Windows Installer starts to install a program when you click the Office 2000 program shortcut (221455)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Excel 2000
  • Microsoft Access 2000
  • Microsoft FrontPage 2000
  • Microsoft Outlook 2000
  • Microsoft PowerPoint 2000
  • Microsoft Publisher 2000
  • Microsoft Word 2000
  • Microsoft Office 2000 Premium
  • Microsoft Office 2000 Professoinal
  • Microsoft Office 2000 Standard
  • Microsoft Office 2000 Small Business
  • Microsoft Office 2000 Developer
This article was previously published under Q221455

SYMPTOMS

In Microsoft Windows Explorer, when you click a shortcut representing a Microsoft Office 2000 program, Windows Installer unexpectedly starts to install the program.

CAUSE

This behavior occurs when the following conditions are true:
  • You click Customize while installing Office, and then click Installed on First Use for the Office program in question.
  • You are using the single-click activation option in Windows.
  • You click the Office program shortcut.

WORKAROUND

To work around this issue, turn off the single-click activation option in Windows Explorer. By doing so, you can select the icon without starting the installer.

To do this in Windows 98, follow these steps:
  1. Right-click Start, and then on the shortcut menu, click Explore.
  2. On the View menu, click Folder Options.
  3. On the General tab, select Classic style, and then click OK.
To do this in Windows 2000, follow these steps:
  1. Right-click Start, and then on the shortcut menu, click Explore.
  2. On the Tools menu, click Folder Options.
  3. On the General tab, select Double-click to open an item (single-click to select), and then click OK.
After you have performed the operation that requires clicking the icon for the advertised feature, you may restore the single-click option if you want by following the preceding steps and restoring the original single-click options.

MORE INFORMATION

Office 2000 includes the installation option Installed on First Use. If you select this option, the files that make up a feature are not physically installed on your computer until you actually need the feature. Shortcuts representing the Office programs are said to advertise the feature. These are called Windows Installer shortcuts.

For example, if you select the Installed on First Use option for Microsoft Word, Setup does not copy the Word files to your computer during installation; rather, the Windows Installer records where Office is located so that Word can be installed if it is ever needed.

The first time that you click Microsoft Word (under Programs on the Start menu), Office starts the Windows Installer to copy the Word files to your hard disk. You are then prompted to insert the Office 2000 CD-ROM if the installation source is not available. After the files are installed, Word starts normally. However, the Windows Installer does not normally start when you click the Microsoft Word shortcut in Windows Explorer.

NOTE: The Windows Installer shortcuts and single-click activation both require the Windows Desktop Update.

For additional information about Windows Installer shortcuts and the Windows Desktop Update, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

235402 OFF2000: Some Office 2000 Features Are Lost When Windows Desktop Update Is Not Installed

In Windows 98, when you have a folder's View as Web Page option selected, a program is started by single-clicking an icon rather than double-clicking. In Windows 2000, the single-click option is separated from the view option. In either case, if single-click activation is selected, when you click an icon representing an advertised feature, Windows starts to perform the installation.

REFERENCES

For additional information about single-click activation in Windows Explorer, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

172777 'Single-Click to Open an Item...' Option Does Not Work

Modification Type:MinorLast Reviewed:10/13/2006
Keywords:kbtshoot kbstartprogram kbsetup kbprb KB221455
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