Relative hyperlinks are changed and no longer work correctly in a file that is saved in Office 2003 (917689)



The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Office Professional Edition 2003
  • Microsoft Office Standard Edition 2003
  • Microsoft Office Students and Teachers Edition 2003
  • Microsoft Office Small Business Edition 2003
  • Microsoft Office Basic Edition 2003
  • Microsoft Office Access 2003
  • Microsoft Office Excel 2003
  • Microsoft Office FrontPage 2003
  • Microsoft Office OneNote 2003
  • Microsoft Office Outlook 2003
  • Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2003
  • Microsoft Office Publisher 2003
  • Microsoft Office Word 2003

Important This article contains information about how to modify the registry. Make sure to back up the registry before you modify it. Make sure that you know how to restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up, restore, and modify the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

256986 Description of the Microsoft Windows registry

SYMPTOMS

You add a relative hyperlink that points to a shared file to a Microsoft Office 2003 program. When you save the file, the relative hyperlink is changed. Additionally, the hyperlink no longer opens the shared file.

CAUSE

This problem may occur when the following conditions are true:
  • The file that contains the hyperlink and the shared file are both shared to the same root share. However, these files are shared in different folders.
  • The case of the text that is used in the path of the relative hyperlink differs from the case of the text that is used in the path of the target document.
When a file is saved in Office 2003, the "convert to relative" feature changes hyperlinks to relative links when the file is saved. If the case of the text in the path of the hyperlink differs from the case of the text in the path of the destination file, the "convert to relative" feature resolves the path to a different shared folder.

For example, consider a case in which the path of the relative hyperlink is \\Server_Name\FF\c1\doc1.doc, and the path of the destination file is \\Server_Name\ff\c1\doc1.doc. Because lowercase "ff" is changed to uppercase "FF" in the hyperlink, the "convert to relative" feature resolves the path \\Server_Name\FF as if "FF" were a different shared folder than "ff." Therefore, the hyperlink is not resolved correctly.

RESOLUTION

How to obtain the hotfix

This issue is fixed in the Microsoft Office 2003 post-Service Pack 2 Hotfix Package that is dated April 5, 2006. For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

917688 Description of the Office 2003 post-Service Pack 2 hotfix package: April 5, 2006


Warning Serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly by using Registry Editor or by using another method. These problems might require that you reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that these problems can be solved. Modify the registry at your own risk.
To use this hotfix, follow these steps:
  1. Quit Office 2003.
  2. Click Start, click Run, type regedit, and then click OK.
  3. Locate and then click to select the following registry key:

    HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\11.0\Common

  4. After you select the key that is specified in step 3, point to New on the Edit menu, and then click DWORD Value.
  5. Type UseCaseInsensitivePathForHyperlink, and then press ENTER.
  6. Right-click UseCaseInsensitivePathForHyperlink, and then click Modify.
  7. In the Value data box, type 1, and then click OK.
  8. On the File menu, click Exit to quit Registry Editor.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed in the "Applies to" section.

Modification Type:MinorLast Reviewed:7/26/2006
Keywords:kbExpertiseBeginner kbOffice2003preSP3fix kbQFE kbbug kbfix kbpubtypekc KB917689 kbAudITPRO