Cannot Find 'C:\Windows\System\Msaap.xla' (154142)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Excel for Windows 95 7.0a
  • Microsoft Small Business Financial Manager for Excel for Windows 95
This article was previously published under Q154142
IMPORTANT: This article contains information about editing the registry. Before you edit the registry, you should first make a backup copy of the registry files (System.dat and User.dat). Both are hidden files in the Windows folder.

SYMPTOMS

When you restart Microsoft Excel after you uninstall the Microsoft Small Business Financial Manager (SBFM) for Microsoft Excel, you may receive the following error message:
Cannot Find 'C:\Windows\System\msaap.xla'
When you click OK, Microsoft Excel continues to load.

CAUSE

When you uninstall the SBFM (by running Setup and clicking Remove All), the Msaap.xla add-in file is removed from the Windows System folder. However, the Registry entry that loads the add-in when Microsoft Excel is started is not removed. The next time Microsoft Excel is started after the SBFM is removed, the add-in cannot be loaded (because the Setup program removed it), and you receive the error message.

RESOLUTION

To prevent this error message from appearing, use any one of the following methods.

Method 1: Use the Add-In Manager to remove the reference to the add-in:
  1. Start Microsoft Excel.
  2. When you receive the error message, click OK.
  3. On the Tools menu, click Add-Ins.
  4. In the Add-Ins dialog box, click Msaap.

    You will receive another error message:
    Cannot find add-in 'C:\Windows\System\msaap.xla'. Delete from list?
  5. Click Yes to remove the add-in entry from the registry.
  6. Click OK.

    The next time you start Microsoft Excel, you will not receive an error message.
Method 2: Manually edit the registry entry: WARNING: Using Registry Editor incorrectly can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall Windows 95. Microsoft cannot guarantee that problems resulting from the incorrect use of Registry Editor can be solved. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

For information about how to edit the registry, view the Changing Keys And Values online Help topic in Registry Editor (Regedit.exe). Note that you should make a backup copy of the registry files (System.dat and User.dat) before you edit the registry.

The registry entry that loads the add-in can also be manually removed from the following registry key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Excel\7.0\Microsoft Excel

  1. Exit Microsoft Excel.
  2. On the Windows 95 taskbar, click Start, and then click Run.
  3. In the Run box, type regedit, and click OK.
  4. Locate the following key:

    HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Excel\7.0\Microsoft Excel

  5. In the right pane, locate the entry name "OPEN" with the Data Value of "/f "c:\Windows\System\msaap.xla"".
  6. Click the entry and press the DELETE key, click Yes when prompted to confirm the deletion.
  7. On the Registry menu, click Exit.
  8. Start Microsoft Excel.

    The error message should no longer appear.
For additional information, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

136393 How to Modify the Windows Registry

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article. We are researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.

MORE INFORMATION

For additional information, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

152818 SBFM: How to Uninstall Small Business Financial Manager

Modification Type:MinorLast Reviewed:8/17/2005
Keywords:KB154142
©2004 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.