PUB2000: You Cannot Unpack and Read a .puz File (308030)



The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Publisher 2000

This article was previously published under Q308030

SYMPTOMS

When you attempt to unpack a Publisher 2000 .puz file, you may receive an error message similar to the following
Publisher cannot read file path:\packed01.puz. Be sure that the file exists and it is not in use by another program.
where file path is a different folder than the one where the .puz file is located.

The Unpack.exe file is designed to look for the file named Packed01.puz by default. Unpack.exe looks for this file name in the same folder location where Unpack.exe is located.

You cannot override this default setting.

CAUSE

This error can occur if you have associated the .puz file extension with a copy of Unpack.exe and you have renamed Packed01.puz with a new name.

RESOLUTION

NOTE: Because there are several versions of Microsoft Windows, the following steps may be different on your computer. If they are, see your product documentation to complete these steps.


To resolve this problem, delete the association between the .puz file extension and unpack.exe, and then rename the .puz file Packed01.puz. To do this, follow the steps in the order shown.

Method 1

To delete the association between the .puz file extension and unpack.exe, follow these steps:
  1. Start Windows Explorer.
  2. On the View menu, click Folder Options.
  3. Click the File Types tab.
  4. In the Registered file types list, click PUZ, and then click Remove.
  5. Click OK.
  6. Proceed to Method 2.

Method 2

To rename the .puz files, follow these steps:
  1. Click Start, point to Find, and then click Files or Folders.
  2. In the Named box, type *.puz, and then click Find Now.
  3. When the search is complete, right-click the file, and then click Rename on the shortcut menu.
  4. In the box that appears, type packed01.puz, and then click ENTER.
  5. Quit Windows Explorer.

Modification Type:MinorLast Reviewed:1/7/2006
Keywords:kbprb KB308030