You receive a "The Visual Basic Environment could not be initialized" error messages when you start the Visual Basic Editor in Word 2000 (212669)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Word 2000
This article was previously published under Q212669
For a Microsoft Word 2002 version of this article, see 290935.
For a Microsoft Word 97 version of this article, see 162053.

SYMPTOMS

When you try to start the Visual Basic Editor, you may receive one or more of the following error messages:
Could not open macro storage.

The Visual Basic Environment could not be initialized. Please run Setup to install it correctly.

Word could not fire event.

CAUSE

Possible causes for these error messages include the following:
  • Insufficient disk space or low memory. This is the most common cause.

    -or-
  • A damaged Word default template (Normal.dot) file.

    -or-
  • A wrong version for the Vbe6.dll file.

    -or-
  • A network rights (permissions) issue, if the Temp directory is on a server.

RESOLUTION

To resolve this issue, use one of the following methods.

Method 1: Rename the Default Word Global (Normal.dot) Template

  1. If you are working in Word, quit Word.
  2. Find the Normal.dot template file.

    NOTE: The default location of the Normal.dot template file is one of the following:
    • Microsoft Windows 95, Microsoft Windows 98, or Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition (Me):

      Windows folder\Application Data\Microsoft Templates

      -or-
    • Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows Me with profiles, or Microsoft Windows NT 4.0:

      Windows folder\Profiles\user name\Application Data\Microsoft\Templates

      -or-
    • Microsoft Windows 2000 or Microsoft Windows XP:

      C:\Documents and Settings\user name\Application Data\Microsoft\Templates

  3. Click to select Normal.dot, and then click Rename on the File menu.
  4. Type a new name, and then press ENTER. For example, type Normal Old.dot.
After you perform Method 1, if the error continues, perform steps 1 through 4 again to rename Normal Old.dot back to Normal.dot. Continue using any of the following methods.

Method 2: Add RAM or Increase Hard Disk Space

If your computer has insufficient disk space or memory, do one of the following:
  • Add more RAM to your computer.

    As a short-term solution, you can free RAM by shutting down unneeded programs.
  • Increase your hard disk space. For example, add a larger hard disk or remove files that you no longer need to store on your hard disk.
  • Restart Windows.

Method 3: Rename and Reinstall the Vbe6.dll File

For a corrupted, missing, or wrong version of the Vbe6.dll file, follow these steps.

NOTE: You need your Office CD-ROM to complete this task.
  1. Quit all currently open programs.
  2. Start an MS-DOS prompt in a window by doing one of the following:
    • Microsoft Windows 95 or Windows 98:

      Click Start, point to Programs, and then click MS-DOS Prompt.

    • Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition (Me):

      Click Start, point to Programs, point to Accessories, and then click MS-DOS Prompt.

    • Microsoft Windows NT 4.0:

      Click Start, point to Programs, and then click Command Prompt.

    • Microsoft Windows 2000 or Microsoft Windows XP:

      Click Start, point to Programs, point to Accessories, and then click Command Prompt.

  3. To change the directory to the location of the Vbe6.dll file, type one of the following (including the quotation marks), and then press ENTER:

    CD "C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Vba\Vba6"

    -or-

    CD progra~1\Common~1\Micros~1\Vba\Vba6

    NOTE: This is the default directory for the Vbe6.dll file. If you installed Microsoft Office into another drive or directory, you must type its path.
  4. To unregister the Vbe6.dll file, type the following.

    In Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows Me, type:

    C:\Windows\System\REGSVR32 /U VBE6.DLL

    In Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000, or Windows XP, type:

    REGSVR32 /U VBE6.DLL

    -or-

    C:\Winnt\System32\REGSVR32 /U VBE6.DLL

    NOTE: This is the default directory for the Windows System directory. If you installed Windows into another directory, you must type its path.
  5. In the MS-DOS prompt window, rename Vbe.dll to Vbe.old by typing the following and then pressing ENTER:

    rename vbe6.dll vbe6.old

  6. Quit the MS-DOS prompt window. To do this, do one of the following:
    • Type Exit at the command prompt, and then press ENTER. -or-

    • Click Close (the X in the upper-right corner of the window).
  7. Start Microsoft Word.
  8. On the Tools menu, point to Macro, and then click Macros.

    The Windows Installer detects that the Vbe6.dll file is missing on the system, installs the file from the Office CD, and registers it again.

Method 4: Check Network Permissions

The Visual Basic Editor creates a folder in the Temp directory to store files. If the Temp directory is being accessed via a network share, the network permissions for this folder must have Create permissions. See your network administrator for information about setting permissions.

MORE INFORMATION

For additional information about the Temp folder that the Visual Basic Editor creates, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

199830 OFF2000: EXD Files Are Created When You Insert Controls

For additional information about this issue on the Macintosh, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

272347 OFF98: Visual Basic Error Messages When You Start Office Program or Visual Basic Editor, or Run a Macro

Modification Type:MinorLast Reviewed:9/10/2004
Keywords:kberrmsg kbsetup kbopenfile kbstartprogram kbtshoot kbdtacode kbpending kbprb KB212669
©2004 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.