You receive error messages when you start Office 2000 programs (217440)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Excel 2000
  • Microsoft Access 2000
  • Microsoft FrontPage 2000
  • Microsoft Outlook 2000
  • Microsoft PowerPoint 2000
  • Microsoft Word 2000
This article was previously published under Q217440

SYMPTOMS

When you start any of the Microsoft Office 2000 programs listed at the beginning of this article, you may receive the following error message:
There was a problem starting the Office Assistant. Would you like to try reinstalling it?
If you click Yes, you receive the following error message:
The Office Assistant could not be started. Please repair the Assistant by running Office 2000 setup and selecting "Repair Office 2000".
When you start Microsoft Excel 2000, you receive the following error message:
Microsoft Excel requires file OLEAUT32.DLL to run. The version of OLEAUT32.DLL that is on your computer is older than the one required by this version of Microsoft Excel.

Please run Setup again, and select the Reinstall option to install the correct version of the file.
When you start Microsoft Outlook 2000, you receive the following error message:
The required file OUTLRPC.dll cannot be found in your path, please reinstall Microsoft Outlook.
When you start Microsoft PowerPoint 2000, you receive the following error message:
The AGENTSVR.EXE file is linked to missing export OLEAUT32.DLL:277.
When you start Microsoft FrontPage 2000, you receive the following error message:
Microsoft FrontPage is not installed properly on this system and cannot function. Please reinstall Microsoft FrontPage.

Click OK to exit.

followed by:

This program has performed an illegal operation and will be shut down. If the problem persists, contact the program vendor.

If you click Details, you receive an error message similar to the following:

FRONTPG caused an invalid page fault in module MFC42.DLL at 0137:5f4086f7.
When you start Microsoft Access 2000, you receive the following error message:
The file 'OLEAUT32.DLL' is out of date. This program requires a newer version.

CAUSE

This problem occurs if an outdated version of the Oleaut32.dll file is installed on your computer.

RESOLUTION

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

Method 1: Run Detect and Repair

If the program does not close after you receive any of the error messages in the "Symptoms" section of this article, follow these steps to resolve the problem:
  1. Click Detect and Repair on the Help menu.
  2. Click Start in the Detect and Repair dialog box.
Office Setup replaces the outdated copy of Oleaut32.dll.

If the Office program closes after the error message appears, follow these steps to resolve the problem:
  1. Click Start, point to Settings, and click Control Panel.
  2. Double-click Add/Remove Programs.
  3. Double-click Office 2000.
  4. Click Repair Office.
  5. Click Reinstall Office and click Finish.
Note Because of the outdated version of Oleaut32.dll, you may receive error messages during the reinstallation. Click Ignore in each error message dialog box to continue.

Method 2: Copy Oleaut32.dll from the Office 2000 CD-ROM

If Method 1 does not resolve the problem, follow these steps:
  1. On Microsoft Windows 95 or Microsoft Windows 98:

    Quit all running programs.
  2. Insert the Office 2000 CD-ROM into the CD-ROM drive or DVD-ROM drive.
  3. Click Start, point to Programs, and then click Windows Explorer.
  4. In the Office 2000 CD-ROM, browse to the System folder, copy Oleaut32.dll, and then paste it into C:\.
  5. Restart the computer in MS-DOS mode.
  6. Type the following at the MS-DOS prompt, and then press ENTER:

    copy C:\oleaut32.dll c:\windows\system\oleaut32.dll

    Note The path may vary, according to the installation folder of Windows and your computer's operating system (for example, Winnt\System32).

    Note If you are asked to overwrite, press Y and then press ENTER.
  7. Run Office Setup, click Repair Office, and then click Reinstall.

Method 3: Install the Latest Windows 2000 Service Pack

To resolve this problem, obtain the latest service pack for Windows 2000. For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

260910 How to obtain the latest Windows 2000 service pack

REFERENCES

For more information about Office errors that can occur with an outdated version of the Oleaut32.dll file, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

224315 Error starting Visual Basic Editor with outdated Oleaut32.dll

Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:8/17/2005
Keywords:kbstartprogram kberrmsg kbprb KB217440
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