypass the internal hard drive and look for a different System Folder, which could be on a CD-ROM, zip, floppy, or other removable cartridge drive, or a different hard drive.
Alternate Method 2: Change the Startup Disk Settings
- Restart your Macintosh and start from the hard drive.
- On the Apple menu, click Control Panels, and click Startup Disk.
- Select the System CD as the Startup Disk.
NOTE: To use this method, the CD must be inserted and read by the Macintosh computer while it is running from the hard drive System Folder. After you have completed your troubleshooting steps, be sure to reselect the internal hard drive as the Startup Disk.
Errors Starting Word After Starting from System Disk
There are several OLE files that must be available when Word starts. When you install Word, these OLE files are copied to the System Folder (the files are copied to the System Folder that is active when you run the Word Setup program). Word uses these files at Startup.
When you start the Macintosh from the System CD, the active System Folder is changed to the System Folder located on the CD. However, the System Folder on the CD does not contain the OLE files that Word uses at Startup; therefore, you receive an error message.
If Word cannot find the OLE files in the System Folder, it searches for them in the "Microsoft Office 98:Office" folder on your hard disk.
To work around this problem, you can copy the following files from the "System Folder:Extensions" folder on your hard disk to the "Microsoft Office 98:Office" folder (also on your hard disk):
- Microsoft Component Library
- Microsoft OLE Automation
- Microsoft OLE Library
- Microsoft Structured Storage
NOTE: Copying these OLE files from the Extensions folder to the Office folder allows you to start Word 98 for testing purposes. However, many functions such as printing will be unavailable.
To copy the files, follow these steps:
- From the Finder, open the System:Extensions folder.
- While the Extensions folder is still open, open the Office folder that is located inside the Microsoft Office 98 folder.
- With both folders open, press and hold down the OPTION key on the keyboard. Drag the files from the Extensions folder to the Office folder.
NOTE: Holding the OPTION key causes the file to be copied instead of moved.
NOTE: After you are finished troubleshooting, delete the extra OLE files from the Office folder, so that the files don't take up extra space.
Continued Troubleshooting
As with earlier versions of Word, starting from the Macintosh System CD installation disk allows you to troubleshoot problems where Word will not start. In general, if the problem persists after starting the computer from the CD, you can usually conclude that the System or Finder files on the hard disk are not causing the problem.
If the system error no longer occurs in Word, you can conclude that the system software on the hard disk is damaged. In this case, you must reinstall your Macintosh system software. Be sure to delete the old System and Finder files before you reinstall the system software using your Apple System Install disks.
For assistance, check your Apple Macintosh manual, or contact Apple technical support.
NOTE: It's always a good idea to back up your hard disk before you reinstall the Macintosh system software.
If the system error DOES recur in Word, you may have a problem with the hard drive driver; continue with step 5.
Step 5: Run the Hard Drive Updater
System 7.x:
- Double-click Drive Setup, which is located on the System CD in the Utilities folder.
NOTE: If Drive Setup is not present, or the operating system is an older version, look for "Apple HD SC Setup" instead.
- Select the drive to be updated.
- Click Update.
- Restart your computer for the updates to take effect.
System 8.x:
- Double-click Drive Setup, which is located on the System CD in the Utilities folder.
- Select the drive to be updated.
- On the Functions menu, click Update Driver.
- Restart your computer for the updates to take effect.
IMPORTANT: If no options are available in the HDSC Setup program or Drive Setup, your hard disk may be formatted with something other than Apple Macintosh software.
If the system error no longer occurs in Word, you can conclude that your hard drive driver was damaged or that your hard disk was originally formatted with System 6. In the latter case, the HDSC Setup program updated the hard drive driver for use with System 7.
If the system error still recurs in Word, continue with step 6.
Step 6: Reset the Parameter RAM (PRAM)
To reset Parameter RAM, follow these steps:
- Restart your computer while pressing the COMMAND+OPTION+P+R keys.
- The Macintosh should chime two to five times, and then you should release the keys.
This action resets the Macintosh to its factory defaults and may help the computer locate the Startup disk.
NOTE: When you reset the PRAM, you may need to reset various Control Panel settings, such as the type of network you access or screen resolution.
Step 7: Reinstall Word
If the system error still occurs in Word, completely remove and reinstall Word (or Office) using the steps in the following Knowledge Base article:
179861 OFF98: How to Remove Microsoft Office 98 from Your Computer
Please start with the "Remove Office Utility" section, and only "hand remove" the files if the utility fails for some reason.
Keywords: kbinfo KB216733
