OFF2000: "Unexpected Critical Error: Can't Start Program" When You Install Office 2000 (230905)


The information in this article applies to:

  • the operating system: Microsoft Windows NT 4.0
  • the operating system: Microsoft Windows 2000
  • Microsoft Office 2000 Premium
  • Microsoft Office 2000 Professoinal
  • Microsoft Office 2000 Standard
  • Microsoft Office 2000 Small Business
  • Microsoft Office 2000 Developer
  • Microsoft Access 2000
  • Microsoft Excel 2000
  • Microsoft FrontPage 2000
  • Microsoft Outlook 2000
  • Microsoft PowerPoint 2000
  • Microsoft Word 2000
This article was previously published under Q230905

SYMPTOMS

When you install Microsoft Office 2000, you may receive the following error message:
Microsoft Development Environment

Unexpected critical error: can't start program
When you click OK, Office Setup is completed successfully.

When you then use Microsoft Script Editor, the following symptoms may occur:
  • The menu bar in Microsoft Script Editor is not visible.
  • If you try to customize the toolbars in Microsoft Script Editor, the program may unexpectedly quit.

CAUSE

These symptoms can occur if all of the following are true:
  • You installed Office 2000 on a computer that is running Windows 2000 or Windows NT 4.0.
  • You logged on as a user or a power user.
  • You performed an installation that included the Web Scripting feature. For example, your command line may have been similar to

    <path>\Setup /qb ADDLOCAL=ALL

    where <path> is the full path to your administrative installation of Office 2000.

WORKAROUND

By default, the Web Scripting feature is not installed because its installation state is Installed on First Use. However, this default installation state can be changed from the command line or in a transform. If you are using a command line similar to the one in the "Cause" section of this article, or if you are using a transform, make sure not to install the Web Scripting feature.

To work around the behavior after Microsoft Script Editor is installed, you can run "mse /setup", but only if you are a member of the Administrator group for the computer and only if you are the user who originally installed Office. Use a command line similar to the following:

"C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio\Common\IDE\IDE98\MSE.EXE" /setup

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article.
Modification Type:MinorLast Reviewed:10/13/2006
Keywords:kbbug kberrmsg kbpending KB230905
©2004 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.