WD97: Word Stops Responding When You Try to Quit Word

When you quit Microsoft Word, Word may appear to stop responding (hang).

When you quit Microsoft Word normally, Word performs several functions. During any of these steps, problems may occur that cause Microsoft Word to hang.

A known cause of this symptom is when the Msgsrv32.exe file does not respond to the system. When you press CTRL+ALT+DEL to show the Windows task list, it may show that Msgsrv32.exe has stopped responding.

Msgsrv32.exe is a Microsoft Windows dynamic-link library file that handles error message codes for Windows-based drivers. If Msgsrv32.exe encounters an error code that it is unable to handle, Msgsrv32.exe may stop responding.

For additional information about attempting to resolve this problem, click the article numbers below to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

To work around this problem and quit Microsoft Word, follow these steps:

1. Press CTRL+ALT+DELETE.
2. Look for Msgsrv32.exe in the Windows task list.
3. Do one of the following:
   • If Msgsrv32.exe is listed, select Msgsrv32.exe and then click End Task. If you receive the message "This application is not responding...", click Yes. Microsoft Word should finish quitting normally. To attempt to correct the problem, please see the articles listed in the "Resolution" section for more troubleshooting ideas.
     
     -or-
   • If Msgsrv32.exe is not listed in the task list, please see the articles listed in the "More Information" section for more troubleshooting ideas to correct the problem.

This problem is known to be related to VXD driver files. VXD driver files are often used in creating printer and video drivers for Windows. To ensure that the problem does not involve the video driver, set your display to use the Standard VGA driver that is included with Windows. To ensure that the problem does not involve the printer driver, install a printer driver that does not exist in your system.

For information about how to contact your printer or video driver manufacturer, click the appropriate article number in the following list to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: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.