WD2000: Part 3: Troubleshooting Invalid Page Faults (IPFs) and Exception Errors

This article is part 3 of a series of three Microsoft Knowledge Base articles that present a systematic approach to eliminating error messages in Microsoft Word 2000.

For additional information about the other parts of this three-part article, click the article numbers below to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Continue troubleshooting invalid page faults and exception errors with the following steps after you have completed parts 1 and 2 of this series of articles.

Using Safe Mode to Troubleshoot

By this point, the invalid page fault or exception error is proving to be difficult to solve, and a different approach to troubleshooting may be needed. The rest of this article discusses a troubleshooting method in which you start Windows in Safe Mode and then start Word with the "/a" switch. If this does not work, the problem may be related to a bad installation of Word, Office, or Windows. If this method works, you will be presented with a few more ideas for solutions.

Starting Windows in Safe Mode

Safe Mode is a way to start your computer so that Windows is started in the simplest method possible. It bypasses many drivers and supporting files that could cause problems if they are damaged.

For additional information about how to start Windows in Safe Mode, click the article numbers below to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Starting Word As Cleanly As Possible

In this procedure, you start Windows in Safe Mode AND start Word with the /a switch. This starts Word in the most basic environment possible.

To do this, do the following steps:

1. Start Windows in Safe Mode by following the steps in the "Starting Windows in Safe Mode" section earlier in this article.
2. Start Word with the /a switch by following the steps outlined in the section titled "Start Word with the Defaults" in part 1:
   236319

   (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/236319/EN-US/ )

   WD2000: Part 1: Troubleshooting Invalid Page Faults (IPFs) and Exception Errors
3. Try to reproduce the problem.

If the problem does not occur, follow the steps in the "Starting Word with Windows In Safe Mode" section later in this article.

If the problem still occurs, follow the steps in the "Removing Microsoft Word or Microsoft Office" section later in this article.

Starting Word with Windows in Safe Mode

In this procedure, you take one step back from the extreme restarting procedure mentioned earlier in this article. Windows is started in Safe Mode, and Word is started normally. To do this, do the following steps:

1. Start Window in Safe Mode by following the steps in the "Starting Windows in Safe Mode" section earlier in this article.
2. Start Word as you would normally (without using the /a switch) and try to reproduce the problem.

If the problem occurs, the most likely cause is a damaged Normal.dot file, data key, or item in the Startup folder. Follow the steps in the "Reset Word Back to Default Settings" section in part 1: If the problem does not occur, continue troubleshooting by following the steps in the next section of this article.

Repairing Microsoft Word or Microsoft Office

If the invalid page fault or exception error is still occurring, it is likely that Word or Office files have become damaged. This section guides you through a process of removing and reinstalling Word or Office to achieve the cleanest possible reinstallation.

The easiest way to correct a Word or Office installation is to run a Repair Office (or Repair Word). Although this is very fast and frequently corrects the problem, there are situations in which it does not correct the problem and a more complete removal and reinstallation may be necessary.

To perform a repair of Word or Office, do the following steps:

1. Quit all Microsoft Office applications.
2. On the Windows taskbar, click Start, point to Settings, and click Control Panel.
3. Double-click Add/Remove Programs.
4. Click the Office or stand-alone version of Word you have installed, and click Add/Remove.
   
   For example, click to select Microsoft Word 2000, Microsoft Office 2000 Standard, Microsoft Office 2000 Premium, or Microsoft Office 2000 Professional.
5. After you enter the Setup program, click Repair Office (or Repair Word).

The Setup program checks the installed files and replaces or installs any files from an earlier version that are the wrong size, damaged, or missing. After the Setup is complete, restart Word normally (without using the /a switch), and try to reproduce the problem.

If the problem is corrected, you may have identified the problem as being a damaged file. If Word fails to work correctly, continue troubleshooting using the steps in the "Removing Word or Office" section of this article.

Removing Microsoft Word or Microsoft Office

This procedure guides you through the steps for removing as much of Word or Office as possible. After the removal, you install Word or Office again.

CAUTION: This procedure can result in data loss. Before performing the steps in the remainder of this article, you should back up any user files that may be important. This includes custom templates, documents, and the Normal.dot file.

Use the Setup program to remove as many files as possible. To use Setup to remove Word or Office, follow these steps:

1. Quit all Microsoft Office applications.
2. On the Windows taskbar, click Start, point to Settings, and click Control Panel.
3. Double-click Add/Remove programs.
4. Click the Office or stand-alone version of Word you have installed and click Add/Remove.
   
   For example, click to select Microsoft Word 2000, Microsoft Office 2000 Standard, Microsoft Office 2000 Premium, or Microsoft Office 2000 Professional.
5. From the Setup program, click Remove All, and then click Yes to confirm the removal.
6. You are asked whether you want to remove shared components. Click Remove All.
7. After the Setup is completed, you are prompted to restart Windows.

