OFF97: ActiveX Errors When You Run Internet Explorer

When you start Internet Explorer, you may receive the following error message: In addition, if you click one of the drives in My Computer or Windows Explorer, you may receive the following error message: When you click OK, you receive the following error message: If you click either Yes or No, you can open any of the drives. However, when you open folders on the drives, you continue to receive similar error messages.

NOTE: You may receive these error messages whenever you restart your computer. For additional information about these error messages, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

This issue can occur if you run the Microsoft Office 97 File and Registry Eraser utility on a computer that is running Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 and Internet Explorer.

To resolve this issue, reinstall the Comcat.dll file:

1. Use Windows Explorer to locate the Os\System folder on your Microsoft Office 97 CD-ROM, and then click the Comcat.dll file.
2. On the Edit menu, click Copy. Locate and click the System32 folder of Windows NT (by default, C:\Winnt\System32). On the Edit menu, click Paste to paste the Comcat.dll file in the System32 folder.
3. Click Start, click Run, and then type the following command:
   regsvr32 c:\winnt\system32\comcat.dll
   Click OK. The following message is displayed:
   DllRegisterServer in c:\winnt\system32\comcat.dll succeeded.

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

An updated version of the Office 97 File and Registry Eraser utility (Eraser97.exe) is available.

The following file is available for download from the Microsoft Download Center:
For additional information about how to download Microsoft Support files, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: Microsoft scanned this file for viruses. Microsoft used the most current virus-detection software that was available on the date that the file was posted. The file is stored on security-enhanced servers that help to prevent any unauthorized changes to the file. The Office 97 File and Registry Eraser utility removes most of the files and Windows registry settings that remain on the computer after you remove Office 97. This utility is designed to be run after you run the Setup program for Office 97 and click Remove All to remove Office 97. When you run the Office 97 File and Registry Eraser utility, it removes shared system components. The Internet Explorer Active Desktop requires these components, and does not work correctly after the files are removed. To restore the Active Desktop, reinstall the Comcat.dll file. For additional information about the Office 97 File and Registry Eraser utility, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: