Relative hyperlinks are changed and no longer work correctly in a file that is saved in Office 2003

You add a relative hyperlink that points to a shared file to a Microsoft Office 2003 program. When you save the file, the relative hyperlink is changed. Additionally, the hyperlink no longer opens the shared file.

This problem may occur when the following conditions are true:

• The file that contains the hyperlink and the shared file are both shared to the same root share. However, these files are shared in different folders.
• The case of the text that is used in the path of the relative hyperlink differs from the case of the text that is used in the path of the target document.

When a file is saved in Office 2003, the "convert to relative" feature changes hyperlinks to relative links when the file is saved. If the case of the text in the path of the hyperlink differs from the case of the text in the path of the destination file, the "convert to relative" feature resolves the path to a different shared folder.

For example, consider a case in which the path of the relative hyperlink is \\Server_Name\FF\c1\doc1.doc, and the path of the destination file is \\Server_Name\ff\c1\doc1.doc. Because lowercase "ff" is changed to uppercase "FF" in the hyperlink, the "convert to relative" feature resolves the path \\Server_Name\FF as if "FF" were a different shared folder than "ff." Therefore, the hyperlink is not resolved correctly.

This problem was first fixed in a hotfix that is now contained in a service pack. If you installed the latest Office 2003 service pack, you do not have to install the hotfix.

Service pack information

This problem is corrected in Office 2003 Service Pack 3. To resolve this problem, obtain the latest service pack for Office 2003. For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
After you install the service pack, follow the steps that are listed in the "How to enable the hotfix" section of the article to set the UseCaseInsensitivePathForHyperlink registry key and to activate the hotfix.

Hotfix information

How to obtain the hotfix

This issue is fixed in the Microsoft Office 2003 post-Service Pack 2 Hotfix Package that is dated April 5, 2006. For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

How to enable the hotfix

Warning Serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly by using Registry Editor or by using another method. These problems might require that you reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that these problems can be solved. Modify the registry at your own risk.
To use this hotfix, follow these steps:

1. Quit Office 2003.
2. Click Start, click Run, type regedit, and then click OK.
3. Locate and then click to select the following registry key:
   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\11.0\Common
4. After you select the key that is specified in step 3, point to New on the Edit menu, and then click DWORD Value.
5. Type UseCaseInsensitivePathForHyperlink, and then press ENTER.
6. Right-click UseCaseInsensitivePathForHyperlink, and then click Modify.
7. In the Value data box, type 1, and then click OK.
8. On the File menu, click Exit to quit Registry Editor.

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed in the "Applies to" section.

This problem was first corrected in Office 2003 Service Pack 3.