Cleaning the System

NOTE: Be sure you have backed up your documents, templates, and the Normal.dot file before you proceed with these steps.

1. Delete the Microsoft Office installation folders using the following steps:
   1. Right-click Start and then click Explore.
   2. Navigate to and select the following folder:
      C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\
   3. On the File menu, click Delete.
   4. When you are asked to confirm the folder delete, click Yes.
   5. Navigate to and select the following folder:
      C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared
   6. On the File menu, click Delete.
   7. When you are asked to confirm the folder delete, click Yes.
   8. On the File menu, click Close to quit the Windows Explorer.
2. NOTE: Disk Cleanup is available in Microsoft Windows 98, Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition (Me), and Microsoft Windows 2000.
   
   On the Start menu, point to Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Disk Cleanup.
3. NOTE: Be sure to quit all Windows applications before proceeding with these steps.
   • Microsoft Windows 95, Windows 98, or Microsoft Windows NT 4.0:
     
     
     1. On the Windows Start menu, point to Find and then click Files or Folders.
     2. In the Named box, type ~*.*.
        
        IMPORTANT: Be sure you have typed the tilde character (~) as the first character. Failure to do this may result in deletion of all files on your system.
     3. Change the Look in box to either C: or Local Harddrives (C:; D:).
     4. Click Find Now.
     5. After Find has completed the search, click Select All on the Edit menu.
     6. On the File menu, click Delete.
     7. Click Yes to confirm the deletion of the files.
     8. Repeat steps a through g, using *.tmp in the Named box of step 2.
     -or-
   • Microsoft Windows Me or Windows 2000:
     1. On the Windows Start menu, point to Search and then click For Files or Folders.
     2. In the Search for files or folders named box, type ~*.*.
        
        IMPORTANT: Be sure you have typed the tilde character (~) as the first character. Failure to do this may result in deletion of all files on your system.
     3. Change the Look in box to either C: or Local Harddrives (C:; D:).
     4. Click Search Now.
     5. After the search has completed, click Select All on the Edit menu.
     6. On the File menu, click Delete.
     7. Click Yes to confirm the deletion of the files.
     8. Repeat steps a through g, using *.tmp in the Search for files or folders named box of step 2.
4. To check your hard disk for errors, run the ScanDisk utility. On the Start menu, point to Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click ScanDisk.
5. To defragment the files and free space on your hard disk drive, run the Disk Defragmenter utility. On the Start menu, point to Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Disk Defragmenter.
6. On the Windows Start menu, click Shutdown.
7. In the Shut Down Windows dialog box, click Restart and then click OK.

Reinstalling Microsoft Word or Microsoft Office

At this point, most traces of Word or Office have been removed from the computer and the system is optimized. You can now run the Word or Office Setup from the original location to install the programs.

After Setup is complete, start Word as you normally start it (without using the /a switch), and try to reproduce the problem.

If the problem is corrected, you may have identified the problem as being a damaged file.

If Word fails to work correctly, continue troubleshooting, using the steps in the "Reinstalling Windows" section of this article.

Reinstalling Windows

By this point, the most likely cause of the invalid page fault or exception error may be a damaged Windows file. You can reinstall Microsoft Windows to the same folder where it is currently installed. For additional information, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: You may want to obtain additional Windows technical support help using one of the methods listed in the "Support Options" section of this article.

For additional information about installing Windows, click the article numbers below to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Microsoft Support Options

If you cannot resolve this issue, several support options are available to assist you.

Quickly Find Answers Yourself Online

Use Microsoft Online Support to search the Microsoft Knowledge Base and other technical resources for fast, accurate answers. You can also customize the site to control your search.

To begin your search, browse to the following Web site:

Microsoft Product Support

Contact a Microsoft Product Support professional to assist you with troubleshooting problems.

For more information about obtaining help with troubleshooting Microsoft Windows, click Help Topics on the Help menu in Windows Explorer. On the Contents tab, double-click to open the Troubleshooting book. Then double-click to open the Contact Microsoft Technical Support book to view your support options.

For more information about obtaining help with troubleshooting Microsoft Word, click About Microsoft word on the Help menu, and then click Tech Support.

Microsoft Solution Providers

Microsoft Solution Providers are independent organizations that have teamed with Microsoft to use technology to solve business problems for companies of all sizes and industries.

To locate a Microsoft Solution Provider in your area in the U.S. and Canada, call the Microsoft Sales Information Center at (800) 426-9400. If you are outside the United States, contact your local subsidiary. To locate your subsidiary, see the Microsoft World Wide Offices Web site at: