PPT2000: PowerPoint 2000 Add-In with Interactive Modal Dialogs Cause Word and Excel 2000 to Stop Responding

Article ID: 226750 - View products that this article applies to.
This article was previously published under Q226750
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SYMPTOMS

If you are use Windows NT 4.0, Microsoft Word 2000, or Excel 2000 with any Microsoft PowerPoint 2000 add-in that requires user action when it is autoloaded when the application is started and you try to insert a PowerPoint presentation as an object while PowerPoint is not running, one of the following symptoms may occur:
  • The Auto_Open feature of the PowerPoint add-in starts.
  • Microsoft Office Windows Installer runs Office AutoRepair.
  • After the AutoRepair has finished, you receive the following error message:
    The server application, source file, or item cannot be found.
    Make sure the application is properly installed, and that it has not been deleted, moved, or renamed.
  • After this error, Word or Excel appear to stop responding (the mouse pointer will change to the "hour glass" cursor).NOTE: This will only be temporary, Word and Excel will be active within five minutes.
  • An error will appear behind Word or Excel with the following message:
    PowerPoint can't be used as a server because a dialog box is open. Please close open dialog boxes to continue.
    If you close the prompt, nothing happens.
Any further attempts to insert objects will fail with the identical results previously listed.
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CAUSE

This is caused when the PowerPoint Add-in starts a modal user interface (UI) during either the Auto_Open or the Auto_Close events for the add-in. When this occurs, it appears to the operating system that PowerPoint 2000 is no longer installed on the computer.

This is because modal user interfaces are run from the Visual Basic for Applications layer of Office (not from PowerPoint directly). The Windows Installer interprets the program ID as damage to PowerPoint. In addition, PowerPoint cannot finish loading until the modal UI has been cleared from the display. This activates the final error message.
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WORKAROUND

Disable Add-ins with Modal User Interfaces

To disable add-ins with modal user interfaces, follow these steps:
  1. On the Tools menu, click Add-Ins.
  2. From the list of installed add-ins, select the add-ins that have Modal UIs, then click Unload.
  3. Click Close.
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STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article.
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Properties

Article ID: 226750 - Last Review: May 8, 2003 - Revision: 2.0
APPLIES TO
  • Microsoft Excel 2000 Standard Edition
  • Microsoft PowerPoint 2000 Standard Edition
  • Microsoft Word 2000 Standard Edition
Keywords: 
kberrmsg kbbug kbinterop kbpending KB226750
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