XL97: Html.xla Add-in May Delete All Files in a Folder (167612)

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1. Q. I heard that there is a problem with the Save As HTML command in Microsoft Excel 97. What's the situation?
   
   A. The Save As HTML menu command is provided by the Html.xla add-in included with Microsoft Excel 97. There is a problem in the Visual Basic for Applications programming system that is "exposed" by the code in the Html.xla add-in. Because of this problem, files may be deleted when you use the Save As HTML command to save a worksheet in the Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) format in a folder on a computer running Microsoft Windows NT, version 3.51 or 4.0.
2. Q. When does this problem occur?
   
   A. This problem may occur when the following conditions are both true:
   
   
   • You save the HTML file to a network server running Microsoft Windows NT Server, version 3.51 or 4.0, or Microsoft Windows NT Workstation, version 3.51 or 4.0. -and-
     
     
   • You save the HTML file to a mapped drive on the network server.
   NOTE: The problem does not occur when you save an HTML file to a share on a computer running Microsoft Windows 95. The problem also does not occur when you save an HTML file to a share using the universal naming convention (UNC).
   
   For example, if you save an HTML file using the following convention

                 \\<Server>\<Share>
   						

   the problem does not occur.
   
   However, if you save an HTML file to drive D, where drive D is mapped to \\<Server>\<Share>, and <Server> is a computer running Windows NT, the problem occurs. When you do this, all of the files in the folder in which you save the HTML file may be deleted.
3. Q. What does Microsoft plan to do about this problem?
   
   A. Microsoft works hard to respond to issues raised by our customers. We have developed an updated Html.xla that corrects the problem described in this article. We will begin distributing this updated add-in as soon as possible.
4. Q. When (and where) can I get this updated Html.xla add-in?
   
   A. The updated Html.xla add-in is available as of May 5, 1997. You can download the add-in from the following address on the Internet:

   http://office.microsoft.com/downloads/9798/html.aspx

   The updated Html.xla is available free of charge to all users of Microsoft Excel 97.
5. Q. What can I do to address the problem until the updated Html.xla is available?
   
   A. Until you download and install the updated Html.xla add-in, do NOT USE the Save As Html menu command to save HTML files to mapped network drives. If you do this, you risk deleting all of the files in the folder in which you are saving the HTML file.
   
   CAUTION: Because Microsoft Windows NT does not allow you to undelete files, this problem can result in permanent data loss.
   
   Instead of saving the file to the server, save the HTML file to a folder on a local hard disk. If you must save the HTML files to a folder on a computer running Windows NT, make sure that you use the universal naming convention to connect to the server instead of a mapped drive letter. Or, make sure that the folder in which you are saving the HTML file is completely empty.
6. Q. Does the updated Html.xla do anything else besides fix this problem?
   
   A. Yes, it does. The updated Html.xla add-in also includes the following new features:
   
   
   • The updated Html.xla allows you to use a Visual Basic for Applications macro to save worksheets as HTML files. Without the updated add-in, you cannot easily perform this task using a macro.
   • When you save a worksheet in the HTML format, the updated Html.xla preserves all data and filters (except custom filters) in ranges you specify for an AutoFilter.