Error Message when trying to open Word 2000

[John B]

Today I started getting an error message when trying to
launch MSWord 2000. Have never had problem before.

Message is as follows.

Winword had caused and error in MSO9.DLL.

I have tried renaming the Normal.dot and deleting the Data
file from the Register (using regedit), also tried moving
all .dot files out of the MSWord start up path. So far
nothing has changed or affected the problem. I also tried
starting word by using winword.exe /a .

I also uninstalled word and reinstalled it and downloaded
all of the updates.

Is there anyting else I can try. I still can not get past
this error message.

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

When you started Word with winword /a, did this solve the problem?

 

[John B.]

No. So far nothing has worked.

I keep getting the error message

"Winword has caused an error in MSO9.DLL.
Winword will now close.
If you continue to experience problems, try restarting
your computer"

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

And I assume you *did* try restarting the computer? (Though I doubt that
would be useful in this instance.)

 

[John B.]

Yes and powering down and shutting off the power but
nothing made any difference.

As mentioned before I even tried uninstalling and
reinstalling Word and downloading all of the updates but
it didn't help.

 

[John B.]

Just took a look at the MSO9.DLL file and this is the info.

It is located in C:\Program Files\Microsoft
Office\Office,the creation date for this file is Monday,
September 30, 2002, 7:10:58 AM, and its size is 5.33 MB
(5,599,281 bytes)does this look correct???

Could this file be the problem? Where can I get a
replacement copy?

Thanks,

John B.

 

[Beth Melton]

Hi John,

If you installed the Office SP3 patch then that is the correct file
date and size.

An MSO9.DLL error doesn't mean the file itself is the underlying
issue. This is a shared DLL for all Office apps and if other
applications start then that isn't the issue. Plus if the error
occurred prior to installing SP3 then it has been recently replaced.

If you think the file is corrupt then rename MSO9.DLL and Winword.exe
then go to Add/Remove Programs and use the "Repair Office" option.

Do you have Windows XP and set a Compatibility mode for Word?
--
Please post all follow-up questions to the newsgroup. Requests for
assistance by email can not be acknowledged.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Beth Melton
Microsoft Office MVP

Word FAQ: http://mvps.org/word
TechTrax eZine: http://mousetrax.com/techtrax/
MVP FAQ site: http://mvps.org/

 

[John B.]

I tried renaming both MSO9.DLL and Winword.exe and running
the repair program it did replace both files but I still
have the same problem.

I am running Windows ME my programs came with the PC and
have worked fine until now they came bundled in Microsoft
Works Suite. My other WorkSuite programs seem to be
working correctly.

I appreciate your assistance. I'm at a loss as to what to
try next.

Sincerely,

John B.

 

[Beth Melton]

Hi John,

Just to verify, you were unable to start Word by going to Start/Run
and running:

winword /a

Note the space before the forward slash.

If Word starts then the likely cause is a corrupt Normal.dot. Locate
Normal.dot and rename it to OldNormal.dot. Word will create a new one
upon starting.

If this resolves the problem, any customizations can be copied to the
new Normal.dot via the Organizer (Tools/Templates and Add-Ins) Once
this is complete OldNormal.dot can be discarded. If the problem still
exists then you can delete the new Normal.dot and rename your
OldNormal.dot to Normal.dot.

Failing that, does the error occur if you start Windows in Safe Mode?
--
Please post all follow-up questions to the newsgroup. Requests for
assistance by email can not be acknowledged.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Beth Melton
Microsoft Office MVP

Word FAQ: http://mvps.org/word
TechTrax eZine: http://mousetrax.com/techtrax/
MVP FAQ site: http://mvps.org/

 

[John B.]

Hello,
Nothing I have tried has allowed word to open. I just
tried rebooting and starting in safe mode but word still
would not open I still get the same error message. Yes I
tried starting word as you suggested with the space and /a
but that did not work.

Anything else I can try???? What about removing all of my
microsoft works suite and then reinstalling it?

I appreciate your assistance.

John B.

 

[Beth Melton]

Hi John,

Here's what I would like you to try first:

In the Registry drill down to:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\9.0

And rename 9.0 to "Old9.0" without the quotes.

In Add/Remove Programs use the "Repair" function for the Word
installation. This will recreate the Office\9.0 branch in the Registry
using the defaults.

If this corrects the problem then the renamed Registry key can be
deleted.

--
Please post all follow-up questions to the newsgroup. Requests for
assistance by email can not be acknowledged.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Beth Melton
Microsoft Office MVP

Word FAQ: http://mvps.org/word
TechTrax eZine: http://mousetrax.com/techtrax/
MVP FAQ site: http://mvps.org/

 

[John B.]

Renaming 9.0 to Old9.0 and running the repair function did
replace the 9.0 but did not fix my problem I still get the
same error message. What should I do with the "old9.0"
should I deleted the new 9.0 and rename the "Old9.0" back
to 9.0 or should I delete the "Old9.0".

What else can I try??

Again thanks for your efforts in helping me to correct
this problem.

John B.

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

Have you uninstalled the Microsoft Works Suite Add-in for Word (through
Control Panel | Add/Remove Programs)? It causes many problems with Word (not
necessarily this one, but if you're not going to be opening Word from Works,
you will be better off without the add-in).

 

[Beth Melton]

Hi John,

If you want to reset the Office applications to the defaults then
delete the renamed key. If you want to preserve any preferences you
may have made then delete the new key and rename the old one back.

However if you want to rename the old key back then I would wait until
you have Word back up and running. Knowing that the primary Registry
branch for Office is 'clean' will help with future troubleshooting.


I must say this has me stumped! Let's make sure you have tried
everything and recap the issue:

- You are unable to start Word using the /a switch which rules out
add-ins, Normal.dot, Registry, etc.
- You have renamed winword.exe and mso9.dll and reinstalled to rule
out corruption
- You are using Windows ME so you do not have Compatibility option set
for Winword.exe

Additional items to try or verify:
- Are you using a local printer or a network printer? (If in doubt
install any printer driver using the Add Printer Wizard)
- Have you tried starting Windows in Safe Mode?
- Are you using Norton AV? If so have you disabled the Office Plug-in
option?
- Search for multiple occurrences of Winword.exe and MSO9.DLL

- Delete all *.tmp files (this should be done anyway since you have
been experiencing multiple crashes):

- Exit Word and Outlook if you are using it as your email editor and
reboot your computer if you recently experienced a crash
- Go to Start/Find/Files or Folders (or Start/Search then select Files
or Folders)
- Change "Look in" to reflect the drive/folder to the root of your
Local drive.
- In the Named text box, type *.tmp
- Click the "Find Now" command
- Delete the temp files you find.

*Note that these can be deleted directly from the Find Results.

To group the files for a single deletion:
- Click any file in the list
- Press <Ctrl A> to select all

Should you encounter a "File in use" error, press <Ctrl> and click the
file to deselect it.

As an additional note, the Owner file is another temporary files Word
creates. If you have been experiencing multiple crashes or if Word has
been hanging on you then it is best to search for Owner files
(~$*.do?) and delete those as well. These can cause "file in use" and
"read only" errors.

For more information on this and a full cleanup/maintenance procedure
that should be run periodically, see this article:
http://www.mvps.org/word/FAQs/AppErrors/LockedFiles.htm


--
Please post all follow-up questions to the newsgroup. Requests for
assistance by email can not be acknowledged.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Beth Melton
Microsoft Office MVP

Word FAQ: http://mvps.org/word
TechTrax eZine: http://mousetrax.com/techtrax/
MVP FAQ site: http://mvps.org/

 

[John B.]

I have tried everything listed below:

- I am unable to start Word using the /a switch

- I have renamed winword.exe and mso9.dll and reinstalled

- I am using Windows ME so I do not have Compatibility
option set for Winword.exe

Additional items to try or verify:
- I am using a local printer

- I Have tried starting Windows in Safe Mode?

- I do not have Norton AV installed.

- I have Searched for multiple occurrences of Winword.exe
and MSO9.DLL and did not find any.

- I have now Delete all *.tmp files.

- I have tried exiting Outlook. I am using it as my email
editor and rebooted my computer.

I do not completely understant this instruction but I did
a search for ~$*.do? I did not find any of these files.
"As an additional note, the Owner file is another
temporary files Word creates. If you have been
experiencing multiple crashes or if Word has
been hanging on you then it is best to search for Owner
files(~$*.do?) and delete those as well. These can
cause "file in use" and "read only" errors."

I also used regedit to delete the "DATA" key (which has
not been regenerated).

An interesting side note my MSWorks word processor works.

Also I can not do a systems restore as for some reason I
have no restore points. I am trying to figure out how to
get my system to create restore points???

Thanks,

John B.

 

[TF]

John

This may seem a stupid question but are you certain that Word isn't opening
but is off screen? When you use Start, Run and type in

winword /a

and press Enter, what happens? Have you looked in Windows Task Manager to be
absolutely sure it isn't fired up?



: I have tried everything listed below:
:
: - I am unable to start Word using the /a switch
:
: - I have renamed winword.exe and mso9.dll and reinstalled
:
: - I am using Windows ME so I do not have Compatibility
: option set for Winword.exe
:
: Additional items to try or verify:
: - I am using a local printer
:
: - I Have tried starting Windows in Safe Mode?
:
: - I do not have Norton AV installed.
:
: - I have Searched for multiple occurrences of Winword.exe
: and MSO9.DLL and did not find any.
:
: - I have now Delete all *.tmp files.
:
: - I have tried exiting Outlook. I am using it as my email
: editor and rebooted my computer.
:
: I do not completely understant this instruction but I did
: a search for ~$*.do? I did not find any of these files.
: "As an additional note, the Owner file is another
: temporary files Word creates. If you have been
: experiencing multiple crashes or if Word has
: been hanging on you then it is best to search for Owner
: files(~$*.do?) and delete those as well. These can
: cause "file in use" and "read only" errors."
:
: I also used regedit to delete the "DATA" key (which has
: not been regenerated).
:
: An interesting side note my MSWorks word processor works.
:
: Also I can not do a systems restore as for some reason I
: have no restore points. I am trying to figure out how to
: get my system to create restore points???
:
: Thanks,
:
: John B.
:
:
: >-----Original Message-----
: >Hi John,
: >
: >If you want to reset the Office applications to the
: defaults then
: >delete the renamed key. If you want to preserve any
: preferences you
: >may have made then delete the new key and rename the old
: one back.
: >
: >However if you want to rename the old key back then I
: would wait until
: >you have Word back up and running. Knowing that the
: primary Registry
: >branch for Office is 'clean' will help with future
: troubleshooting.
: >
: >
: >I must say this has me stumped! Let's make sure you have
: tried
: >everything and recap the issue:
: >
: >- You are unable to start Word using the /a switch which
: rules out
: >add-ins, Normal.dot, Registry, etc.
: >- You have renamed winword.exe and mso9.dll and
: reinstalled to rule
: >out corruption
: >- You are using Windows ME so you do not have
: Compatibility option set
: >for Winword.exe
: >
: >Additional items to try or verify:
: >- Are you using a local printer or a network printer? (If
: in doubt
: >install any printer driver using the Add Printer Wizard)
: >- Have you tried starting Windows in Safe Mode?
: >- Are you using Norton AV? If so have you disabled the
: Office Plug-in
: >option?
: >- Search for multiple occurrences of Winword.exe and
: MSO9.DLL
: >
: >- Delete all *.tmp files (this should be done anyway
: since you have
: >been experiencing multiple crashes):
: >
: >- Exit Word and Outlook if you are using it as your email
: editor and
: >reboot your computer if you recently experienced a crash
: >- Go to Start/Find/Files or Folders (or Start/Search then
: select Files
: >or Folders)
: >- Change "Look in" to reflect the drive/folder to the
: root of your
: >Local drive.
: >- In the Named text box, type *.tmp
: >- Click the "Find Now" command
: >- Delete the temp files you find.
: >
: >*Note that these can be deleted directly from the Find
: Results.
: >
: >To group the files for a single deletion:
: >- Click any file in the list
: >- Press <Ctrl A> to select all
: >
: >Should you encounter a "File in use" error, press <Ctrl>
: and click the
: >file to deselect it.
: >
: >As an additional note, the Owner file is another
: temporary files Word
: >creates. If you have been experiencing multiple crashes
: or if Word has
: >been hanging on you then it is best to search for Owner
: files
: >(~$*.do?) and delete those as well. These can cause "file
: in use" and
: >"read only" errors.
: >
: >For more information on this and a full
: cleanup/maintenance procedure
: >that should be run periodically, see this article:
: >http://www.mvps.org/word/FAQs/AppErrors/LockedFiles.htm
: >
: >
: >--
: >Please post all follow-up questions to the newsgroup.
: Requests for
: >assistance by email can not be acknowledged.
: >
: >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
: >Beth Melton
: >Microsoft Office MVP
: >
: >Word FAQ: http://mvps.org/word
: >TechTrax eZine: http://mousetrax.com/techtrax/
: >MVP FAQ site: http://mvps.org/
: >
: >
: message
: >: >> Renaming 9.0 to Old9.0 and running the repair function
: did
: >> replace the 9.0 but did not fix my problem I still get
: the
: >> same error message. What should I do with the "old9.0"
: >> should I deleted the new 9.0 and rename the "Old9.0"
: back
: >> to 9.0 or should I delete the "Old9.0".
: >>
: >> What else can I try??
: >>
: >> Again thanks for your efforts in helping me to correct
: >> this problem.
: >>
: >> John B.
: >> >-----Original Message-----
: >> >Hi John,
: >> >
: >> >Here's what I would like you to try first:
: >> >
: >> >In the Registry drill down to:
: >> >HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\9.0
: >> >
: >> >And rename 9.0 to "Old9.0" without the quotes.
: >> >
: >> >In Add/Remove Programs use the "Repair" function for
: the
: >> Word
: >> >installation. This will recreate the Office\9.0 branch
: in
: >> the Registry
: >> >using the defaults.
: >> >
: >> >If this corrects the problem then the renamed Registry
: >> key can be
: >> >deleted.
: >> >
: >> >--
: >> >Please post all follow-up questions to the newsgroup.
: >> Requests for
: >> >assistance by email can not be acknowledged.
: >> >
: >> >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
: >> >Beth Melton
: >> >Microsoft Office MVP
: >> >
: >> >Word FAQ: http://mvps.org/word
: >> >TechTrax eZine: http://mousetrax.com/techtrax/
: >> >MVP FAQ site: http://mvps.org/
: >> >
: >> >
: >> >: >> >> Hello,
: >> >> Nothing I have tried has allowed word to open. I just
: >> >> tried rebooting and starting in safe mode but word
: still
: >> >> would not open I still get the same error message.
: Yes I
: >> >> tried starting word as you suggested with the space
: >> and /a
: >> >> but that did not work.
: >> >>
: >> >> Anything else I can try???? What about removing all
: of
: >> my
: >> >> microsoft works suite and then reinstalling it?
: >> >>
: >> >> I appreciate your assistance.
: >> >>
: >> >> John B.
: >> >>
: >> >> >-----Original Message-----
: >> >> >Hi John,
: >> >> >
: >> >> >Just to verify, you were unable to start Word by
: going
: >> to
: >> >> Start/Run
: >> >> >and running:
: >> >> >
: >> >> >winword /a
: >> >> >
: >> >> >Note the space before the forward slash.
: >> >> >
: >> >> >If Word starts then the likely cause is a corrupt
: >> >> Normal.dot. Locate
: >> >> >Normal.dot and rename it to OldNormal.dot. Word will
: >> >> create a new one
: >> >> >upon starting.
: >> >> >
: >> >> >If this resolves the problem, any customizations
: can be
: >> >> copied to the
: >> >> >new Normal.dot via the Organizer (Tools/Templates
: and
: >> Add-
: >> >> Ins) Once
: >> >> >this is complete OldNormal.dot can be discarded. If
: the
: >> >> problem still
: >> >> >exists then you can delete the new Normal.dot and
: >> rename
: >> >> your
: >> >> >OldNormal.dot to Normal.dot.
: >> >> >
: >> >> >Failing that, does the error occur if you start
: Windows
: >> >> in Safe Mode?
: >> >> >--
: >> >> >Please post all follow-up questions to the
: newsgroup.
: >> >> Requests for
: >> >> >assistance by email can not be acknowledged.
: >> >> >
: >> >> >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
: >> >> >Beth Melton
: >> >> >Microsoft Office MVP
: >> >> >
: >> >> >Word FAQ: http://mvps.org/word
: >> >> >TechTrax eZine: http://mousetrax.com/techtrax/
: >> >> >MVP FAQ site: http://mvps.org/
: >> >> >
: >> >> >
: >> >> >.
: >> >> >
: >> >
: >> >
: >> >.
: >> >
: >
: >
: >.
: >

 

[John B.]

The last reply was abel to be displayed when I tried to
open the message all I received was "message unavailable"

 

[Beth Melton]

Hi John,

I do not completely understant this instruction but I did
a search for ~$*.do? I did not find any of these files.

These are another type of temp Word creates. They are used to 'lock' a
file when it is open. If you didn't find any then that means you
haven't encountered errors when a document was open.

I also used regedit to delete the "DATA" key (which has
not been regenerated).

It was also recreated when you recreated the Office\9.0 Registry key.
The Data key will be recreated the next time you exit Word. (Once we
find the solution of course!)

I'm still in the process of investigating other ideas but in the
interim, what message do you encounter when you start Word using the
/a switch and what is the full error message? For example "Winword had
caused and error in MSO9.DLL in ....." the rest could help shed some
light on the exact cause.

Also, since you are using Word from Works Suite did you uninstalled
the "Microsoft Works Suite Add-in for Word" in Add/Remove Programs as
Suzanne suggested?

This should have been ruled out when you tried starting Word with the
/a switch but this add-in has caused so many other problems it doesn't
hurt to make sure.

--
Please post all follow-up questions to the newsgroup. Requests for
assistance by email can not be acknowledged.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Beth Melton
Microsoft Office MVP

Word FAQ: http://mvps.org/word
TechTrax eZine: http://mousetrax.com/techtrax/
MVP FAQ site: http://mvps.org/

 

[John B.]

I have tried all of the suggested actions previously
recommended and none have changed the original error
message I am getting.

I get the same error message no matter how I have tried
launching word. "Winword has caused an error in MSO9.DLL
Winword will now close.


If you continue to experience problems try restarting your
computer."

I have deleted word completly by using the add/remove
programs and reinstalled it from CD. I have renamed 9.0
and deleted the data key. I have tried start word with the
winword /a from the start/run tab.

So far nothing has changed.

Thanks for your continued assistance.

John B.

 

[RWN]

I've been watching this thread grow and grow.
I'm not an expert, but I thought I'd do some Googling and, while I found
tons of references to "MSO9.DLL", they all had the same solutions to
what has been tried.

However, at;
http://www.driverforum.com/other5/10385.html I found this;
"Posted by Sharon on January 24, 2004 at 08:36:02: when i open word 2000
an error message stating winword has caused an error in MSO9.DLL winword
will now close."

And the response was;
"Do the following (it worked for me):

Go to control panel
Click Add/Remove Programs
Click on Microsoft Office 2000
When the unistaller window prompts you, click on add/remove
applications.
Click on the "+" sign at the left of "Word" so all the subdirectories
can be seen.
Right click on Templates and choose to put it "not available"
Click Ok or Finish.
Restart your computer.
Now your Word program must run.
Word will create a new subdirectory as you create new templates.

It has something to do with the *.dot files which are confused with
those from other software such as Dragon."


I think that you've already tried this *but* the last line may be a
"hint"(?)

I apologize if this is old news, I don't want to get in the way of the
experts, just thought it may open up a new train of thought.

HTH