PUB2002: "Publisher Has Encountered a Problem and Needs to Close" Error Message When You Start Publisher (322079)

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 start Microsoft Publisher, you may receive an error message similar to the following:

Microsoft Publisher has encountered a problem and needs to close. We are sorry for the inconvenience.

If you were in the middle of something, the information you were working on might be lost.

We have created an error report that you can send to help us improve Microsoft Publisher. We will treat this report as confidential and anonymous.

To see what data this error report contains, click here.

When you view the data in the error report, the report contains an error signature similar to the following, where xxxxxxxx is a string of alphanumeric characters:

   AppName     AppVer       ModName     ModVer       offset  
   mspub.exe   10.0.2621.0  mspub.exe   10.0.2621.0  xxxxxxxx

As a result, you cannot start Publisher.

CAUSE

This problem may occur if the following registry key is damaged:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Microsoft/Office/10.0/Publisher

RESOLUTION

To resolve this problem, follow these steps:

Quit Publisher.
Click Start, and then click Run.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.
In the Open box, type regedit, and then click OK.
Locate the following registry key:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Microsoft/Office/10.0/Publisher
Right-click the registry key that you located in step 4, and then click Rename.
Type publisherold, and then press ENTER.
Quit Registry Editor.
Start Publisher.

MORE INFORMATION

For additional information about how to troubleshoot a similar issue, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

322102 PUB2002: "Publisher Has Encountered a Problem and Needs to Close" Error Message When You Start Publisher