"Automation error: The object invoked has disconnected from its clients" error message in Excel 2000

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SYMPTOMS

When you run a Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) macro to insert a page break, you may receive the following error message:

Run-time error '-2147417848 (80010108)':

Automation error
The object invoked has disconnected from its clients.

After you click End to close the error message, if you click Print Preview on the File menu, you receive the following error message:

Not enough memory.

After you click OK to clear the error messages, you receive the following error message:

Microsoft Excel for Windows has encountered a problem and needs to close. We are sorry for the inconvenience.

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This problem occurs because the HPageBreaks.Add object does not check buffer size, and there is a mis-match between a large buffer size of the DEVMODE structure of your default printer driver and the DEVMODE structure of your Microsoft Excel workbook.

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RESOLUTION

A supported hotfix is available from Microsoft. However, this hotfix is intended to correct only the problem that is described in this article. Apply this hotfix only to systems that are experiencing this specific problem.

If the hotfix is available for download, there is a "Hotfix download available" section at the top of this Knowledge Base article. If this section does not appear, submit a request to Microsoft Customer Service and Support to obtain the hotfix.

Note If additional issues occur or if any troubleshooting is required, you might have to create a separate service request. The usual support costs will apply to additional support questions and issues that do not qualify for this specific hotfix. For a complete list of Microsoft Customer Service and Support telephone numbers or to create a separate service request, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://support.microsoft.com/contactus/?ws=support (http://support.microsoft.com/contactus/?ws=support)

Note The "Hotfix download available" form displays the languages for which the hotfix is available. If you do not see your language, it is because a hotfix is not available for that language.

The global version of this fix should have the following file attributes or later:

   Date         Time   Size       File name     
   ----------------------------------------------
   10-Feb-2003  23:29  1,701,152  Excel.msp
   10-Feb-2003  23:54  4,316,764  Excel_admin.msp

The global version of this hotfix has the file attributes (or later) that are listed in the following table. The dates and times for these files are listed in coordinated universal time (UTC). When you view the file information, it is converted to local time. To find the difference between UTC and local time, use the Time Zone tab in the Date and Time tool in Control Panel.

   Date         Time   Version     Size       File name     
   ----------------------------------------------------
   07-Feb-2003  10:48  9.0.0.7406  7,163,949  Excel.exe

This fix is a post-Office 2000 Service Pack 3 (SP-3) fix. To install the fix, you must have Office 2000 SP-3 installed. For additional information about Office 2000 SP-3, click the following article number to see the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

326585 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/326585/EN-US/ ) OFF2000: Overview of Office 2000 Service Pack 3

Additionally, you may have to install Windows Installer 2.0 to install this fix. For additional information about the Windows Installer requirement for post-Office 2000 SP-3 fixes, click the following article number to see the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

811002 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/811002/EN-US/ ) OFF2000: Office 2000 Updates and Patches Released After November 2002 May Require Windows Installer 2.0

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WORKAROUND

To work around this problem, do one of the following before you run the macro to insert a page break:

On the File menu, click Print Preview. In the Print Preview dialog box, click Close.
On the File menu, click Page Setup. In the Page Setup dialog box, click OK.

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