Microsoft Agent-enabled programs do not work in Windows 7

You have a Microsoft Agent-enabled program, such as Microsoft Office XP, installed on a computer that is running Windows 7. When you try to start the program, it may crash, or it may indicate that Microsoft Agent cannot be loaded. Then, the Program Compatibility Assistant (PCA) dialog box appears. If you click Check for solutions online in the dialog box, you are prompted to install Microsoft Agent, and you are directed to a location where the Microsoft Agent components can be downloaded.

For example, when you press F1 to open the Office Assistant in Office XP, you receive the following message:


Note You receive this message when you start Help for the first time in any Office XP application.

After you click OK, the Help window appears. The Help window can be used in the standard maner. However, you cannot use the Office Assistant.

This problem occurs because Microsoft has decided to stop the development of Microsoft Agent technologies. Therefore, Microsoft Agent is not included in Windows 7, and it will not be included in any later versions of the Windows operating system.

You can apply the following hotfix to install the Microsoft Agent core components. Character files and other Microsoft Agent components will not be installed. Only the core components of Microsoft Agent that were included in earlier versions of Windows will be installed. If you need additional assistance, contact the creator of the Microsoft Agent-enabled program.

Hotfix information

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: 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.

Prerequisites

You must have Windows 7 installed to apply this hotfix.

Restart requirement

You do not have to restart the computer after you apply this hotfix.

Hotfix replacement information

This hotfix does not replace a previously released hotfix.

File information

The global version of this hotfix has the file attributes (or later file attributes) 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 item in Control Panel.

For all supported x86-based versions of Windows 7

For all supported x64-based versions of Windows 7

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

For more information about software update terminology, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

For more information about Microsoft Agent, visit the following Microsoft Web site: