FIX: Word 2002 May Drop Keyboard Input on Windows 98 and Windows Me When Accessibility Client Runs (331325)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Word 2002
This article was previously published under Q331325

SYMPTOMS

When you input characters from the keyboard on your computer, characters may be lost, and characters you expect to see in the document may not appear. This problem occurs when Microsoft Word 2002 runs on Microsoft Windows 98 or Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition (Me) and an Accessibility client runs at the same time. The Accessibility client repeatedly calls the Word document window by using the AccessibleObjectFromWindow application programming interface (API) for access to the IAccessible interface.

The severity of this problem is directly proportional to the number of calls that are made per second and the thread priority of the caller at the time of the request. The more calls that are made per second and the higher the priority of the calling thread, the more key strokes that may be lost in processing.

The problem does not occur in Microsoft Word 2000. This problem also does not occur in Word 2002 if you run on Microsoft Windows NT, Microsoft Windows 2000, or Microsoft Windows XP.

RESOLUTION

A supported fix is now available from Microsoft, but it is only intended to correct the problem that is described in this article. Apply it only to computers that are experiencing this specific problem. This fix may receive additional testing. Therefore, if you are not severely affected by this problem, Microsoft recommends that you wait for the next Office XP Public Update for Word that contains this fix.

To resolve this problem immediately, contact Microsoft Product Support Services to obtain the fix. For a complete list of Microsoft Product Support Services phone numbers and information about support costs, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;EN-US;CNTACTMS

NOTE: In special cases, charges that are ordinarily incurred for support calls may be canceled if a Microsoft Support Professional determines that a specific update will resolve your problem. The typical support costs will apply to additional support questions and issues that do not qualify for the specific update in question.

NOTE: To properly install this fix, you must run Word 2002 with Service Pack 2. You may have to install Windows Installer 2.0 before you run the patch.

For additional information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

330537 OFFXP: Office XP Updates and Patches Released After September 2002 May Require Windows Installer 2.0

After the hotfix is installed, the English version of this fix will have the file attributes (or later) that are listed in the following table. The dates and times for these files are listed in coordinated universal time (UTC). When you view the file information, it is converted to local time. To find the difference between UTC and local time, use the Time Zone tab in the Date and Time tool in Control Panel.
  Date         Time      Version       Size   File name
--------------------------------------------------------------
11-Dec-2002  22:27                  6,631   Readme.txt
11-Dec-2002  22:16              5,554,876   Winword.msp
11-Dec-2002  22:59              6,633,672   Winwordff.msp
The English version of this fix should have the following file attributes or later:
Date         Time   Version             Size  File name
--------------------------------------------------------------
10-Dec-2002  19:07  10.0.4803.0   10,598,984  Winword.exe
NOTE: In addition to the new files noted earlier, you must make the following registry changes to enable this functionality.

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

To make the registry changes, follow these steps:
  1. Start the Windows 98 or the Windows Millennium Edition Registry Editor (Regedit.exe).
  2. Locate and then click the following key in the registry:

    HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\10.0\Word\Options

  3. On the Edit menu, click New, click DWORD Value, and then add the following numeric value to the registry:

    Value Name: DontPeekNullMessages
    Value Data: 0x00000001 (to Enable) or 0x00000000 (to Disable)

  4. Quit Registry Editor.

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.

STATUS

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

MORE INFORMATION

Service Pack Information

This problem was first corrected in Office XP Service Pack 3.To resolve this problem, obtain the latest service pack for Microsoft Office XP. For additional information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

307841 How to obtain the latest Office XP Service Pack

Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:4/7/2006
Keywords:kbQFE KBHotfixServer kbofficexppresp3fix kbbug kbfix kbOfficeXPPreSP2fix KB331325 kbAudDeveloper
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