Error message when you click a hyperlink in a Word 2003 document to open an Excel workbook: "Cannot open the specified file" (921649)

Important This article contains information about how to modify the registry. Make sure to back up the registry before you modify it. Make sure that you know how to restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up, restore, and modify the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

256986 Description of the Microsoft Windows registry

SYMPTOMS

When you press CTRL and then click a hyperlink in a Microsoft Office Word 2003 document to open a Microsoft Excel workbook, the workbook does not open. Additionally, you receive the following error message:

Microsoft Office Word

Cannot open the specified file.

CAUSE

This problem may occur if the following conditions are true:

The hyperlink is a relative hyperlink that also contains a reference to either of the following items:
- A bookmark to a specific worksheet in a workbook
- A bookmark to a specific cell on a worksheet
The Word document and the Excel workbook are located at the same network location.

RESOLUTION

How to obtain the hotfix

This issue is fixed in the Word 2003 post-Service Pack 2 Hotfix Package that is dated June 26, 2006. For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

921648 Description of the Word 2003 post-Service Pack 2 hotfix package: June 26, 2006

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 enable this hotfix, follow these steps:

Exit Word 2003.
Click Start, click Run, type regedit, and then click OK.
Locate and then click to select the following registry subkey:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\11.0\Word\Options
On the Edit menu, point to New, and then click DWORD Value.
Type TreatLocationReferenceAsLocal, and then press ENTER.
Right-click TreatLocationReferenceAsLocal, and then click Modify.
In the Value data box, type 1, and then click OK.
On the File menu, click Exit to exit Registry Editor.