OFF2000: Office Programs Stop Responding After You Upgrade to Windows XP

When you attempt to use a Microsoft Office 2000 program on a Microsoft Windows XP-based computer, you may receive an error message similar to one of the following: -or- Under some circumstances, you may be able to start the program, but you cannot type or access menus, or the pointer may not change from a text pointer back to an arrow.

If you click to see what information is sent to Microsoft about this error, you see something similar to the following: In some cases, the ModVersion and ModName may be different, such as:

This issue occurs when the program's Windows compatibility mode is set to Microsoft Windows 98/Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition (Me), and you leave the display settings for the program blank, or you select 640 x 800. Additionally, an "out of memory" message may be displayed in the Office program if you select 256-color in the display settings.

To resolve this issue, turn off the Windows compatibility mode for the program. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, and then click All Programs.
2. Point to Accessories, and then click Program Compatibility Wizard.
3. In the wizard, click Next.
4. Click I want to choose from a list of programs, and then click Next.
5. Click to select the program that you were attempting to use, and then click Next.
6. Under Select a compatibility mode for the program, click Do not apply a compatibility mode, and then click Next.
7. Under Select display settings for the program, click Next.
8. If you are asked whether you want to simulate administrative privileges, do not select anything, and then click Next.
9. Click Next under Test your compatibility settings.
   
   The program that you selected starts. This allows you to test whether the program functions correctly with the new settings.
10. When you are finished testing the program, quit the program.
11. Click Yes, set this program to always use these compatibility settings, and then click Next.
12. Select whether you would like to send to Microsoft information about the selected settings and how they helped you to solve the problem, click Next, and then click Finish.

For additional information about how to troubleshoot compatibility issues, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
For additional information about how to use Windows Application Compatibility mode, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: