OFFXP: Customizable Alert Button Missing from Error Messages in Office Programs (280530)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Access 2002
  • Microsoft Excel 2002
  • Microsoft FrontPage 2002
  • Microsoft Outlook 2002
  • Microsoft PowerPoint 2002
  • Microsoft Publisher 2002
  • Microsoft Word 2002
This article was previously published under Q280530
IMPORTANT: This article contains information about modifying the registry. Before you modify the registry, make sure to back it up and make sure that you understand how to restore the registry if a problem occurs. For information about how to back up, restore, and edit the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

256986 Description of the Microsoft Windows Registry

SYMPTOMS

When you receive an error message in any Microsoft Office program, the customizable alert button may be missing.

CAUSE

This behavior occurs when both of the following conditions are true:
  • You activated some customizable alerts through registry entries.

    -and-
  • You enabled some customizable alerts by using a system policy. You added the customized alert information in the customizable error message policy branch.
When you enable customizable alerts by using a system policy, the policy settings override any existing customizable alerts registered in the HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\10.0\Office Program\CustomizableAlerts subkey. System policy customizable alerts and registry entry customizable alerts are mutually exclusive.

WORKAROUND

To avoid this conflict, use only one method for customizable alerts. Do one of the following:
  • Activate customizable alerts in the registry with the Custom Installation Wizard or the Custom Maintenance Wizard.

    -OR-
  • Enable extendable alerts with System Policy Editor.
If you have already used both of the above methods, use one of the following methods to enable customizable alerts again.

Method 1: Remove System Policy Customizable Alerts

WARNING: If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

  1. Click Start, point to Programs, point to Microsoft Office Tools, point to Microsoft Office XP Resource Kit Tools, and then click System Policy Editor.
  2. On the File menu, click Open Registry.
  3. Double-click Local User.
  4. In the Policies box, navigate to the following key for each Office program:

    <Office program>\Customizable error messages

  5. Click to select the List of error messages to customize check box, and then click Show in the Settings for List of error messages to customize box.
  6. Note the value name and value for each customizable alert.
  7. Click a value name, and then click Remove. Repeat this step for all customizable alerts, and then click OK.
  8. Repeat steps 4 through 7 for all Office programs.
  9. In the Policies box, navigate to the following key: 
    Microsoft Office XP \ Customizable error messages \ Base URL
  10. Click to select the Base URL check box, delete any text in the Base URL box under Settings for Base URL, and then click to clear the Base URL check box.
  11. Click OK twice.
  12. Repeat steps 3 through 11 for every user and group.
  13. Quit System Policy Editor.
  14. Click Start, point to Programs, point to Microsoft Office Tools, point to Microsoft Office XP Resource Kit Tools, and then click Custom Maintenance Wizard.
  15. Click Next.
  16. In the Open the MSI File dialog, click Browse, find the MSI file on your Office XP installation site or CD-ROM, and then click Open.
  17. Click Next.
  18. In the Open the CMW File dialog, click Create a new CMW file.
  19. Click Next.
  20. In the Select the CMW File to Save dialog box, make any changes that you want to the file name and path of the CMW file in the Name and path of CMW file box.

    NOTE: If you have users working on Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 or Microsoft Windows 2000 operating systems, you must place the CMW file in a subfolder under the root of the administrative installation point, and then name the subfolder CMW. If the CMW file is not placed in this subfolder, users may not be able to apply maintenance configuration changes. See the Microsoft Office XP Resource Kit for more information.
  21. At the top right of the dialog there is a combo box with the current screen number. Click the arrow, and then click 9 Add/Remove Registry Entries.
  22. Repeat the following steps for each of the customizable alerts that you noted in step 6:
    1. Click Add.
    2. In the Root box, point to the arrow, and then click HKEY_CURRENT_USER.
    3. In the Data type box, point to the arrow, and then click REG_SZ.
    4. In the Key box, type Software\Microsoft\Office\10.0\<Office Program>\CustomizableAlerts where <Office Program> is the name of the program this error applies to.
    5. In the Value name box, type the value name.
    6. In the Value data box, type the value.
    7. Click OK.
  23. Click Finish.
  24. Click Exit.
  25. To update a user's installed feature configuration, run the Custom Maintenance Wizard on a user's computer from a command line. Use the /c command-line option and include the path and name of the CMW file. For example, type the following 
    <tools path>maintwiz.exe /c <path><CMW file>
    where <tools path> is the path to the Custom Maintenance Wizard, and <path> is the path to the CMW file.

Method 2: Remove Registry Entries Customizable Error Messages

WARNING: If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

  1. Click Start, and then click Run.
  2. In the Open box, type regedit, and then click OK.
  3. In the Registry Editor, find and select the following key

    HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\10.0\<Office Program>\CustomizableAlerts


    where <Office Program> is the name of the Office program the alert applies to.

  4. Record the customizable alerts in the registry.
  5. Repeat steps 3 through 4 for each Office program.
  6. Quit Registry Editor.
  7. Click Start, point to Programs, point to Microsoft Office Tools, point to Microsoft Office XP Resource Kit Tools, and then click Custom Maintenance Wizard.
  8. Click Next.
  9. In the Open the MSI File dialog, click Browse, find the MSI file on your Office XP installation site or CD-ROM, and then click Open.
  10. Click Next.
  11. In the Open the CMW File dialog, click Create a new CMW file.
  12. Click Next.
  13. In the Select the CMW File to Save dialog box, make any changes that you want to the file name and path of the CMW file in the Name and path of CMW file box.

    NOTE: If you have users working on Windows NT 4.0 or Windows 2000 operating systems, you must place the CMW file in a subfolder under the root of the administrative installation point, and name the subfolder CMW. If the CMW file is not placed in this subfolder, users mat not be able to apply maintenance configuration changes. See the Microsoft Office XP Resource Kit for more information.
  14. At the top right of the dialog box is a page is a combo box with the current screen number. Click the arrow, and then click 9 Add/Remove Registry Entries.
  15. For each customizable alert registry key, click the root of the key on the Add tab, and then click Remove.
  16. Click the Remove Registry Entry tab.
  17. Repeat the following steps for each of the customizable alerts noted in step 4:
    1. Click Add.
    2. In the Root box, point to the arrow, and click HKEY_CURRENT_USER.
    3. In the Key box, type Software\Microsoft\Office\10.0\<Office Program>\CustomizableAlerts where <Office Program> is the name of the program this error applies to.
    4. In the Value name box, type the name of the alert as seen in the Registry Editor.
    5. Click OK.
  18. Click Finish.
  19. Click Exit.
  20. To update a user's installed feature configuration, run the Custom Maintenance Wizard on a user's computer from a command line. Use the /c command-line option and include the path and name of the CMW file. For example, type the following 
    <tools path>maintwiz.exe /c <path><CMW file>
    where <tools path> is the path to the Custom Maintenance Wizard, and <path> is the path to the CMW file.
  21. Click Start, point to Programs, point to Microsoft Office Tools, point to Microsoft Office XP Resource Kit Tools, and then click System Policy Editor.
  22. On the Options menu, click Policy Template.
  23. If OUTLK10.ADM is not listed in the Current Policy Templates box, click Add, click Outlk10.adm, and then click Open.
  24. Click OK.
  25. On the File menu, click Open Registry.
  26. Double-click Local User.
  27. For each Office program, navigate to the following key in the Policies box:

    <Office program>\Customizable error messages

  28. Click to select the List of error messages to customize check box, and then click Show in the Settings for List of error messages to customize box.
  29. Click Add.
  30. In the Type the name of the item to be added box, type an alert name.
  31. In the Type the value of the item to be added box, type the data associated with that name.
  32. Repeat steps 29 through 31 for all custom error messages for that Office program, and then click OK.
  33. Repeat steps 27 through 32 for all Office programs, and then click OK.
  34. Repeat steps 26 through 33 for other users and groups.
  35. Quit System Policy Editor.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article.

MORE INFORMATION

For more information about customizable alerts, see the Microsoft Office XP Resource Kit. For more information about the <I>Microsoft Office XP Resource Kit</I>, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://www.microsoft.com/office/ork/

REFERENCES

For more information about customizing error messages, see the following Microsoft Web site: http://www.microsoft.com/Office/ORK/xp/TWO/admd01.htm
Modification Type:MinorLast Reviewed:7/15/2004
Keywords:kbbug kbpending KB280530
©2004 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.