Curious error message appears when using Office Help

[Robin McInnes]

Hi,

I am running MS Office XP Professional SP3 under MS Windows XP
Professional SP2.

I am having no real problems with it, but lately a curious error message
appears whenever I access Office Help.

Whenever I access help, (either from the menu or from the 'type a
question for help' box), and choose the relevant topic from the blue
drop-down list, the main window shrinks to the left as it should, to be
replaced by the help window on the right.

The help topic I'm wanting does appear as it should in the right pane of
the help window, BUT simultaneously an error message box pops up, as
follows:-

A Runtime Error has occurred. Do you wish to Debug?
Line: 22
Error: Automation server can't create object.

There are two buttons labelled 'Yes' and 'No', presumably in relation to
the 'Do you wish to Debug?' question, but clicking either makes no
difference at all; the error box just disappears and the help window
works normally. (But even choosing 'Yes' doesn't permanently debug,
because it appears again the next time I use Office help.)

This happens with _all_ the Office applications.

The reference in the error message to a server is particularly puzzling,
because my machine is a stand-alone one and is not connected to any server.

I can live with this, it is just a matter of clicking one of the buttons
to get rid of the error message and then carrying on, but it is getting
a bit annoying.

I have looked on the MSKB, searching for the 'automation server can't
create object' error message itself, but I've found nothing which seems
completely relevant.

Has anyone any idea what might be causing the problem please?

--
Cheers,
Robin McInnes

Cheshire, UK

(Email address in header contains a spam trap. Remove it to email me.)

 

[Mary Sauer]

In the Internet Explorer, tools, Advanced tab, check Disable Script Debugging
(Internet Explorer), clear Disable Script Debugging (Other), clear Disable a
notification about every script error.

 

[Robin McInnes]

In the Internet Explorer, tools, Advanced tab, check Disable Script Debugging
(Internet Explorer), clear Disable Script Debugging (Other), clear Disable a
notification about every script error.

Thanks Mary,

I had a look at Internet Explorer > Tools > _Internet Options_ > Advanced.

But all three settings you mention are as you say they should be:
checked, un-checked, un-checked. (The third one is _Display_ a
notification about every script error, and it is un-checked.)

I don't actually use IE any more. Would that have a bearing on what is
happening? (I wouldn't have thought it would.)

--
Cheers,
Robin McInnes

Cheshire, UK

(Email address in header contains a spam trap. Remove it to email me.)