PUB: Cannot Load Custom Control DLL Running Design Assistant (138512)



The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Publisher for Windows 3.0

This article was previously published under Q138512

SYMPTOMS

If you try to run one of the Publisher PageWizard Design Assistants or the Introduction to Microsoft Publisher, you may receive one of the following error messages:
Your program is making an invalid dynamic link call to a .dll file.
-or-
Cannot load custom control DLL: C:\Windows\System\mspubgxf.vbx.

RESOLUTION

To check for incorrect or missing dynamic-link library files (.dll files), follow these steps.

Check for Incorrect or Missing DLL Files in Windows 95/98

Make sure all of the following files are installed in the Windows\System folder.
   Windows 95 file size and dates
   ----------
   Compobj.dll          30,976      07-11-1995     9:50:00a
   Ole2.dll             39,744      07-11-1995     9:50:00a
   Ole2disp.dll        169,440      07-11-1995     9:50:00a
   Ole2nls.dll         153,040      07-11-1995     9:50:00a
   Olethk32.dll         79,424      07-11-1995     9:50:00a
				
   Windows 98 file size and dates
   ----------
   Compobj.dll          31,152      05-11-1998     8:01:00a
   Ole2.dll             39,760      05-11-1998     8:01:00a
   Ole2disp.dll        169,440      05-11-1998     8:01:00a
   Ole2nls.dll         153,040      05-11-1998     8:01:00a
   Olethk32.dll         86,016      05-11-1998     8:01:00a
				
For information about finding and comparing files in Windows, see your Windows printed documentation or online Help.

If any of these files are missing or corrupted, you will receive one of these error messages. To correct the problem, replace the DLL with the correct version. By default, Windows keeps backup copies of these files in the \Windows\Sysbckup folder. You can copy them from the Windows\Sysbckup folder to the Windows\System folder. If this does not resolve the problem, you can either reinstall Windows 95/98 or extract them manually from the Windows 95/98 disks or compact disc.

Reinstall Windows

To replace the missing files by reinstalling Windows 95/98, run the Setup program from either the Windows 95/98 disks or compact disc by using the following steps:
  1. Insert the Windows compact disc into the CD-ROM drive. Or, if you installed Windows from a floppy disk, insert Disk 1 in the disk drive.
  2. On the Windows Start menu, click Run, and type the following command

    disk:\setup

    where disk represents the disk drive that contains the setup disk or compact disc. For example, if you are installing from a compact disc and your CD-ROM drive is drive D, type the following:

    d:\setup

Extract Files Manually

To replace the missing files by manually extracting them from the Windows 95 disks or compact disc, follow these steps:
  1. Insert the Windows 95 disc into the CD-ROM drive. Or, if you installed Windows 95 from a floppy disk, insert Disk 9 in the disk drive.
  2. On the Windows Start menu, point to Programs, and then click MS-DOS Prompt.
  3. At the command prompt, type the following and then press ENTER:

    cd system

  4. Use the appropriate method for your situation. NOTE: You will need to repeat the Method you choose for each of the files listed in the "Checking for Incorrect or Missing DLL Files" section of this article.

    Method 1: If you installed Windows 95 from compact disc

    Type the following at the command prompt

    extract disk:\win95\win95_09.cab file name

    where disk is the CD-ROM drive letter, and file name is the name of the .dll file you are extracting.

    For example, if your CD-ROM drive is drive D, and you need to extract the file "Olethk32.dll", type the following and then press ENTER:

    extract D:\win95\win95_09.cab olethk32.dll

    Method 2: If you installed Windows 95 from floppy disk

    Type the following at the MS-DOS command prompt

    extract disk:\win95_10.cab file name

    where disk is the floppy drive letter and file name is the name of the .dll file you are extracting.

    For example, if your floppy drive is drive A, and you need to extract the file Olethk32.dll, type the following at the command prompt and then press ENTER:

    extract A:\win95_10.cab olethk32.dll

    Method 3: If you have Windows NT

    a. Insert the Windows NT compact disc.

    b. Type the following at the command prompt:

    expand disk:\i386\ole2.dl_ %windir%\system32\ole2.dll

    where disk is the compact disc drive letter.

    For example, if your CD-ROM drive is drive D, and you need to extract the file "Ole2.dll", type the following and then press ENTER:

    expand d:\i386\ole2.dl_ %windir%\system32\ole2.dll

  5. When you finish extracting all the necessary files, type the following at the command prompt and press ENTER:

    exit

    Method 4: Windows 98 System File Checker

    Start System File Checker by clicking Start, pointing to Programs,pointing to Accessories, pointing to System Tools, and then clicking System Information. In System Information, click Tools, and then click System File Checker.

    a. Click Extract one file from installation disk.

    b. Type the name of the file in File to extract, or click Browse.

    c. Click Start.

    d. In Restore From, type the name of the folder where the .cab files are located on your installation disk. If necessary, change the path in Save file in.

    e. Click OK.

    f. Repeat steps for each file to extract.

The PageWizard Design Assistants should now work correctly.

Modification Type:MinorLast Reviewed:8/17/2005
Keywords:kberrmsg kbprb kbtemplate kbusage kbwizard KB138512